Southern Hills Baptist Church - Round Rock, Texas

Our team had the privilege of spending this past weekend with Riverside Baptist Church in Kankakee, Illinois. Riverside is an exciting church with a cool story. They held their first service in April of 2009 and over the last three years they have seen God work in many ways. Many people have accepted Christ as a result of their ministry and the church has experienced growth both numerically and spiritually. Last week, on Sunday, April 3, a charter service was held and Riverside Baptist Church was officially born. For us, it was exciting to be with them the week after they officially organized as a church. In many ways they are experiencing what we hope to experience and so one of our primary goals for the weekend was to learn from them.

We were especially encouraged by the time we were able to spend with their pastor, Ben Seyden, and his sweet family. We have known the Seydens for many years and it was very cool to see what God is doing through them first hand. This weekend they went out of their way to teach, encourage and love on us and we are so thankful for their willingness to invest in our team. In many ways we felt like we were on the receiving end of Proverbs 27:17: Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.

On Sunday we had the opportunity to participate in their services. Thomas preached Sunday morning and Matthew preached Sunday evening. We also had the chance to share our ministry plans with them. It is always an honor to tell others what God is doing in our lives and in our ministry and it was especially exciting to do so in a church like Riverside. Many of them said they will be joining us in praying for the people of north Austin and the ministry of Southern Hills and for that we are very thankful.

We want to thank Pastor Ben, his family and the people of Riverside for their incredible hospitality, their encouraging words and their willingness to help us as we think through our plans for Southern Hills. We pray that God will continue to use them as they share His love and His Word with the people of Kankakee.

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