SERVE’s Vision

We want to see a world transformed by God's word, where signs of His Kingdom are experienced through justice, peace and love.

We believe that a critical way for the River to be successful in its broader mission of being radically-inclusive and world-transforming is by being in the community and turning words (inside the building) into action (walking the talk).  Strong community results from people knowing and caring for one another, valuing their gifts and blessings, acknowledging their own and society’s challenges, and taking risks to help make the world what it can and should be.

Change Begins at Home

The River believes that injustice, conflict and poverty are all inter-related.  Nothing operates in a vacuum, and actions in one part of society have repercussions on others, whether local or global.  A foundational belief that guides SERVE’s approach to ministry is that change begins at home.  We do not see our role as purely ‘outreach’, helping those in need, but rather we see a broader picture of addressing obvious needs that exist while undertaking a process of inward reflection to delve into the reasons why these problems exist. 

In understanding root causes to the society’s challenges, we as actors in society can identify the role we play in their existence and identify meaningful ways to address these challenges, to the best of our ability.  We can only do so much with the resources we have, but it is amazing to see how much can be done, when passion, knowledge and courageous leadership are combined.

This is why SERVE projects are designed to have multiple aspects to them, including:

● awareness-raising - a key part of the ministry is to raise the awareness of issues (both the River membership and wider society).  We regularly hear how people did not know about the issue, or were surprised to hear the nuanced perspectives that the mainstream media does not inform on.  Greater understanding leads to heightened awareness and observation in daily life.

● outward action - the most obvious part to a SERVE project is supporting the initiative, whether its giving money, or more importantly giving one’s time to act.  Acting is where people are confronted with the issue, which can be a trying, yet amazingly enlightening and strengthening moment.

● inward reflection - through the awareness-raising, and the impact of acting, SERVE hopes that people take a hard look at how behaviour (either their own, their society’s, their government’s) factors into the issue being addressed.  When one understands an issue better, and has a personal stake in it from taking up the challenge of doing something about it, they will be motivated to looking at altering their lifestyle to do their small part in contributing towards a bigger solution.

This three part approach is how SERVE sees our work can help achieve the vision of the River where we transform the world, including ourselves, one person at a time.