May 2024

Unity in Community

Summer Kickoff Event

Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Clayton’s last Friday for our Summer Kickoff event! We enjoyed burgers, played cornhole and basketball, and relaxed around the bonfire together. It was fantastic spending time with each of you and deepening our connections. These moments of community within our church family are vital for our growth and unity as a young adult group and church body.

I really look forward to more opportunities like this in the future. My prayer is that as we bond through such events, we also deepen our relationship with Jesus. Ultimately, I hope that these gatherings serve to strengthen the body of Christ!

A Challenge

We tend to segment our church community in different ways, often by age. However, this compartmentalization doesn’t quite align with the vision Paul shared nearly 2000 years ago in 1 Corinthians 12:12: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.” Indeed, Paul envisioned a unified church body where each member contributes to the greater mission of advancing Jesus’ Kingdom here on Earth!

Last weekend, I sent out an email to the church body issuing an invitation to personally invest in the 18-30 age group at RRC. So… as I challenged the older generations in my recent email, I also want to challenge you. In what ways are you participating in and seeking to serve the Body of Christ? How much of your spiritual life is focused solely on receiving or consuming, rather than giving or serving?

I encourage you to look for opportunities to do more than just receive. Perhaps on a Sunday morning, you could look around for someone outside your age group who looks lonely and resolve to be a friend. The Christian walk is about so much more than just an intellectual understanding of who Jesus is and why He came. It’s also about being empowered by Jesus to be His hands and feet, to be salt and light, in a world that desperately needs a Savior!

I would love to chat with anyone looking for ways to better serve the Body of Christ. Let's find a way to connect you with the RRC vision!

“So we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another” (Romans 12:5).

Upcoming Events

Cornhole Tournament & Community BBQ

Join us for the first-ever RRC Young Adults' Cornhole Championship! Hosted by Kevin and Polly Johnson in their backyard, this event promises an evening of friendly competition, a shared meal, and building deeper connections within our Young Adult community.

Date: Friday, June 21

Time: 5:30 PM

Location: Johnson Residence

Teams will be formed on-site, so no need to RSVP as a team. If you prefer to spectate, you're welcome to join us for the fun atmosphere. Feel free to invite non-RRC friends who are looking to be part of a welcoming community!

Please RSVP to tim.v@rockfordrc.org at your earliest convenience so we can prepare enough food and drinks for everyone.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Bible Study

“The Story of God” Bible study is set to begin the last week of June. To accommodate scheduling conflicts with Focal Point on Wednesday Nights at church, we’re making a change. Our new meeting days will be Tuesdays and Saturdays on an every-other-week schedule.

I am excited to explore God’s Word with all of you who are interested. Let’s discover how every part of the Bible forms a unified narrative with Jesus at its core. Join me as we learn to read the entire Bible through this lens together!

If you’re interested in joining us, please reach out via email or text so I can order a copy of the curriculum for you. You can also check out the Rooted Network link below for a preview of what this study entails. Don’t worry, the church will provide this resource for the Bible Study.

https://www.experiencerooted.com/products/the-story-of-god 

Future Opportunity

CrossCon25 - CROSS CON25 Trailer

We are exploring the idea of attending CrossCon25, a transformative worship conference empowering young adults for global impact, in Jesus’ name. It features speakers like David Platt, John Piper, Trip Lee, and Kevin DeYoung.

Date: January 2-4, 2025 (driving down on January 1)

Location: Louisville, Kentucky

Current Estimated Cost: $400 (potentially significantly lower with fundraising and alternative lodging options)

If you’re interested, please let me know (don’t worry, being interested is not a for-sure-commitment). The sooner we have a rough estimate of attendees, we can gauge the feasibility of this, plan for it, and potentially reduce costs through fundraising.

Since this event is several months out, I am extending the deadline for letting me know you’re interested to September 1, 2024.

Additionally, if you have friends who are interested from outside of RRC, we may be able to include them with us at the event's reduced group fee! Have them contact me as well.

Stay tuned for more details. 

Contact Information

Tim VanderZwaag

tim.v@rockfordrc.org

616-821-8767

view past newsletters here

“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.” - Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)