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Our History |
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In 1965 a Bible study group from Word
of Life Church in Coon Rapids began holding Sunday morning services at Snail
Lake Elementary School in Shoreview.
The church officially organized in 1966 as the Open Bible Alliance
Church. The first pastor was Martin Paulat.
A doublewide trailer, with foyer attached, was the first church
building, dedicated in 1967. In 1969
the name was changed to Shoreview Alliance Church.
In 1976 the church sold some of the land it had originally acquired along Rustic Place and constructed a sanctuary to accommodate about 200 worshippers. A daycare ministry began in 1983, serving up to 50 children at a time. The AWANA program began that same year and continues to minister to many children in the community. The church has also been involved in two church plants: Park Grove in 1969 and Centennial in 1978. Mission teams have been sent overseas to Gabon, Africa (1987, 1991, 1992), Irian Jaya, Indonesia (1989, 1990), and Peru (2000). The youth have been sent to Mexico (1990, 1991), Ecuador (1995), Key West, Florida (2003), and Panama (2004). Lighthouse Ministry, focused on spiritual warfare, officially organized under the umbrella of the church in 1989 and became an independent para-church ministry in 2001. In 2001 the church embarked on an extensive "ReVision" effort, beginning with a comprehensive survey of all members and friends, meetings in small groups to prayerfully discuss who we are and what God wants for us, and identifying specific ways we can experience growth in service to the community. In 2002 some of the ReVision recommendations were implemented: the name of the church was changed to River of Life, we focused more of our ministry efforts on young families, created new outreach events, develop a series of discipleship classes, and planned major renovations to our facility. David Young, started his service here in February, 2002 in conjunction with this ReVision effort. With the elders Pastor Dave implemented a vision that "connects the hearts of people with heart of God". In April 2003, we completed three and a half intense months of renovating our sanctuary ourselves; the results are both a contemporary and elegant worship facility dedicated to God's glory. That summer we also launched our Web Site. In September 2006, Dave Young followed God's call to missions and is currently serving in Bangkok, Thailand. In July 2007, Jim Medin joined the church as senior pastor. From humble beginnings, River of Life church has grown to have a more significant presence in the community. As we worship together we seek to become more authentic in our relationships with each other, and with God. |
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