Since 1977, Riverwoods Christian Center has had the opportunity to serve youth from fifteen under-resourced communities throughout the Fox River Valley by providing summer camp and year-round community ministry programs.  

The youth of our local under-resourced communities face many challenges: discrimination, the "stigma" of living in subsidized housing communities, feelings of hopelessness, feeling inadequate to accomplish academic or career goals, and lack of opportunities.  Riverwoods responds to these challenges by providing opportunities for youth to recognize their individual value and God given potential to become the successful leaders of the next generation.

What are the Expected Outcomes of Riverwoods Ministry?

The teens that complete Riverwoods program will successfully graduate High School and will be prepared for college, vocational training or other career opportunities.  They will have acquired the skills that they need to succeed in their future education, their careers, and in their personal lives.  The teens will be secure in their walk with the Lord and involved in a local Church where they are giving back to the leadership of their community. 

Community Advocacy Ministry

Through our Community Advocacy Ministry, Riverwoods serves the local Church in specific aspects of Christian Community Development.  Riverwoods has identified its role in community development to be primarily in serving youth and building indigenous community leadership.  To accomplish these tasks Riverwoods has begun the process of placing full-time staff members, called Community Advocates, in fifteen specific under-resourced communities of the Fox River Valley.  The primary purpose of these full-time staff members is to assist local partnership Churches in discipling the youth of their community.

Examples of how the Community Advocate can assist the local Church:

 Establish or Enhance Children's Discipleship opportunities such as an after school club, or other similar programs.

•  Advocates provide resources for volunteer recruiting, training and development.
•   Advocates help to provide program curriculum and organizational structure.
•   Advocates assist the Church to meet transportation needs.

Establish a progressive Teen Leadership and Personal Discipleship Program.

• Leadership Training Programs for Junior High and High School Students
• Individual Mentoring
• Weekend Retreats
• Educational Assistance
• Career Planning / Job Skills Preparation
• Life Skills Development

In each of these areas, the goal of the Advocate is to serve the partnership Church to provide quality discipleship opportunities for the youth from local under-resourced communities.  Riverwoods role is to supplement and facilitate the work of the Church in its community ministry.  As Riverwoods seeks to establish Community Advocate Partnership Churches, Riverwoods, the Church and their respective leadership bodies (Board, Deaconate, etc.) need to clearly establish the common goals, and the roles and responsibilities of each organization.

The Role of the Community Advocate

The Advocate serves a specific local Church in order to maximize the outreach in a specific under-resourced community.  They consult with the church in order to place families from under-resourced communities into existing church programs.  The Advocate and Church meet together to minimize obstacles and maximize resources in order to effectively integrate families into the Church body. 

The Advocate fulfills a significant role in facilitating indigenous teen development.  The teens are the key to make a lasting impact on the community.  Making sure they have the resources they need to succeed is an integral part of the Advocate?s role.

The Advocate also assists the Church in the creation of new programs specifically developed for children and youth of the under-resourced communities.  These programs are led by the Church with the Advocate providing strategic resources for success.

The Community Partnership Church

Riverwoods is committed to promoting healthy Church involvement among the youth and families served by Riverwoods.  To fulfill this goal, Riverwoods seeks to establish intentional partnerships with community Churches which are culturally relevant and geographically accessible to the communities served.

God is redeeming whole communities through the local Church.  The spiritual growth we desire to see will have a lifelong impact as the children we serve become members of a local congregation.  God has placed local congregations near under-resourced communities in the Fox River Valley with the vision to reach the families we serve.    We desire to partner with these churches, to learn from them and to serve alongside them.

The Supporting Partnership Church

Riverwoods seeks the involvement of additional partnership Churches who are committed to supporting the work of the Community Partnership Churches.  The goal is to establish a meaningful relationship between the leadership and the membership of the Community Partnership Church and the Supporting Church.  Through this relationship, the two Churches can work cooperatively to address the holistic needs of a specific under-resourced community.  Riverwoods Advocates serve to promote these types of partnerships and cooperative ministry to assist both Churches in making a greater impact for Christ on the local community.