Riverbend Community Church is calling on community and friends to support our capital campaign as we look for a new space to call home.
“By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 3:10-11
“Pursue the well-being of the city I have deported you to. Pray to the Lord on its behalf, for when it thrives, you will thrive.”
Jeremiah 29:7
At the heart of Riverbend, our mission is to simply live for Jesus and love the people of the Lehigh Valley. We’ve always held a deep conviction and desire to serve our community and point them to Jesus. For the last 12 years, our home has been 795 Roble Road in Allentown and we’ve been fortunate enough to leverage this space as a resource for the benefit and blessing of others.
Foundations for the Valley Campaign
With the lease for our current space ending in May 2025, our church is now beginning the next chapter of our journey. We feel God is inviting us to deeper trust in him as we look for our next home, which will allow us to better serve our church, the local community, and beyond. While WE ARE THE CHURCH, we envision a new space as a tool for God’s kingdom, further helping us toward our goal of restoration, transformation and building up the people and places of the Lehigh Valley.
*UPDATE (9.10.2024): God has moved in significant ways over the last few month - Riverbend has currently closed on a church building located in the city of Bethlehem! Though this is a significant step in our next chapter - the journey has just begun!
81 E North St, Bethlehem PA 18018
As we bring this opportunity forward, it is our desire to share as much as we can to answer many of the questions we have been hearing.
We ask that you prayerfully consider joining us on this journey. We know that in order to achieve this vision we will need the help and support of many! We believe the transfer to a new space will allow us to better serve our community and share the love of Christ with more people in the areas of:
Community - The new space will allow for us to be able to reach out to the local community and meet tangible needs in our space through missions.
Church - Physical space for the church to gather that creates room for members, and can meet members needs today, and for years to come.
Children - Build a space that will be able to support our children of all ages for the current generation, and generations to come.
Based on these 3 campaign visions, we are looking to raise financial support (over the next 3 years) in the amount of:
Victory goal: $600,000
Faith goal: $700,000
Miracle goal: $800,000
This financial support raising would afford Riverbend the downpayment to continue monthly payments comparable to what we are currently paying for our lease, while providing a new space to support or community, church, and children for years to come!
We want to be good stewards of the gifts that God has provided, so we are planning as far in advance as possible to allow us time to be able to find the best next home of Riverbend. We understand that these may not be the prime economic times, but we know that God does not always work on normal timelines, and feel that God is calling us to find a new home that can better support Riverbend and our mission.
Foundations for the Valley
Dessert Social
Sunday, November 17th 5:30-7pm
Are you new to Riverbend or missed the Foundations for the Valley Banquet last fall? We would love to share with you how God is moving in our community and preparing a new church home for us? Join us on Sunday, November 17th for a Dessert Social to lean more about Foundations for the Valley. If you’d like to receive an invitation to this event, please email Emily Price at emily@riverbendonline.org.
HOW CAN YOU HELP?
The campaign will be running fall 2023-2026, and we need your contributions to make it a success. We are asking for everyone to prayerfully consider partnering with us in 3 ways.
1.PRAYING
The God of the Scriptures hears and answers prayer! There is no prayer too big, no prayer too small, to pray–especially if our greatest desire is to see the will of God be done here “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13). Furthermore, prayer is often accompanied by fasting. Fasting is willingly going without food, a portion of food, or a specific activity for a set period of time in order to invest our energies toward focus in prayer.
Riverbend Community Church invites you to commit to 40 days of prayer and fasting for God to move powerfully in: your personal life, our local church, and our city, state and country. Will you join us as our church community begins on Monday, January 22nd 2024? Click the buttons below for more details:
2. SERVING
We are excited to be settling on our new property in Bethlehem in just a few weeks! In order to do the work required for the certificate of occupancy, we are having a Riverbend work day on Saturday, September 28th from 8:30am-2pm. If you are interested in helping please contact Hunter at hunter@riverbendonline.org
3.GIVING
Would you consider these questions as you prepare to make your Foundations for the Valley commitment?
1. What can I give now?
When you look at the totality of your three-year Foundations for the Valley commitment, what portion of this amount are you able to give right now as the campaign begins. On Sunday, October 22 and 29 we will ask all of our people to bring this amount as part of “Big Give Sundays” - a day when we believe our people will give the largest offering in the history of our church. We believe this incredible offering will allow us to lay a solid foundation for our future.
2. What can I give weekly over the next three years?
This amount represents the amount above and beyond our regular tithes and offerings that we will sacrificially give over the next three years.
3. What else is God calling me to give that will require his tremendous provision?
After adding up the amounts in #1 and #2 above, is there an additional amount God would have you pledge in even bolder faith? This amount is pledged after much prayer and consideration believing that God will bless us and enable us to do more than we could even imagine. This particular portion of our pledge will require God to “show off” in our lives. We want to share with you a sample pledge card that is available at Riverbend. It is our hope that by sharing this visual with you, you will better know what to expect and how to pray through your own pledge amount.
You can regularly give, or set up a recurring gift to Riverbend’s Foundation for the Valley fund BY CLICKING HERE.
Be sure the drop down menu indicated “Foundations for the Valley” to ensure funds go directly toward the building campaign.
We believe that this is a God given opportunity to create a new church space for Riverbend that will serve the Lehigh Valley for years to come. We are excited to embark on this journey together, and we hope that you will join us!
Thank you for your support!
Giving to date:
Contact campaign leaders: Hunter Price at hunter@riverbendonline.org and Emily Price at emily@riverbendonline.org