About

What To Expect

 

Worship services are casual at New River Church.  Many people wear jeans or dress "business casual."  We encourage you to arrive about 10-15 minutes before the service starts so you can grab a cup of coffee and meet people.  Our services start with music, often songs you might know if you have been a Christian for a while.  An older hymn is almost always included in our time of worship.  Pastor Dale teaches a bible-based message with practical application to help you live out your faith during the week.  The first Sunday of the month we celebrate communion and you are invited to participate if you are a true believer.  Services are usually about an hour, and then you’re welcome to hang out and talk with people afterwards

 

If you have children, we have a team of loving, trained volunteers in our children's ministry area.  We encourage middle school and high school students to join their parents in the adult service.

Our Story

 

Pastors Dale and Pam Ellis moved to Clovis in 1985 to pastor the Clovis Foursquare Church.  They pastored there until December 31, 2017.  They officially retired from Foursquare but the congregation wanted to continue as a new church so New River Church was formed and began meeting the first Sunday in 2018 in the American Legion building at Fourth and Woodworth in Old Town Clovis.  

The people who come range from young families to retired folks who are still vibrant in their passion for Jesus.  In reality, the church is new only in name.  Many from the other congregation have now blended with other "seasoned" believers who have found their way here and love the music and the Bible teaching.  We hope you will become part of our story. 

Our Beliefs

 

Bible.  We believe the Bible, consisting of 66 books, to be the inspired Word of God, without error, the revelation of His will for the salvation of men, and the divine and final authority for all Christian faith and life.

God.  We believe in one God existing in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God has always been and will always be the only God.  There were none before Him and shall be none after him.

The Father.  We believe that the Father created all things in heaven and on earth.  He created human beings out of a love for us and desires a personal relationship with each of us.

Jesus.  We believe that Jesus Christ is true God (eternally co-existent - past, present and future - with the Father and the Holy Spirit) and true man, having been conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of the Virgin Mary.  He lived a sinless life and died on the Cross as the sacrifice for our sins according to the Scriptures. Furthermore, He arose bodily from the dead and ascended into heaven.

Holy Spirit.  We believe that the ministry of the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is to convict men, making them aware of their sin and the salvation available through Jesus.  He regenerates, guides, instructs, indwells and empowers the believer for godly living and service.

Man.  We believe that man was created in the image of God and sinless, but fell into sin and is therefore lost and subject to judgment.  There is nothing man can do to save himself from this judgment, but he can accept the death of Jesus as punishment in place of his own eternal death by acknowledging God and accepting the free gift of salvation.

Salvation.  We believe that the sacrificial death of Jesus Christ provides the only way of justification and salvation for all who believe.  Any who attach additional works of man as a requirement for salvation are false in that they infer Jesus’ death is insufficient in and of itself to save and that human beings somehow have the capability to save themselves.

Accepting the Sinner, Denouncing the Sin.  We believe that no sin is too big for God to forgive.   Therefore, as Christians we should be open and eager to share the Gospel with everyone regardless of their sin or affliction.  However, making Jesus Lord of our lives means striving towards holiness and turning from our sinful ways. Therefore, while being open to all sinners, Christians ought not accept, ignore, or promote any sin as permissible.

Non-Essential Elements.  We believe the above tenets make up the basis of Christian faith on which all Christians believe and agree.  We have intentionally omitted any statements regarding areas of legitimate disagreement (i.e., baptism, predestination, end times) on which agreement is not essential for salvation.

In essentials: unity.

In non-essentials: liberty.

In all things: charity.

 

Our Pastor

Pastor Dale has been pastoring since January 1985 in Clovis, CA.  His prior ministry experience was in his younger years as assisting his then father-in-law in a small church in the Portland, OR area, hosting a home bible study in Hillsboro, OR, and participating in various music groups as singer, songwriter and piano player beginning in 1963.  Dale played for his first southern gospel quartet when he was just 16 years old.  He leads worship with his wife, Pam, a great gospel singer in her own right.

 

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