April 3, 2025
“A true follower of Jesus never becomes accustomed to the sound of footsteps headed for hell.”
Do you ever wonder what happens at RiverStone’s facilities throughout the course of the week? It’s an important question. There has been a lot of capital outlay for our facilities over the years and it would be poor stewardship practice for these wonderful resources to sit empty and silent. Well, I have good news for you and I have been made aware that I have done a poor job of communicating all that we do and/or have here that enables us to be good stewards and connect with our neighborhood and community. Below is a list with a brief description of each.
Overflow Free Store – Probably our most well-known ministry outreach to the community. Nearly three million dollars’ worth of goods have been shared with over 7,300 households and over seventeen thousand individuals. Traffic has increased by 50% over the past months! Yes, that facility is well used in ministry! Corky Francis is the Director and has a team of many volunteers that include approximately six of our own and several others who do not attend RiverStone Church.
Neighborhood Dinner Church – The Landing is a “hopping scene” on Monday evenings with an average of just over 66 in attendance. Last night, we had 80! Hot, home-cooked meals are offered to everyone who comes. Ministry participants warmly greet guests with a smile and many of our team sit with guests at the table to converse about life and hear our guests’ story. A Jesus story is shared along with a brief encouraging word and application. Prayers are often requested and / or volunteered. The “hum” in the room is wonderful as friendships between team members and guests and guests and other guests are forged. Beckie Adams heads up the team of about fifteen people from our congregation participating in this vital ministry.
Civitan – The Farmington Noonday Civitan meet on Tuesdays at noon for their weekly meeting where they often hear speakers from around the area about the community. The group also formulates and executes plans of service performed around the community. Currently, no one from RiverStone is an active member.
Gym – Currently, Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings find the “Fast Break Hoops League” having at least three games per night. 240 older elementary boys and girls from about 175 families scattered across the area are playing some exciting basketball. Nic Williams, a principal in the Aztec school system, organized and oversees this growing league. This is not to be confused with Upward Basketball which is now “housed” at First Baptist Bloomfield. Sadly, only two or three of us have even made an appearance while this “target-rich” crowd fills our gym and its lobby on these nights.
Counseling – RiverStone Church is now home to and offices two specialized counseling ministries. Either of them may be in our facility during the day or evening depending on their clientele’s needs.
W Darrin Gregg, Director of “Come As You Are”, a ministry to women dealing with addictions, counsels couples and individuals not in the housed portion of their ministry. He also has life-skill training for those who are housed and not housed. “C.A.Y.A.” is hoping to soon expand to having a men’s housed ministry as well.
W Derek Raring’s ministry, “Renewed Faith Christian Coaching”, addresses the special need of first responders attempting to cope with post-traumatic stress syndrome. He is a firefighter who has experienced PTSD and teaches in one of Farmington’s schools.
Crafty Ladies – A long-term user of our facilities is the Crafty Ladies who meet Thursday mornings in the Social Area and adjacent rooms. They work on their various crafting projects throughout the year and use space here to store both supplies and finished products. Then they have an annual holiday bazaar in our gym around the beginning of November. Funds raised help meet the needs of people across our communities.
Piecemakers for Christ – These ladies meet in our Social Area on Wednesdays. Their emphasis is mainly in sewing and quilting, giving and auctioning their items to benefit those in need. They were at Hills Church until other ministry priorities needed the same space. RiverStone is glad to be a good neighbor.
Farmington Area Homeschool Group – From time to time this group uses the Landing for meetings and fundraising.
Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) – This group is connected to Childhaven and they use the Landing or Social Area for training events once to twice per year. Beckie and a few others of our own have served as CASA volunteers. These volunteers oversee and supply vital counsel to the court for children whose parents for various reasons currently do not have custody. They also make recommendations about the children’s care and their possible adoptions.
Caliente, Community, and High School Choirs and recitals – Though their use of our sanctuary has not been as regular as of late, these have used our sanctuary for their concerts. Also, Tennile Taylor has utilized the sanctuary for recitals of her violin students.
On the horizon…
W El Calvario – El Calvario Church, across Monterey from us, has a private elementary school. They are looking seriously at the possibility of leasing a couple of rooms from us fall of 2025. They focus on assisting Spanish speaking students transition to English education.
W Elementary Academy – An exploratory committee / taskforce is investigating the possibility of a private elementary academy that uses the Hillsdale School Curriculum. This curriculum provides the structure and content for classical education to at least twenty-six schools and many homeschoolers across the nation. Two schools are fairly close, one in Gallup and the other in Albuquerque. We have a huge need for private school opportunities, especially for under-resourced children which we hope to raise funding through foundation grants and other sources. The bulk of the education wing , gym, and kitchen will be used to house this venture.
W Facility Sharing – Conversations are being held with leadership of another local, growing congregation to share our facilities. They are space-starved and current growth is being choked by the lack of space. We have space which we could share, and with proper scheduling, include sharing our sanctuary on Sundays. This would result in lowered facility costs for our membership and increased stewardship of our resources. Currently, we budget $130,000+ annually for our facilities expenses. By sharing, we may lower our costs by up to 80%, provide the room for a growing congregation to build bring many more to Jesus and build His Kingdom.
You may be very surprised by this information, if not shocked. You may be especially surprised by the diversity of ministry these represent. Our future hopes are creative planning to; first, further the Kingdom of God; second, be good stewards of the abundant resource we have in our facilities; and third, continue to connect in positive ways to our community, building goodwill and a great reputation that may actually prompt some to come to RiverStone Church to meet such a generous, open congregation of Jesus Followers.
Even through thoughtful and generous offering of our facilities we will continue to Love, Follow, and Serve Jesus and play a role in RiverStone Church’s drive to Thrive in ’25.
Loving you in Jesus!
Pastor Brian
“A church that neglects prayer becomes disunited, scattered, lethargic, all but dead.” Charles Spurgeon
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