The name, Flowing River Fellowship, was given to us by the Lord, and is drawn from several places in Scripture -
He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” (John 7:38)
And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding from the throne of God and of the Lamb. (Revelation 21:1)
And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: “Lord, You are God… … Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.” And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:23,24,29-31)
God has told us how He wants this church to be set up. Yes, churches, pastors, and Christians should learn from one another. However, we’re not out to copy what any other church has done - even though other churches are doing wonderful things for the Lord. We firmly believe that God guides each church to develop its own culture and way of doing things. Why? Because churches have people in them, each with gifts, talents, and callings from God. What “fits” in one place may not be a good “fit” for others, simply because the people are different and God’s given them different gifts and the means to express them.
Our goal is to become a small, tight-knit community of faith. One day, we may move into a larger facility - but we aren’t out to build a mega-church. We want people to be able to grow together and truly worship the Lord together - not feel like nameless faces in an audience. We’d much rather plant several new churches than have 1000 people coming to Flowing River. Neighborhood churches are far more effective in both evangelism and discipleship than mega-churches.
Our goal is to do what Jesus said:
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Our focus, therefore, is to intentionally share the gospel and train strong believers to radically trust the Lord and to live and walk in every bit of the power, authority, righteousness and love that Christ paid for on the cross.
We believe that we should actively seek God’s face, because with God’s manifest presence, we will have all we need. Material wealth, “blessing”, gifts, manifestations, and experiences are wonderful … but if we are truly living our lives in the presence of God, all these other things will follow. It’s possible to have those things without God’s presence, but like Moses, we cry out, “If Your Presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here.” It’s also possible to have God’s presence but to mis-apply focus onto material things. When weighed against Him - against His glory, His majesty, His worth - all these other things are the window dressing, the icing on the cake.
Flowing River is an unapologetically Pentecostal church. We believe that God is still speaking to His children and empowering them. We believe in signs and wonders, in prophecy and speaking in tongues, in healings and miracles. After all, we serve Almighty God! He is able to do anything… and He loves us! When we get together, we want for brothers and sisters to feel free to worship and minister as the Lord leads them, keeping in mind the biblical command, “Let all things be done decently and in order.” (1 Cor. 14:40)
We realize that many people have never been to a Pentecostal church, and aren’t sure about these things. Other churches may have taught some things about Pentecostals that make you uneasy. Remember two things: first, there are different kinds of Pentecostals. Some, like us, are Trinitarian and orthodox in belief. Others are “Jesus-only” and disavow the Trinity. Second, remember that many people are fearful of things they don’t know, and also of not being in control. Exercising a spiritual gift requires us to relinquish control to God. That’s not an easy thing, and although we think most people want to give God control of their lives, it’s hard to imagine doing so and then doing something like prophesying!
If you have concerns, please read over our Statement of Faith with an open Bible. Weigh what we say against what the Word of God says. Weigh what you’ve been taught against what the Word says. Don’t concern yourself with what you’ve been taught - or even with what we say. What does GOD say?
Feel free to come, even if you aren’t sure about the Pentecostal issue or the way we do things. You can attend our worship service without participating if you like, and then ask us about it. We’d be happy to show you, from the Bible, why we believe, worship, and live the way we do! We welcome questions and respectful dialogue on these issues.
We’re not constrained to a particular meeting time. We will of course have regular meetings, but if a particular day or time isn’t working out, we’re free to make a group decision to change it. We’re also free to meet more or less often. We’re also not confined to a particular structure or order of service - we’re going to be free to move as the Lord leads.
We’ll be able to eat together often, and even share from the Word over a meal.
People often feel they need to get dressed up for church. In fact, a lack of “church” clothes sometimes keeps people at home! There’s no need to dress up to come here. Wear holy blue jeans and a sweatshirt! (we do ask, however, that you dress so as not to be a distraction. If you show up in a bikini and we’ll give you some clothes or a blanket 
)
We don’t plan on separating generations. Children, teens, and adults will meet together. Sure, sometimes we’ll hire babysitters so the adults can go out (or hire parent-sitters so the teenagers can go somewhere together!). Some weeks, we may have a special teaching just for children. Some weeks, we may be learning from the children. We’ve found that children are a lot smarter and more spiritual than we give them credit for!
We’ll never be about how much or how little money someone has. (If you’re looking for a social club, don’t look for it in church!) If you’re homeless and don’t have two pennies to rub together, you’re welcome. If you live in a mansion and have more money than you know what to do with, you’re welcome. We will have a focus on improving our member’s quality of life - first, by discipleship and encouraging them to place their full trust in God and seek His face; and secondly by connecting them with educational and employment resources and working with them to overcome their past or present circumstances. (The Bible says, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?” (James 2:15,16)) We also believe that God requires us to tithe - pastors too! - whether we’ve got two pennies or a million dollars. When we participate in God’s economy, God provides for our needs.
We aren’t concerned about how many attend, just so the bills can get paid. Instead, we can focus on effective ministry and truly seeking God. We’ve learned that God’s ministry, done in God’s way, will not lack God’s supply (that’s a loose quote from Hudson Taylor).
We don’t need to be all “formal” about the sermon. There will be times when one of the pastors is preaching - but there will also be times when we can engage in active discussion, or each person can share.
We have a focus on outreach, here and abroad. We’ll be doing periodic trips to Jamaica and perhaps elsewhere. We may also partner with other churches for evangelism and missions.
Questions are welcome here. In fact, you don’t need to be a Christian to come to a service. You’re welcome to come and see what church is like. We’d love to have you come to a special “Questions” meeting, too!
Well, it’s not exactly a nutshell… but that’s the vision God’s given us for Flowing River Fellowship. We’re sure that it will grow and change over time, as the Lord leads us along this journey. We’re excited, and hope that you are, too! Be sure to look at our Statement of Faith, so you know where we stand on important issues!