This account of the last moments of the life of Jesus on the cross is often recognized, but sometimes missed, robbing us of the importance of what is happening. As Jesus breathes his last breath on the cross, he opens the doorway to God, our father, from that moment forward. The rending of the temple curtain carries a message for each of us. The barrier that was once constructed by man between our God and each of us has been removed. Never again will God’s people be denied access to our God. We will have access to him through his Son, Jesus. Join us as our sermon explores what the rending of the temple curtain means for all people and the blessing of our access to God through Jesus Christ.
Sunday, April 27, 2025
“Beyond the Temple Curtain”
Mark 15:37-39
Behind the Curtain (Formerly From the Pastor)
I hope everyone had a great Holy Week and Easter. I know I did. I loved seeing everyone here at River of Life on Thursday and at Mandarin on Friday. Sunday was amazing with so many people in worship.
My note this week is going to be about security. Churches are seeing an increase in vandalism in today’s political climate. Your church leaders have been talking about security and we take everyone’s safety seriously. I want to let everyone know that you will be seeing some updates around campus to increase our level of security. We will be clearing the underbrush and palmettos on property from Race Track Road to the end of the parking lot on both sides. Any tree larger than 4 inches will remain. This clearing will include the hedges that line to parking lot. While we know the hedges look nice, they also provide a great hiding place if someone wanted to cause harm to someone coming to ROL. We will also be installing security cameras both inside the building and outside to provide a deterrent and to record any instances of vandalism that may occur on our grounds. Our prayer is that we never have to deal with an issue, but we must take appropriate precaution. If you have any questions about these changes, feel free to talk to me or members of the leadership team.
Blessings,
Pastor Steve
Upcoming Events
- 4/27 Sunday Bible Study after worship
- 4/27 T.L.C. Youth Group 6-:30-7:30pm
- 5/2 Teen SYNC 6-8pm
- 5/10 ROL Women’s Social at Stella’s home 2-4pm
- 5/13 Young Adult LGBT 4-6pm
- 5/14 Young Adult LGBT 11-1pm
- 5/16 Teen SYNC 6-8pm
- 5/20 Church Council Meeting at 6:30 pm
Maundy Thursday
Thank you to everyone who provided for the Maundy Thursday service! It was a great success and we had wonderful feedback.
Sincere Appreciation from Residing Hope!
Online Bible Study
Everyone welcome to join the online Bible Readings as we journey through the Book of Psalms. This is a 2 part series, Psalms 1-75 and then 76-150….5 chapters per week. You can join at any time and if you get behind, just skip to where we are! For those of you already in the Online studies, I will send you the next links. For anyone that wants to join, please reach out to stellakaypainter@gmail.com. March 1, 9am-1pm
Youth News
Congratulations to our graduating seniors!
Derek Rivers is 17 years old, born 09/21/2007. Graduating this year from Creekside High School with a 3.6 GPA. He also belongs to The National Society of High School Scholars, and was also a recipient of the St. Johns Count Character Award last year. Derek plans are to pursue playing Basketball in College, with a major is Sports Medicine, and a minor in Sports Management, is goal is to be a Physical Therapist while also continuing to be involved in Basketball at some level. He has had a few offers from Colleges to play Basketball, the 3 he may pursue is Barry University in Miami, the University of Fort Lauderdale, and locally Trinity Baptist College.
Chris Rhodes is graduating Biscayne High School! He is to continue working at Chik Fil A in the Avenues Mall and in the fall he’ll be going to FSCJ for HVAC tech.
Opportunities to Serve
Seeking volunteers for Nursery, Preschool, Children’s Sunday School age, and Youth! Talk to Kayla and let’s get you set up!
HUGS Food Assistance for St. Johns County Youth Contact Margaret Campbell
Birthdays and Anniversaries
James Welborn – April 7
Darin Sperry – April 7
Marina Kimball – April 15
Debbie Reid – April 22
Kim Griffith – April 22
Laura and Darin Sperry – April 23