River's Blog Has Moved!

We have moved our blog to our church website.
You can access it by going to: www.PortageChurch.org

Please understand that the new site & blog will be available later this week. Please be patient with us during the transition phase as we may experience some downtime for website, email, and blogging service.

This is the final post on blogspot, so make sure to check out our new site later this week! Read Full Post»

Can anyone paint ?

We are in need of someone to spend about 2-3 hours painting the down stairs hallway ...i would like to have this done before Easter . If can do it please call mike gladem @ 697-3198 thank you Read Full Post»

Front steps

I might be in need of some people to babysit the new concrete after it is poured later this week either Wednesday evening or thursday maybe both . We can't leave it unattended until its set good enough that people can't mess up the finish. Time will depend upon what time we pour. Anyone who can do this please contact mike gladem 697-3198 All you would have to do is keep anyone walking by off of it. Also in the future if you notice any skateboarders on our steps please ask them nicley to find somewhere else to skate, as they had a part in damaging the steps in the first place Read Full Post»

New Website Coming

We are updated and transferring our website this week.  The blog services will be unavailable to post for a few days this week.  Please contact the church office (608) 745-4040 to submit prayer requests & updates.

Thanks! Read Full Post»

Front stairs

We will be removing the front steps this week and plan to have them back in place buy thursday afternoon. Please be in prayer that all goes well. Also please use the back door until Friday afternoon thank you Mike Read Full Post»

New Website Coming This Week

We will be updating the church website this week with a whole new design.  

We are also transferring to a different server as well.  As a result, the blogs and sermon archives will be unavailable for up to a week.  We may experience some downtime for church e-mail as well.  

Please be patient during this changeover and make sure to check out the new look coming this week at www.PortageChurch.org

Read Full Post»

Easter - BYOB

BYOB - Bring Your Own Basket

For the Easter egg hunt, please have the kids bring their own baskets to collect eggs, candy and more!  This is always lots of fun.  Bring a camera!

Reminder of Easter events coming up:

• Tonight March 27 - 6:00 PM - Final Play Practice

• Saturday March 28 - 6:30 PM - Kids Easter Play

• Friday April 02 - 6:00 PM - Good Friday Service

Sunday April 04 - EASTER Celebration:

• 8:00 AM - Free Easter Breakfast

• 9:00 AM - Kids Easter Egg Hunt

• 10:00 AM - Worship Service

We hope you can make it!

Read Full Post»

Children's Offering-Very Special Cause We Are Supporting

Hello River family and parents of all the amazing children we serve!
I wanted to provide an update on how we contributed our offering collected for the last quarter in 2009. As I shared in a prior email, the children decided it would be great to support our local humane society organization. We were able to give a gift of $50 to the Columbia County Humane Society with the offering money collected the last quarter of 2009. The kids were very excited about this and drew pictures for the animals telling them how much they love them. :-) The humane society was extremely grateful for the contribution!

Since January we have been collecting our offering money for a very special little girl, many of you might know or know of, who lives in Portage. Her name is Morgan Femrite and she was diagnosed with Leukemia right before the school season started. She is 6 years old I believe. She has been through several rounds of very intense chemo treatments and is still battling this disease. We have been praying for her full recovery and strength during the treatments each week and we would greatly appreciate you keeping her and her family in your prayers as well. Her mother is a teacher in Rio and I know her quite well, she has been off of work most of this entire year to be with her daughter. We are continuing our offering collection for Morgan through the month of April and then will provide a check for her family with the total we have collected since January. Right now we have $71.00 in offering money. We sure appreciate your support to further teach God's love and his commandment for all of us to tithe and give our first fruits. The children are excited to participate in their own offering and we have volunteers each week to pray for the offering and then collect the offering. Many of our children made cards for Morgan to give her encouragement, let her know we're praying for her and tell her we love her. It's wonderful to see God working in our children and to see his love shared as we share with local organizations, and in this case a family who needs our support. I wanted to keep you informed and to say thank you for all your support.

God bless,
Karrie Read Full Post»

Ironman Begins in two weeks

Attention Gentlemen,  We will have a sign up sheet passing around the next Two Sundays please get your name on it so I know how many of you men want to start this study with us.  Remember you don't have to sign up to come but it does help me to have enough material for everybody.  If you have any questions see me at church or call me @ 608-697-3198   God   bless    Mike Gladem

Read Full Post»

We need a ride to Easter play practice & the Play

** UPDATE: The Graf's have found a ride. Thank You**

Hi Church Family~ this is not exactly a prayer request--I'm just not sure how else to send a request out to everyone --
Our van broke down last night & until we can get it fixed we are a one vehicle family; Matt works the next 2 days (Friday & Saturday)--SO I will have no way to get my kids into town for Easter play practice on Friday and then the actual Easter play on Saturday--If we wait for Matt to finish work and come get us and bring us into town, we will be rather late.
If anyone is able to come fetch us and give us a ride, I will be so grateful!!! I can be reached at 697-6786.
Thankyou, Larissa Graf

Read Full Post»

Sail away with us for Vacation Bible School 2010

Our theme will be the "High Seas Expedition"

August 2nd-6th from 8:30-11:30 at Portage United Methodist Church.  There are 5 churches teaming up in the community to offer an awesome VBS!

What we will need from YOU to make VBS successful.....
1) Volunteers before VBS (making name tags, advertising at river, gathering supplies at River)
2) Volunteers during VBS (team leaders for the kids, crafts, snack prep, helpers, games, mops, and more)
3) Watch for Sea themed props for the week.  We will return them to you if you label them (ex:  old rope, extra sheets, anchors, etc)
4) Prayer for the prep and week of VBS
5) Register and invite your friends and neighbors

Contact Nikki Z if you are able to help or have questions ......  NikkiZ@portagechurch.org or 617-9772.
Read Full Post»

New Greeter/Usher Schedule

River of Life Greeters/Ushers Schedule 2010

April

4th- Deb Pilona & Mike Gladem

11th- Matt & Lori Barthel

18th- Deb Kluge & Cindy Wajnert

25th- Lacey Ryan & Bill Harper

May

2nd- Doug & Rita Strand

9th- Cory Otto & Jesse Chambers

16th- Matt & Lori Barthel

23rd- Dolores Zornow & Cindy Wajnert

30th- Mike Gladem & Greg Van Rixel

June

6th- Deb Pilona & Paul Zuelke

13th- Deb Kluge & Lacey Ryan

20th- Dolores Zornow & Cory Otto

27th- Bill Harper & Greg Van Rixel

* Please be at the church by 9:40 AM

• 1 guest gift per couple
• Tell guests about the Nursery, Children’s Church, and snacks
• Ask guest to fill out a yellow card
• Collect offering during service
• If you are not able to serve the week you are assigned, please call someone on the list to fill in for you
• Count attendance during service

Thank you for being a servant for the

River of Life Church!

Please contact Bill Harper if you have questions

608-742-5740

Read Full Post»

Why did God command Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

Why did God command Abraham to sacrifice Isaac?

Abraham had obeyed God many times in his walk with Him, but no test could have been more severe than the one in Genesis 22. God commanded, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering” (Genesis 22:2a). This was an astounding request because Isaac was the son of promise. How did Abraham respond? With immediate obedience; early the next morning, Abraham started on his journey with two servants, a donkey and his beloved son Isaac, with firewood for the offering. His unquestioning obedience to God’s confusing command gave God the glory He deserves and is an example to us of how to glorify God. When we obey as Abraham did, trusting that God’s plan is the best possible scenario, we exalt His attributes and praise Him. Abraham’s obedience in the face of this crushing command extolled God’s sovereign love, His trustworthiness, and His goodness, and it provided an example for us to follow. His faith in the God he had come to know and love placed Abraham in the pantheon of faithful heroes in Hebrews 11.

God uses Abraham’s faith as an example to all who came after him as the only means of salvation.Genesis 15:6 says, “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” This truth is the basis of the Christian faith, as reiterated in Romans 4:3 and James 2:23. The righteousness that was credited to Abraham is the same righteousness credited to us when we receive by faith the sacrifice God provided for our sins—Jesus Christ. “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

The Old Testament story of Abraham is the basis of the New Testament teaching of the atonement, the sacrificial offering of the Lord Jesus on the cross for the sin of mankind. Jesus said, many centuries later, “Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad” (John 8:56). Following are some of the parallels between the two biblical accounts:

• “Take your son, your only son, Isaac” (v. 2); “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” (John 3:16).

• “Go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there…” (v. 2); it is believed that this area is where the city of Jerusalem was built many years later, where Jesus was crucified outside its city walls (Hebrews 13:12).

• “Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering” (v. 2); “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3).

• “Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac” (v. 6); Jesus, “carrying his own cross. . .” (John 19:17).

• “But where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” (v. 7); John said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29).

• Isaac, the son, acted in obedience to his father in becoming the sacrifice (v. 9); Jesus prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39).

• Resurrection – Isaac (figuratively) and Jesus in reality: “By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, ‘It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.’ Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.” (Hebrews 11:17-19); Jesus, “that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:4).

~ Resources www.gotquestions.org

Read Full Post»

New Announcement Deadline

Announcements@PortageChurch.org

goes on the blog, facebook, newsletter & worship folder

Prayer@PortageChurch.org

sends a prayer request to the blog, facebook & newsletter

New Deadline:

Announcements may be sent anytime, however, please have them in by 10 am

on Fridays to be included in the worship folder that Sunday.

Read Full Post»

EASTER BREAKFAST

Easter Breakfast

Sign-up sheets are on the treat table to help with:

set up & preparation on Saturday, April 3rd

and

Food preparation, serving and clean up on Sunday, April 4th

Please consider where you might be able to help.

The meal will be provided, but donations of baked goods to

accompany the meal are welcome.

Any questions should be directed to Nicki Robarge or Anne Zinsmeister.

Read Full Post»

Prayer Request

Would you please join me in praying for my Grandpa Peck. My parents informed me today that he is in the Hospital and he has pneumonia. He is 86 years old, he already has pre-existing heart conditions and he doesn't know God. He is the only grandparent that I have left and he is also down in Florida right now so I am unable to even visit him. Please also pray for my parents and my sisters, they don't know the joy of being able to rest in God during times like this and I SO desperately want them to know the Lord... It is my hearts cry....

Thank you in advance for your prayers!

~Andrea
Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device from U.S. Cellular Read Full Post»

The Sacrifice of Isaac

"The Sacrifice of Isaac"

Genesis 22

Pastor Bob Turner

Click the link below to go to the Sermon...

www.portagechurch.org/sermons

Read Full Post»

Brown Shirt Left on a Car

Did anyone find a brown shirt on their car at today's service (Sunday)?
It was Pastor Bob's... could you please contact the church office (608) 745-4040 if you found it?

Thanks!! Read Full Post»

Prayer request

Ryan will be coming home in about a week.  We will be met with many challenges due to his diagnosis of PTSD and his experiences in Iraq, as well as being away from eachother for so long.  As a married couple and a family unit, we will need lots of prayer.  This transition will not be easy, although we are excited, we are also cautious.  He will be having knee surgery soon, and then we will have to deal with a mass that was found on his brainstem.  There will be a lot on our plate and we will need the strength and perseverence to get through this.  God bless.

 

Kris Hudson
 
Kris Hudson
1005 DeWitt St.
Portage, WI  53901
(608) 745-4737

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose."
Robert Byrne

Read Full Post»

Prayer Request from Andrea Hoefferle

This morning I received a prayer request from Andrea Hoefferle for her cousin & family.

Here is the message from Andrea:

My Cousin ( Eric) was called this morning and they have a heart.  He is on his way right now to be prepped for a heart transplant!  None of us thought it would come this fast!  Prayers that the surgery goes well and that his body accepts the new heart!  Also prayers for his wife pam. She is on a emotional roller coaster right now and needs as much support as she can get.

 

Thanks!

 

Andrea

Read Full Post»

Habitat for Humanity

I will be helping out with the house build this Saturday the 20th starting at 8am in Baraboo. If anyone would like more information or would like to help, please contact me.

Thanks,

Cory Otto Read Full Post»

Greeter sign up

If you would like be on the greeter schedule for the next rotation on Sunday Mornings, there will be a sign up sheet at church this Sunday. If you can't be at service this Sunday but would like to be a greeter contact Paul a paul@portagechurch.org.

Read Full Post»

The Sacrifice of Praise

"The Sacrifice of Praise"

Genesis 21

By Pastor Bob Turner

Click the link below to listen to the Sermon...

www.PortageChurch.org/sermons

Read Full Post»

Carpooling to Empower this Week

For those interested in going to Empower this week... if you are wanting to save some gas $, we could carpool together.  Just e-mail me at: Bob@PortageChurch.org to let me know if you are going and would like to go along with us.

Its only $5 for a day pass!!  

They have lots of children's activities and programs while the parents are enjoying the conference.

You can get more info here: http://EmpowerOnline.org

"To the praise of His glorious grace!"

Pastor Bob Turner  †

 

Read Full Post»

Join us for our Good Friday Service

Read Full Post»

Chilrens Church Memory Verses

Childrens Church memory Verse (for Pre-K through 1st grade)

Please work w/ your children on memorizing these BY the dates shown. Your child will be saying the verses for memory on the the dates shown to earn points.

For March 14th
“Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.”
Proverbs 30:5

For March 21st “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his mercy endures forever. 1 Chronicles 16:34 

For April 4  “The fear of the Lord is the  beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline. Proverbs 1:7

For  April 11 “When I am afraid, I will trust in you (God). Psalm 56:3

For  April 18 “Where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” Psalm 121:1-2  Read Full Post»

Easter Play Practices

~!!EASTER PLAY PRACTICES!!~
There are ONLY 3 left!!
Moms & Dads and Boys & Girls PLEASE mark your calendars,
We will meet for a regular practice this week Sunday the 14th and go over the play from beginning to end. March 21st (following Sunday, just 2 short wks away) we will start 5 min. after church is out to put on costumes for a DRESS REHEARSAL. I estimate this to take 1/2 hr(costumes) and then rehearsal the usual 1-1/2 hrs. We still plan on being done by 2:00. Bob has been done around 11:30-11:45 which would put our rehearsal start time @ 12:15 (latest). This is only an estimation, however.

On March 26th @ 6:00 is our FINAL DRESS REHEARSAL! It will be conducted in the same manner. 1/2 hr to get into costume, and 1-1/2 hr for the play. We'll plan on starting right at 6:30 Friday and Saturday(PLAY), so that the kids are use to this time frame. Please dress your kids in tan, brown, black or blue jeans and a light weight plain-sort of shirt. EVERYONE has a costume over their clothes. If your child has specific needs due to the part he/she plays we will notify you of this on March 14th via a take home letter. Please don't worry, we based it on clothes they most likely have in their wardrobe; no need to go out and buy something new.

Please continue to pray for the play, the children, the leaders and those who will be touched by its message.
~Thanx and God Bless, the Easter play Team~

Read Full Post»

Ironman Training

Rivermen, We will begin Ironman training on April 11th at 8A.M.  We will be starting a new study "Ironman" that morning. We will meet down stairs in the nursery. Men I am very excited to do this study with you as we train to be the men God created us to be.  We need to train together and you don't have to be an "Ironman" already to start your training. All men are welcomed as we all will have an equally important part in eachothers training. Gentlemen I hope to see you there.  If you have any questions talk to me at church or e-mail me.   Further information  will be shared in the coming weeks.  God Bless You.     mike gladem

Read Full Post»

Living Above Reproach - Part 2

"Living Above Reproach - Part 2"

Genesis 20

Pastor Bob Turner

Click the link below to listen to the Sermon...

www.PortageChurch.org/sermons

Read Full Post»

Thanks

Julie and I want to thank our church family for being so kind and generous with their Prayers, Support and all the meals that were made for us to have. It is a real blessing during Julie's surgery and recovery. Thank you so much. Bill and Julie. Read Full Post»

Save the Date LADIES!!!

The Women's Ministry Team has MANY exciting events planned for all the River ladies!!!

A couple events that are nearing that we want you to save the date for are:

April 16/17 River Chicks Slumber Party 6p-10a
bring a dish to pass, pillow and blanket, blow up mattress, bible, and a friend!

May 8th Mothers Day Mommy-N- Me Picnic 11a-2p
bring your own lunch and snacks, crafts will be supplied
(location will be posted soon, applies to grandmas/grandchildren too)

Gob Bless,
Your Women's Ministry Team Read Full Post»

Java for Jesus (Ladies Group)

Java for Jesus ladies group will not be meeting through the month of March.

Our Meetings will Resume:
Where: River of Life Church Basement
When: April 11th and every Sunday there after
Time: 8:30-9:30 am
Material: Bible, River Devotional, Pen, and an Open Mind and Heart

*No Children*

If you have any questions/concerns please contact me directly at JennSelbach@PortageChurch.org or 617-4274

or the Women's Ministry Team at WM@PortageChurch.org

Hope to see many faces!!!

God Bless,
Jenn Selbach Read Full Post»

Plz Pray for Jenns Gramps

Plz pray for my Gramps in Chicago, he is 84 and has lung cancer and was just hospitalized for pneumonia. He doesn't know Jesus.

Jenn
Sent from my U.S. Cellular BlackBerry® smartphone Read Full Post»

Meals for Bill & Julie Harper

Dear River family & friends,

Julie had surgery Wednesday March 3rd. We are asking our church family to prepare some meals to help out the Harper's through this difficult time. Please make meals in throw away containers, and only Chicken, Turkey, or Fish. No beef or pork please!

Please bring the meal to church this Sunday as they will be delivered this Sunday after church. Please be in prayer for Bill and Julie for strength and peace.

Pray for speedy and full recovery for Julie.

Contact Jenn Selbach with questions 617-4274

Read Full Post»