This Friday is the third Friday of the month which means it's time for another gathering of the women of River and their friends. We'll meet for dinner at Boutin's on Bluebonnet this Friday, February 18 at 7 PM. Please give Georgia Small a call if you plan to attend: 439-8420.

Below is a summary of the Session meeting that took place on Tuesday, February 15, 2011:

• Present: Moderator Don Shipley; Elders Calvin Fabre (Clerk of Session), Johnny Thorning, Joe Juban, Ronnie Sutton, Jon Schellack, David Jacobson. Excused: none 
   
• Don opened with a reading from Psalm 103.
   
• Approved cell phone allocations outlined in the minutes of the Trustee meeting.  
   
• Approved a request from the Trustees to form a Building Landscape Committee which will report to the Trustees. 
   
• Youth Update - Youth activities are going very well.  
   
• Youth Summer Activities: Don offered a suggestion for a week-long mission trip in the Appalachian Mountains for the High Schoolers (July 10th - 16th). For the Junior High, there is a camp called "The Edge" which has a Reformed background at Lookout Mountain, GA. (June 20-24th).  There will be fund-raising activities which will be specified later.
   
• Various prayers were offered on behalf of the congregation.
   
• The next meeting of the session will be Monday, March 12, 2011 at 7:00pm.

Thinking about making River your church home? Come to the membership class on Saturday, February 26 from 9-Noon and Sunday, Feb. 27 from 12:30-2:00 PM and find out more about who we are as a church and what we believe. Childcare will be provided. 

Would you like to be part of a team that puts on what we pray will be a great outreach event? Please join us Monday, February 21 at 7 PM the church for a Vacation Bible School planning meeting. Contact Rhonda (rhonda@rivercommunity.org) or Katie(katie@rivercommunity.org) for more info or to let us know to expect you.

We all know it's important to give blood, but it's hard to remember to do it. In fact only one out of 20 people regularly give blood. Well, you have an opportunity to be that one in twenty and be a blessing to our community in just a few weeks because the United Blood Service BloodMobile is coming to us. They will be at River from 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM on Sunday, February 20.

Appointments are scheduled online or by signing up in the gathering area on Sunday. Thank you!

Don't miss your chance to see the four-time Dove Award-winning recording group that has topped the Christian radio charts at No. 1 multiple times! This concert is an excellent opportunity to hear a fantastic group that has never toured in Baton Rouge before. Their music is inspiring and appropriate for all ages, using traditional and favorite hymns of past generations, contemporary ballads, and includes personal testimony and audience participation.

Artist circle tickets: $25; General Admission tickets: $22; Tickets available on www.itickets.com

Enter Coupon Code selah for $5 off.

The Walk to Emmaus is a 72-hour experience of Christian spiritual renewal and formation. You will enjoy three busy days singing, learning, laughing, praying, worshiping, and participating in small groups. The weekend is held at Broadmoor Methodist and you must be sponsored to attend. Some of the people who are available to sponsor Emmaus participants are Johnny Thorning, Frank and Lin Loughran, Don and Debbie Ipson, Kean Day, Wendy Hebert, Anne Vicknair, and Jim Demand.

Please contact Bill Liehe (einaej22@yahoo.com or 673-5484) for more info about the Emmaus weekend. Information is also available at www.lcwe.org.

We need to find replacements for a couple of Sunday School teachers who will be having babies soon. Please contact Rhonda Perry (rhonda@rivercommunity.org) if you're able to serve every other week in the Preschool or Toddler class during the 9:00 AM service from April through August.