4/22/12

Dear River, Family and Friends,

Today is our last Sunday continuing as The River Church, here in Bozeman. Obviously, our church family is more than the culmination of our Sunday morning "Celebrations," so we plan to continue to celebrate life together as a family, doing life together until Heather and I have the ability to move to Fort Myers, Florida.

Heather and I are filled with anticipation and expectation as we continue to embrace the journey God has called us on. It's been about 3 years since we said "yes" to the leading of the Holy Spirit to go on this adventure called "church planting." We were open to God then, and we are still open to God now, no matter where He might lead us.

"The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps." // Proverbs 16:9 (ESV)

We have experienced first-hand God at work in and through us impacting lives throughout this entire process. I know that this planting process was a tremendous learning experience, and for even as hard as it's been, it's been worth it! It's all about the ONE, and if this were just for the ONE, we'd still have done it! We have always been passionate about connecting people to their God-ordained purpose, and we feel that through The River, we have been able to accomplish that. We were simply called to serve God who assigned us this responsibility to "GO." Some are commissioned to plant seeds, some are called to cultivate rocky ground, and others to water seeds‚ but it is only God who gives the growth and ordains the harvest. Following the Holy Spirit can personally be a very emotional "tilt-a-whirl" experience, but our reality has always been anchored in supernatural peace, and it's through that lens that we now feel a release to grow-forward into the NEXT thing God has for our family.

We have felt since the first of this year that God was in the process of releasing us from The River by simply closing doors, clearly indicating that He intends for the growth and harvest to come about in another way than we had originally expected. And we feel that whatever was needing to "shift" within this area, whatever God needed to do through us, that dynamic has shifted in the direction He intended. We clearly feel that what God had called us to do here is complete, and what we cultivated in the lives of others will continue to flourish as they step deeper into what God has for them, enlarging their potential for His Kingdom purposes as well.

We don't know what exactly God has prepared in advance for us next, other than we plan to SERVE Pastors Matt and Sarah Keller and their vision for Next Level Church in Fort Myers, Florida. They have poured their lives into us throughout our entire journey and have supported us every step of the way, and we'd like to sow back into their lives, their church, and what God has called them to. I believe God will continue to lead, guide and direct us into all He has for us as we serve Him through them. This will be a great opportunity for us to continue to grow-forward into all that God may have for us in the future. Because of their work with so many church-planters, this may also give us the ability to share and leverage our tremendous learning experiences with them, strengthening the sustainability of their plants.

Heather will continue her employment with Costco and I will be actively seeking employment once we arrive in Fort Myers. You have all supported us through generous seeds surrounded with love and prayers, and that has been seed sown into good ground, with the fruit being the lives of people challenged and changed. As we continue on this journey and are moving to a place where we can continue to grow and be under great leadership that will challenge us to go to the next level, please continue to pray for our family through this transition.

We also plan to keep the church accounts open to allow you the opportunity to continue to sow seeds during this time of transition, since it's just as costly to move from here as it was to move here. Know that anything you sow is a precious gift and such a blessing to us personally, and we will continue to pray that those seeds will return back to you a hundred-fold. We love you, and have loved doing life with you‚ and plan to continue to do life with you, even if it's at a distance… you can thank Zuckerberg for that.

You can give by mail via:
THE RIVER CHURCH
PO BOX 902
Bozeman, Montana 59771

If I could say just one thing, alway say "yes" to whatever God asks of you, because the adventure is worth the risk! Take inventory of your life, and serve His Kingdom-purpose as you grow-forward and go deeper towards the things of God. Know that you have a God-ordained purpose, and do not let anything or anyone derail the greatness inside of you. And through all of that, what's most important, keep your relationship with God authentic and intimate, cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you. And know that Heather and I will always love you and continue to pray for you, we are grateful for the time we've had with all of you, you have made a tremendous impact upon our lives!

Eric and Heather Naiman