Shepherd's Corner (June 18th, 2025)

Shepherd's Corner June 18 2025

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Grace and peace of our loving Lord Jesus Christ to you.

It’s been about two and a half months since I began walking with you once again as the pastor of Riverside Community Church, a House of Prayer for All Nations. And I want you to know: I do not presume to be your “shepherd.” Being called into the role of an under-shepherd, serving beneath the Great Shepherd Jesus Christ, is an honor and a trust that must be earned from his saints.

This week, I want to share something close to my heart as I prepare to begin a new sermon series this summer titled Foundations: Life’s Most Important Questions. Over twelve Sundays, from June 22 to October 5, we will be walking through the core truths of the Christian faith—truths that form the backbone of our identity as a gospel-centered church.

Each week we will ask a question: What is the Gospel? Who is God? What is salvation? What is prayer? What is our hope? These are not abstract or academic topics. They are deeply personal, spiritual, and essential truths. They are the kind of questions every believer must answer with clarity, humility, and confidence. Whether you are new to the faith, returning after years away, or have walked with Christ for decades, this series is an opportunity to come back to what matters most.

As your pastor, I believe this series is more than just another teaching series—it is a moment for our whole church to be renewed in our shared confession of faith. For that reason, I want to let you know that walking through these twelve foundational truths will also serve as the content for our covenant membership process. Understanding and affirming these truths is, in essence, the heartbeat of what it means to belong to our church family in a covenantal way. Rest assured, they will be broad and solid as foundations ought to be. There will be plenty of room for further clarification and even "disagreement." Trust me, I am not fond of "cookie-cutter" Christians.

At some point, I will provide a simple Foundations Card listing each of the twelve topics, where you will be asked to sign a covenant pledge to strive for the purity of the church and the Gospel. I encourage each of you—whether you're already a member or exploring the idea of joining—to journey through this series with intention. Current members can use this time to reaffirm their commitment to the truths we share. Those considering membership will be able to use this series as a pathway to belonging, culminating in a conversation with one of our pastors or elders.

There will be no exam — just an examined faith and a shared confession. And it is my prayer that as we walk through these essential doctrines together, we will be drawn closer to Christ and to one another. We hope that, through this series, God would deepen our roots and widen our welcome.

In His Grace Alone,

Pb