Connected. That is the essence of our identity in Christ and our goal to fulfill the Great Commission. We are connected to our brothers and sisters in Christ right here in Memphis and to people like Ryan Sidhom, a church planter in Vancouver, Washington. In 2017, Ryan and his wife planted River City Church and began sharing the Gospel with the Vancouver community.
Ryan shared, “In Acts 17:17 NLT, it says the missionary Paul ‘spoke daily in the public square to all who happened to be there.’ Although it looks different today than it did 2,000 years ago, the ‘public square’ is where people gathered to do life and interact with one another. In 2021, as COVID-19 restrictions began lifting, the Lord gave us a fresh vision for missional outreach: Don’t simply go to the public square daily but aim for the church property to be an extension of the public square.”
Ryan and River City Church’s goal is to connect with the community.
Last summer at CampOutrageous, Bellevue’s vacation Bible school, kids were able to serve nationally from their hometown by collecting a missions offering to help fund a new playground for River City Church. Third-grader, Riley Wilbur, shared what it was like to participate in national missions from her hometown.
“It makes me feel good because I love helping others. I hope the playground puts a smile on their faces and a lot of kids get to learn about Jesus. I hope we can build more playgrounds!”
Ryan shared, “Neighbors and families gathered at the playground within 24 hours of its completion.” The playground that kids like Riley at CampOutrageous helped build is now a public square where the Gospel is shared regularly, and families can spend time in a safe environment, connected to each other, River City Church, and Bellevue.
This story is just one of many on how to take the Gospel from Memphis to the ends of the earth. Read more stories located in “Related posts.” Learn more about how you can engage in missions right now!