“Let’s Go!” This is what baseball fans shout when they have the winning run on base; this is what pro football fanatics yell when their team drafts the best college quarterback; this is what Ukrainians cry when they get news that their brave military is pushing the Russian Army back; this is what Citrus Countians will excitedly exclaim when the news of a new Target and Starbucks is eclipsed with the announcement of a coming Chick-fil-A!
“Let’s Go!” is also what Jesus declares at the apex of redemptive history. Having put on flesh and entered the world, conquered Satan, vanquished sin and death, he gathers his disciples and tells them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations.” Jesus not only gives us our marching orders, but he then ascends to the throne at the right hand of God and tells his timid apostles that he is investing them with the authority of heaven, of God himself, to accomplish their mission.
So, “Let’s Go” Seven Rivers. Let’s take advantage of this unprecedented opportunity. All the places people look to for security and stability are unraveling. Our country is divided—our culture is unmoored, our political leadership is impotent, our economy is floundering and families are failing to flourish. This is our moment to go to our broken world with the healing love of Jesus. “Let’s Go!” – strengthen families, disciple children, love our neighbors, model community, mend the world and declare the healing love of Jesus to people desperate for it!
Seven Rivers family, the “Let’s Go!” initiative is a challenge to collectively proceed, move, advance, and act as Jesus has commanded and empowered us to do. I can’t wait to see what God is going to do in my heart and yours and in the Seven Rivers family as we charge forward together!
Let’s Go!
Ray Cortese
Our vision is not to just “do church,” be self-congratulatory over past successes, or be a church just for us and our needs. Our vision is to heed Jesus’ command to “go.” What is it we intend to aggressively go and do?
Pray for God to provide, to be shown faithful, to do more than we could ask or imagine (Luke 11 & 18).
Come to worship each weekend, ask God what it is you need to hear and learn, commit to being open to all that God asks of you. Give yourself to him fully and faithfully (Matthew 6.33)!
Ask God to show you what generous, faith-stretching giving looks like for you and your family. Wrestle with and decide how much you’re going to give and then give cheerfully. Give expecting God to use your giving for kingdom growth (Corinthians 9.6-8).
Celebrate what God does in our church and our lives through Let’s Go as we seek to honor him with our resources, service and worship, together with one another (Psalm 95.2; Galatians 5.13-14).
“Let’s Go” was Jesus’ command to his followers—“Go make disciples.” Let’s Go is a two-year generosity initiative to resource the mission of Seven Rivers Church—to bring the healing love of Jesus to broken people and broken places. As Citrus County stands on the precipice of astounding growth, this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for everyone who calls SRC their church home to go ‘all in’ on bringing those far from God to Jesus.
First and foremost, we want you to engage—and then respond to God’s leading. We want everyone to participate by making a commitment to this initiative. That means regardless of your age, life stage or socio-economic status, all are called to respond generously as we lock arms to bring the good news of the gospel to families and individuals. We’re asking you to attend church each weekend February 18 – March 19. We’ll anticipate our hearts to be encouraged through worship and preaching and be challenged to “consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24).
Lean times prompt us to trust God at a new level—he wants our hearts. God does not forget those who put their trust in him and he delights in giving to his children freely and fully to meet their needs. We don’t have to worry—“Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom (Luke 12.32).” Also, this is one time God challenges us to test him— “Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the LORD, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need (Malachi 3.10).” Trust the Lord to guide you in your giving and watch your faith blossom as you see Him at work in your life.
If you have never given before, this is your chance to begin and join the Seven Rivers Church family in LET’S GO. If you are new, we would love for you to make Seven Rivers your church home and join us in this mission. We need you on the team! LET’S GO is for everyone. Everyone matters, everyone’s giving matters.
During the next two years through our one-fund approach, all ministry will be funded through LET’S GO. During the period, April 2023-March 2025, every dollar given to Seven Rivers is a contribution to our LET’S GO initiative. It’s everyone’s opportunity to re-evaluate their giving (or consider it for the first time) and see what the Lord is calling you/your family to do.
Virtually everything the church did that incurred a monetary cost was funded by the Great Opportunity. This included missions, school facilities, ministry events, church salaries, building and ground maintenance, equipment upgrades/replacements, new high school property acquisition, programs, renovations to our children’s wing, sanctuary, and Florida Room.
Certainly! If at any time during this two-year period you want to decrease or increase your commitment just give our office a call or change your commitment online.
In Matthew 6, Jesus says, where your money is, there your heart will be also. We want everyone who calls this church ‘home’ to be growing more like Jesus. If we are growing in Christ, we should also be growing in generosity. We believe that Christian generosity begins with giving to the local church and that all Christ-followers should have a plan to support their local church. Whether you are considering giving for the first time, or you have faithfully given for years, we believe there is a step you can take to grow in generosity. As we grow in generosity, we not only increase our giving, but also our Kingdom impact. We want to equip you to grow in generosity, so we’ve put together this guide to help you along the way.
Growing in generosity always begins with a first step. Taking that first step is never easy, but required if you are going to grow. If you have never given before, take your first step by giving today.
If you have given something in the past, but done so inconsistently, often times your next step is to begin giving regularly. A great way to move from giving occasionally to giving consistently is to set up a recurring gift through your financial institution.
The consistent giver has taken steps to give regularly. They are committed to active growing. At this stage, our next step of growing in generosity is to give in a way that reflects the generosity we have been shown through Christ. A next step to grow in generosity is to evaluate the level at which you are giving.
Tithing is simply giving back the first 10% of what God has given us. The tithing giver has gone from giving consistently to giving intentionally in a way that models a heart of generosity. Growing in generosity means looking for additional ways to further God’s Kingdom with your resources.
The sacrificial giver is someone who gives beyond what is normal or expected. When we grow into sacrificial giving, we begin to choose God’s Kingdom over our own comforts. Sacrificial givers show the transforming work Jesus has done in their lives by giving in a way that impacts our lifestyle.
The legacy giver believes that every resource, whether financial or otherwise, is a gift from God to be used for his Kingdom purposes. Legacy givers intentionally give by acknowledging their generosity will outlast them, and everything in their lives is to be freely and generously given for God’s work. Legacy giving leaves an impact which outlasts the givers and serves the Kingdom beyond their lifetimes.
Our paths crossed during our time in the US Navy. Upon our discharge, Chris pursued a career in Federal Law Enforcement and I in Christian Education. After five years of marriage, we started our family—a son and daughter born 16 months apart. We were convicted that a Christian education was an important component to raising our children and made sacrifices to ensure this happened.
When our beautiful daughter went home to be with Jesus at the tender age of 21, her faith statement (written in the eighth grade) was read at her funeral. As we heard it being read, we realized she had lived out her faith statement in her very short life. Knowing this provided a peace that truly passes all understanding. We have been so grateful for the support a Christian education community provided for us in raising both of our children. This is one of many reasons why it was important for us to attend a church that was Christ centered, family focused, and mission oriented. We found all of that at Seven Rivers.
Since we’ve become members, we’ve found many different ways to serve in the school, church, youth group, and community. SRC promotes small group opportunities that help people connect with one another while growing in their faith. It is amazing how quickly a large church can become as warm and inviting as a close-knit family when you begin to reach out to be part of the body of Christ.
When Mark and I moved to the area a few years ago, we were looking for a church we liked, that we would be comfortable in and where we could grow. Then we found Seven Rivers.
Do we like it? No, we LOVE it. Like was a thoughtless criteria. Love was unexpected and it swept us onto our feet - running.
Are we comfortable? Not like we thought we wanted to be. We were compelled to participate in this church. We greeted one Sunday morning and were shown gracious kindness as strangers looked us in the eye, said our name and befriended us. This was a community where we wanted to belong and to serve.
Have we grown? Well, I truly believe that the old us has died and we have been made new. Growing seemed like a better choice than dying - wrong again. We are flourishing at Seven Rivers where God’s grace and loving kindness is the good news that changed everything. We are so grateful to have found such a beautiful church family that brings so much beauty to the community.
I was born in Puerto Rico, and at age seven we moved to New York. As a teen with low self-esteem and lack of self-confidence, I got involved with the wrong crowd and became heavily involved in drugs. At sixteen, God found me in my place of hiding, but for 30 years I continued to struggle, was in and out of rehabs and ended up homeless. Eventually, one halfway house made a lasting impact on me.
It was then that I met an amazing woman at an AA meeting and before long, Ruthie and I were married—but I continued my struggle with addiction. Once again, I turned to God, got back on my feet and into a good church in South Florida. During this time, Ruthie took in her one-and-a-half-year-old and newborn nephews. We ended up adopting Julianni and Jorriel and today, I am the proud father of these wonderful boys. Later, we relocated to Citrus County. It was a blessing to buy a house near Adam and Anne Jones. They invited us to Seven Rivers—we joined the church and enrolled the boys in the Christian school. The anointing that God has poured into the teachers, pastoral team and members committing to help our families raise our children is mind blowing. Seven Rivers Church is selfless. It’s mission is about helping others, a task they take on with sincerity.
Sadly, just over a year ago, I lost my wife to COVID and am now a single parent, but I am not alone. The church has helped with my boys and the love we’ve received can only come from people who truly love the Lord. I thank God every day for this church and the brothers and sisters he’s placed in our lives. Last month, I became the usher coordinator. I love the Lord and love to serve as an usher! I love to help others as they have helped me.
My wife and I started attending Seven Rivers in 2021. We moved here during the pandemic to care for Rebecca’s aging parents. We appreciate Seven Rivers’ high view of Scripture (centrality of Christ, gospel, sovereignty of God) and the authority it has for a Christian’s faith life.
We’ve personally experienced love and compassion from the Seven Rivers pastors and staff during a very difficult time. Last year, both Rebecca and I lost a parent within a three-month period. While we were in the Pastor’s Class, my mother unexpectedly went to be with the Lord. We weren’t even members yet, but pastors called and prayed with me. Over subsequent months, I received a set of pamphlets to help me process my grief. I even received a note from Seven Rivers students to encourage me. Members of GriefShare walked alongside the grieving process with my wife and mother-in-law.
We love that Seven Rivers cares about fostering deep relationships through intentional efforts to connect after worship or a meal together with a pastor. Opportunities to serve are easy to access. We have served as door greeters and at the Information Desk. We’ve attended a Bible study, are a part of a Life Group and have discovered that relationships are easy to develop in community here.
Lastly, we appreciate the distinct way worship is conducted. The music chosen is consistently rich in theology and the worship band does not drown out the congregation’s praises.
Seven Rivers was an easy choice for us and we feel privileged to be members here.
I became a Christian as a youth, attended church regularly and graduated from a Christian university. My husband Steve was in and out of his relationship with God throughout his life and gave his life fully to Christ just over a year ago when we attended the Pastor’s Class at SRC.
After our marriage, Steve and I used a myriad of excuses, including our different religious backgrounds (Catholic and Baptist), as reasons why we never made worship a priority. Our efforts to find a church home were sporadic at best.
After relocating to Florida from Minnesota last year, we wanted to attend a Christmas Eve service. I found the Seven Rivers schedule online and we attended the 3 p.m. service. It can be a bit daunting to attend a church for the first time—particularly when one has not attended services regularly for many years. Would we be welcomed? Would we feel out of place? What would the service be like? Would we leave feeling hopeful or hopeless? Would we feel like we were being “judged” for our lack of biblical knowledge? And, as silly as it now seems—what do people wear to church in Florida? We had all those questions and more.
Despite our uncertainty, God was clearly at work drawing us back to him through the Seven Rivers Church family. He showed us that SRC is made up of real people—each of us uniquely broken—yet loved by Him. The lack of pretension or judgment coupled with the honest acknowledgment that we ALL struggle really resonated with us. We immediately felt God’s calling to become members and completed the Pastor’s Class last spring. We have been blessed to become part of a small group where we share questions, prayer requests and support one another on our Christian journey. Attending conferences and special seminars have also helped us grow in our faith and knowledge of God’s grace. We’re so grateful for the many opportunities to get involved in church—including supporting children’s summer camp, serving as a greeter and assisting with the Lord’s Supper preparation. We are so grateful God led us to SRC.
February 19, 2023 | Philippians 3:4-6, 8-9; Romans 1:16-17a
February 26, 2023 | Matthew 28:16-20
March 5, 2023 | Mark 12:41-44
John 13:36-38; Matthew 4:23; Revelation 21:5a
Acts 2:42-47; Ephesians 5:25b-27
4221 W. Gulf to Lake Hwy
Lecanto, FL 34461
Phone: (352) 746-6200
Fax: (352) 746-6299
Email: info@sevenrivers.org
Office Hours:
M-F: 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM