River Block Party July 2011

River’s Block Party Rocks

This past Sunday was a banner day for The River. On Sunday, we held a block party that fed hundreds from the communities of Monument and Palmer Lake. Complete with inflateables, popcorn, cotton candy, snow cones and what many may consider the best part of the deal, smoked brisket and corn prepared by our awesome friends at Broken Bones BBQ.

The purpose of the block party was to get the word out. We wanted to let Monument and Palmer Lake know about one of the best kept secrets in town. We wanted them to experience first-hand the love of Christ that flows through the people of The River. This could not have been accomplished without a major effort on the part of some devoted people.

The work began months ago in planning this event in cooperation with our ministry partner, First Baptist Church of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma.  For most of the week prior to the block party, a team from FBC Broken Arrow worked tirelessly to bring the many details of the party together.  Many of the folks serving, supervising and helping during the block party were members of this team.  Our hearts go out to our friends from FBC Broken Arrow for the love they showed for us before, during, and even after the party was over as they continued to work to clean up and tear down from the day’s activities.

We are also grateful to our awesome student ministry, who spent a good part of 2 days distributing flyers and talking to people in Monument and Palmer Lake about coming to the block party. They spoke to many people in the community on the Friday and Saturday before the event to encourage them to attend.

I’m sure everyone who attended the party will agree that the food was excellent.  We had plenty for everyone, and many went back for seconds and even thirds! Broken Bones BBQ really outdid themselves and proved to the hundreds that were served that they are a premier BBQ restaurant and caterer in Colorado.  Add to that their love for people and desire to show Christ’s love though serving others, and you have a delicious combination.

Part of the culture of The River is to be different.  We’re not stuck on church as usual.  We plan to have fun together as often as possible.  We plan to share the fun along with Christ’s love with others in our community.  Stay tuned.  The River is just getting started, and there is much, much more to come!

Visit the photo gallery to see more photos from the block party.