A Brief History of Riverside Presbyterian Church: How Did We Get Here?
The life of Riverside Presbyterian is rooted in the stories of three different congregations formed in and around Linn Grove, Iowa. In 1875, Zion Church built a small building 6 miles north of town and hired a resident pastor. In 1889 another congregation, Union Church, constructed a building in Linn Grove-services were conducted there by the congregation. In 1895, the congregation of Peniel Church built a building 2 miles north of Linn Grove.
In 1907, these three congregations jointly hired a minister, the Rev. Mr. Harris. A home was rented for him in Linn Grove and he was paid an annual salary of $600. It is remembered that Rev. Harris would set out on horseback early each Sunday morning to hold a morning service at the Zion church. From there he would ride to Peniel Church for an afternoon service after which he would hold an evening service in Linn Grove at the Union Church.
In 1923, the Peniel Church building was dismantled and moved across the Little Sioux River into Linn Grove. The building was cut into six parts. Each part was dropped over a haystack and carried into town when the river level was low. In 1924, the Riverside Church was dedicated with members of Union and Peniel Churches forming the new congregation.
In November of 2006, Riverside Presbyterian petitioned and was accepted for membership in the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA). The PCA is growing body of Presbyterian/Reformed congregations who hold to the truth that the Bible is the inerrant and infallible Word of God-our guide for all of life. Since joining the PCA we have enjoyed membership and fellowship within this group becoming involved in Presbytery events and serving along with other PCA churches in Iowa. More information about the PCA can be found at their website: http://www.pcanet.org/
The Purpose of Riverside Presbyterian Church: Why Are We Here?
The purpose of the church, according to the pattern found in Acts chapter 2, seems to be six fold: To promote and disseminate the Apostle's teaching, to promote Christian sharing, to celebrate the sacraments, to facilitate prayer, to be the context for proper piety, and to be the recipient of God's miracles (Acts 2:42-43). How does the congregation known as Riverside Presbyterian follow this pattern?
1. The Apostle's Doctrine: The teaching of Scripture I feel is the central aspect of our lives together as disciples. Obviously I, as Pastor, feel the messages from the pulpit have been biblical- I've been the one delivering them, and I rarely disagree with myself- but I think also I have been privileged to be able to work with teachers in many positions- Sunday School, Youth Group, GL&P,U, WIC/Circle, to name but a sampling- who hold the Bible to be God's Truth and have taught it accordingly. Ministries such as GROW have taken this message out of our walls and into our surrounding homes, and this is a major reason for the church's existence. Not EVERY ministry of our church is fully bible centered- some are more sharing centered, and so fulfill another important mandate- but most are, and I think it would be difficult to spend much time among us as a community without being confronted with the message of Scripture.
2. Christian Sharing: ministries such as the Geneva Fellowship, Women in the Church (WIC), and Home Builders do a good job of allowing us to fellowship and share, laugh, and enjoy our life of family in Jesus. Sharing is more than this however: the word "Koinonea", from the original language of the New Testament, speaks of all types of sharing, from the helping hand to the sharing of the Bread of Life, and we have had significant opportunities to flex our spiritual muscles in this regard. Evangelism is a developing practice among us. Our annual Old Fashioned Tent Revivals, for example, have allowed us to share the message among us and outside the door of the church. I am aware of several times the members of this church were given opportunity by God to share the "Reason for the hope within them" and have not shrunk from doing so. Hopefully by God's grace we shall grow even deeper in this regard.
3. The sacraments: The supper is shared among us around 14 times per year, and its seriousness and grace seem to be well respected by all. We practice Covenant baptism at Riverside-the baptism of believers and their children. We see this as the beginning of life in Christian communion.
4. Prayer (and worship in general): When a Christian sings in worship, he is praying in song: just think of the words of the music we sing, and you'll soon see what I mean. It seems to me that the prayer life at our church has been blessed. Our church has been blessed with (1) prayer chain which goes immediately to prayer rather than just passing on information, (2) the weekly Prayer Fellowship that lifts up every ministry and person in our church to the Lord on a regular basis, (3) a praise team/church musicians that take to heart the fact they are REALLY leading people into the very THRONEROOM of God. It humbles me to see the grace God has poured out upon us in this way. May He continue to so bless us!
5. The Fear of God: All churches have rings of members, with some rings more active than others. Still, I feel many of our members in their activities in the world understand they walk always before God's face and live with the humility and reverence this produces. I also can honestly say I am not being paid to be this church's Christian-a situation all too common today. We are a congregation filled with those willing to partner in the work of ministry. I'm sure I would fail to remember all of you if I attempted to list you and your efforts. Rest assured I am for each case grateful for all the Lord does through our church body.
6. Miracles: God has not shown Himself absent among us. He has answered our prayers in many gracious ways, and many of you have been quick to testify to healings and many other acts of mercy. A sovereign God has the right to do what He wants, and withhold what He chooses, but I think it is safe to say we have on many occasions seen His hand at work. He has not withheld us from all tragedy- this is a fallen world- but I'm sure all of you would agree God has been FAR better to us than we really have deserved. We have much to be thankful for.
To the end that Riverside Presbyterian Church follows this 6 fold pattern in Acts we are, as individual Christians and as a body, living out what is defined in the Westminster Shorter Catechism, question 1:
Q. What is the chief end of man? A. Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.
