Why River47?

In January of 2004 our congregation embarked on “A Year of The River” using Ezekiel 47 as a theme chapter. As the year moved forward we realized that the use of this chapter was not only theme but also the Lord’s call and identity for our congregation. Desiring to be a people who would truly bring life to barren wastelands, we asked our congregation to pray and bring suggestions for a name that would actually embrace our vision and identity.

While the name may sound trendy or (yikes!) even like a nightclub, it was not chosen for this reason. Rather, we wanted a name so filled with our vision that no person among us could lose sight of it.

So whose suggestion was River47? That story is pretty amazing. She was 19 years old. While driving under the influence, she took the lives of two men in an automobile accident. Distraught and knowing she needed a true life change, she joined with us and committed her life to Christ while awaiting trial. Convicted of vehicular manslaughter, she was sent to the state prison in Chowchilla. It was from that place, which many might say is the most barren of wastelands, that our name came.

River47 is a biblical reference of hope and healing. It is a church named by a prisoner reminding us that no person who seeks the Lord is beyond God’s ability to redeem.