Hi Ren Family!
What a blessing it’s been the last couple weeks to be meeting in our new space at 10 Tripps Lane in Riverside. Most of 2024 was consumed with searching for a building, negotiating terms, and building out the space. I cannot express my gratitude enough for all the volunteer hours people put in and all the financial contributions made to complete the 250K renovation. Our general contractor, Rich McCarthy, who is a member at Ren, did such an amazing job bringing us to the finish line. Our tiny staff went above and beyond to make the transition happen in a timely manner. The Elders provided steady encouragement throughout the year. Wow! I’m just blown away at the goodness of God and the generosity of his people.
If you’ve not yet come to a service at the new location, let me make it easier for you. I’ve been calling our new space “the hardest church to find in Rhode Island.” That’s probably not true, but the first time coming can be a little tricky. Your gps will guide you to Route 114, and you’ll find that Tripps Lane is right off the exit. That’s easy. But 10 Tripps Lane is a massive property (70,000 square feet) mainly occupied by a nonprofit called PACE. There are three entrances into the property. Our space (just 7500 square feet) is all the way around the back of the building in the far corner. Once you are back there you’ll see a couple different entrances with glass doors that have the Renaissance Church logo on them. If you come on time (or early) you’ll see a flow of cars heading around back.
For those of you who attend regularly I want to give a strong challenge to you to arrive early. Service starts at 10. I encourage you to arrive at 9:30. Why? Because it takes time to park, to walk in, to say hi to people, to get coffee, to check your children in, and get settled into your seat in the sanctuary. All that takes about 30 minutes. I am convinced that being in our seats by 10, ready for worship, will transform our experience of worship on Sundays. Let’s make every effort in this. I’m going to keep harping on it until it happens :)
One of our musicians (Matt Talamini) has graciously offered to take the lead in opening the Ren space on Friday evenings for some Winter Worship. We all know that January, until the weather starts to break in the Spring, can be hard. These nights are an effort to embrace the winter season and come together in a warm space to spend some time in worship, prayer, and Scripture reading. You are welcome to bring an instrument to share a song (or play along). You can bring a passage of Scripture to share. And you are welcome to contribute prayers. But you are also welcome to just come to quietly listen and receive. Doors open at 6:30 pm and things get rolling about 7 pm. Finish time is 9:30. The longer block of 150 minutes is intentional. Giving God unrushed time in his presence is one of the great secrets to hearing his voice. For an evening event like this you’ll enter our space through the double doors under the awning.
The Winter Worship is one of our many “small church expressions” at Ren. There are other opportunities, as well, like the women’s Bible study and the young women’s group, and various groups that meet in homes. I’m not going to list all the groups we have here, but if you are interested in being a part of a smaller gathering let us know (you can respond back to this email). We believe that being a part of something small is essential for spiritual growth and for cultivating deep relationships in the church.
Another exciting new opportunity is a monthly gathering for youth (grades 6-12) and young adults (under 30). This will take place on the fourth Sunday of each month in the Ren cafe at noon. After lunch we’ll break into groups for discussion around a theme (this month: hopes and goals for the new year). Lunch will be provided by the church.
CityLove
Some may wonder if we will still continue our mission initiatives in the city of Providence now that we are located in Riverside. Yes! We will! One of the regular initiatives is the neighborhood grocery distribution. Once a month, Ren brings groceries to about 15-17 residents in Providence. Because we don’t have a physical building in Providence, we have asked our friends at Impact Center to base out of their building located at 353 Elmwood Ave. Volunteers show up at 9:45 to pray for the neighborhood and load up the vehicles with groceries. After the deliveries, everyone returns back to Impact Center to share a meal together (usually Apsara :). The next dates for this outreach are Jan 18, Feb 22, and Mar 22, 2025. You can touch base with Katherine (katherine@renchurchri.org) or just show up. Anyone with a heart to serve is welcome to join any month.
Lastly, I want to put a couple important things in your mind that are coming up in February and March. Every year in the month of February we open the window for church membership. We call membership at Ren “Core.” Core members gather on Sunday afternoons throughout the year, every other month, to hear vision talks, to pray and talk together, and to share meals on occasion. If you were a Core member last year you simply need to fill out the short form to renew your membership for 2025. If you have never been part of Core you need to fill out the longer form to become a Core member. You’ll hear me talk about this a lot throughout the month of February. It’s my sincere prayer that this year we would have not only the largest but the most unified and blessed Core membership than we’ve ever had in 22 years!
On the last Sunday in March we’ll be having our first baptism service in the new space. On this last Sunday (5th Sunday) we’ll follow our baptism service with a community meal. Service will begin later that day (11 am) and will end about noon. Then we’ll celebrate by sharing a meal together. Mark your calendar. Don’t miss this! Baptism services are always the most joyful, wonderful services of the year. Now, if you are a Christian and have not yet been water baptized—this is your day! Being baptized publicly is part of what it means to be a genuine follower of Jesus. It is something God commands every person to do who comes to Christ. If you are nervous about getting baptized, that’s normal. Just know that we will meet with you a week or two before to fully prepare you on what it means and what to do.
Okay, that’s all I got—but that’s a lot! I’m praying that 2025 is our best year ever. May the glory of God rest upon us.
Dreaming big,
Pastor Scott