Places and Causes
These are places and causes I believe are worth supporting. Nothing here is a paid endorsement. They’re here because I have a personal connection to each and I’m comfortable recommending them to other people.
Riverwood Covenant Church
Riverwood has played a significant role in the growth of my faith. The messages from our senior pastor can be inspiring, challenging, and sometimes downright convicting. There are Sundays when I wonder if he spent the previous week sitting beside me taking notes. But it’s more than the messages. The people, relationships, books I’ve been encouraged to read, and opportunities to serve have all helped me grow.
One of the things I appreciate most about Riverwood is that “come as you are” really means it. Some people are dressed to the nines, while others wear their best church jeans because the jeans are holy. Yes, that was intentional.
More importantly, “come as you are” applies to faith. You can walk through the door just dipping your toe into this whole Jesus thing, be completely sold out for Jesus, or be anywhere in between. You’re welcome.
If you’re looking for a church, give Riverwood three Sundays before deciding. Actually, I’d give any church three. One service can hit you exactly right or completely wrong. Give it a fair chance.
Kerrie and I feel the presence of Jesus at Riverwood. Ultimately, that’s why we’re there.
Visit Riverwood Covenant Church
Riverworks food Shelf
Kerrie, Seth, and I serve together at Riverworks Food Shelf. I’ve always had a particular interest in helping feed people. We live in a country blessed with an extraordinary abundance of farmland, crops, livestock, and food. No one should go hungry here.
One thing I appreciate about Riverworks is the simplicity of what they do. You need food? Riverworks has food. There aren’t vouchers or benefits that can be used for something else. People come in, select food their families will actually use, and we help them along the way.
Serving there has also changed some of my assumptions. Some people need the food shelf on an ongoing basis, but many people we see for a month or six months and then never see again. I can’t prove why. I like to believe that for many of them, Riverworks helped get them through a difficult stretch until they got back on their feet.
Riverworks is a Christian organization, but nobody coming for food gets a religious test. The questions that matter are much simpler: How big is your family, and how can we help?
World vision
Water is one of our most basic physical needs. We can survive weeks without food, but only days without water. And unlike some enormous problems in the world that can leave me wondering what difference one person can possibly make, clean water is something where I can help make a tangible difference. Through World Vision, $50 can provide one person with clean water for life. It’s hard for me to imagine having that much impact with $50 in many other ways.
I was already a supporter of World Vision’s clean-water work before traveling to Uganda. Then I witnessed people who had to walk miles every day just to get water, sometimes water that wasn’t even clean. Seeing that firsthand drove the importance of this work home in a way that statistics never could.
I’ve participated in World Vision’s 6K for Water in the past and hope to do it again. I was originally introduced to World Vision through people at Riverwood, but I’ve since looked into the organization myself. What especially appeals to me is their emphasis on helping communities become self-sustaining. Success isn’t World Vision staying forever. It’s helping a community reach the point where World Vision can leave.
There are many worthy causes competing for our attention and money. Providing clean water through an organization I trust is one where I believe my contribution can make a meaningful difference.
Erik Brown 