Protecting the Vulnerable Unfortunately, any glance at the news on any given day is a reminder that sexual abuse and predation, particularly of children, is and has been on the rise for years. And even more unfortunate is that the church is not immune from it. We at River Oaks Read more…
God is the Source of Wisdom! After taking a break to look at the wonder of Advent in the month of December, we are jumping back into our journey through the timeline of the Bible with Solomon. Previously we looked at great King David and heard God’s promise that a Read more…
Emmanuel: God with Us! As we enter the month of December, one of the highlights is obviously Christmas, the celebration of Christ’s birth. But do we let familiarity with the story dull us to the wonder of it? The birth of Jesus is without a doubt one of the most Read more…
Cool(ish) Weather, Cool Events Ho, ho, how is it 70 degrees outside and I’m hearing Christmas music on the radio? At least wait until after Thanksgiving people! As we enter the holiday season our schedules tend to fill up quickly with many exciting events and get togethers with family and Read more…
Jesus is Our Perfect King! This month in children’s ministry we will be looking at the life of King David and His relationship with God. In some of the stories we will see King David living out Godly character and being the kind of king God’s people needed. But we Read more…
Guiding the Conversation This quarter, we will focus on developing as leaders in the area of fostering God-focused and heart-oriented dialogue in our small groups. As CG leaders, our goal is not to ensure maximal amount of Bible content is firehosed on the group. Nor is our goal to host Read more…
The Refuge Scott and Tiffany Kelley are engaged in mentoring refugee youth and young adults to understand and live out their God given purpose to make Jesus known. They do this through a ministry called The Refuge, based in north Georgia. Scott and Tiffany began mentoring refugee kids in 2009. Read more…
Fall Sunday School Series We were created for fellowship with the living God. The Bible teaches that we have confidence to enter into the presence of God through Christ (2 Cor 3:4). We are called to meditate on his word (Psalm 119). To pray to the Father by the Spirit Read more…
God is Great! In the children’s ministry this month we will be looking at the transition from the time of the Judges to the Kingdom of Israel.Although God was Israel’s king and had shown them (and their enemies) how great He was and that He would always take care of Read more…
Big Bang and Macro-Evolution The Croods. Ice Age. Ice Age 2: The Meltdown. Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. The Flight of the Butterflies. Even A Land Before Time (if you’re older than 30). What’s similar about all these movies? They are all aimed at children. And they all Read more…
Orlando ⇄ Japan Warren and Yukari Griffith are based in Orlando but seek to advance the gospel of Christ around the world through Mission to Japan. This ministry focuses on hosting Japanese students in Orlando (with a focus on learning English), which then provides opportunities for Bible studies, retreats, sightseeing, Read more…
God is Forgiving! In September we will be studying the book of Judges, where we will see how — despite Israel’s cycle of unfaithfulness — God is patient and forgiving and continues to deliver them time after time. What a blessing that in our lives God is forgiving and faithful Read more…
United in Christ River Oaks celebrated our annual vision Sunday on August 25, 2019. It was a time to re-center on our shared vision: to magnify Christ in our church family, the community, and the world. Here’s a recap in case you missed it! Corporate Worship With nearly 280 people Read more…
Caring for One Another As leaders of community groups at ROC, we’re here to grow in unity and to align ourselves to the gospel and the vision of the church. This does not mean our groups need to be uniform, but that our guiding principles are “on the same page.” Read more…
Changing Seasons It’s hard to believe that summer is over and a new school year is starting up. As we transition into Fall (or, as it should be called here in Florida, still-basically-summer-but-with-school), we’re excited to keep growing together in our knowledge of Christ. Here are some of the things Read more…
Young Life Capernaum Rachel Halley serves with Young Life in a special ministry called Capernaum. This unique ministry reaches students with various kinds of disabilities with the love of Jesus Christ. Rachel helps lead monthly gatherings of these youth (often with their parents) with a team of local student leaders. Read more…
God Fights for His People! As we move through the month of August and transition into a new school year, we will see the Israelites make a significant transition as well from the wilderness into the promised land. We will see Moses pass the baton of leadership to Joshua, but Read more…
The Order of Worship Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD! Psalm 150:6 God is passionate for His glory, so He made all things to magnify Himself in worship. The Westminster Shorter Catechism famously begins:Q. 1. What is the chief end of man? A. Man’s chief end is to Read more…
Summer Sunday School Series “The frozen chosen.” That’s about all many people think about Presbyterians, if they know anything about them at all. Maybe that’s what you believed once, too! River Oaks is part of the Presbyterian tradition within the global church. But what does that really mean? While we Read more…
God Guides His People! During the month of July, we will follow the Israelites as they continue on their journey towards the promised land. During each lesson we will trace how God continually guides his people on the way to the place where he has chosen for them to dwell Read more…