Welcome Eric and Leah Gott

Hello! Leah and I are so excited to be joining the Riverchase children’s ministry and are eager to begin working with you all. We are overwhelmed with the love and support you have shown us as we transition into our new job and have appreciated the meals you have provided for us. The pizza and […]

Hello!
Leah and I are so excited to be joining the Riverchase children’s ministry and are eager to begin working with you all. We are overwhelmed with the love and support you have shown us as we transition into our new job and have appreciated the meals you have provided for us. The pizza and  ice cream supper was a blast! Riverchase is truly a loving congregation!
Prior to moving to Riverchase, Leah and I lived in Nashville, TN. I worked as a professional counselor and specialized in play therapy with children and adolescents. My counseling focus was largely centered on enhancing safe, nurturing attachments between parents and children and providing support and guidance through traumatic experiences. Leah is an experienced teacher and previously taught 5th grade math in the Metro Nashville school system. During our free time Leah and I love to take our dog, Linus, for hikes. Leah also enjoys sewing and quilting, and I enjoy painting and drawing. Our biggest passion is working with children and families, and we hope to continue an atmosphere of joy and delight within the children’s ministry here at Riverchase.
Over the next few weeks we ask that you keep these expectations in mind:
Expect us to make mistakes. We are new, and we are learning. We may not remember your name. We will probably mess up on many small things. Any new job comes with a learning curve, and we promise to do our best to make this ministry run smoothly.
Expect us to be fiercely devoted to the children’s ministry.  We love working and playing with kids, and we believe the value of instilling God’s word at an early age is immeasurable.
Expect us to need help. Leah and I cannot carry this ministry on our own. We want help. The children’s ministry will function best with family and parent support. Please reach out to us to be involved!!!
Exciting times are ahead and we are praying for this congregation. Please continue praying for Leah and I to have wisdom and strength in the coming weeks. We already feel so loved and welcomed!

Kidmin 101

This past Sunday night, I shared five core values that our Children’s Ministry is founded on. These values are what helps keep each event, activity, and class in line with our overall mission. The core values are: 1. Know: Our children will learn to know God and the...

Faith On a Shelf

I have this hat that my dad brought back to me from a business trip to Atlanta when I was 9 or 10 years old. You can see that I’ve worn it a lot. In fact, I wore it to just about everywhere I went during the summer when I was a kid. Church camps, grandparents’ house,...

“Jesus Loves Me”

After being led in this song by two of our young men Sunday night, I was reminded of a quotation from Karl Barth. On April 23, 1962, Karl Barth (the renown 20th Century Swiss-German, neo-orthodox theologian) spoke at Rockefeller Chapel on the campus of the University...

That’s Not a Candle

Several years ago, there was story shared about a woman from Connecticut whose power had gone out during a storm. She left her house to go to a local hardware store to purchase some flashlights, but the store was closed. She returned home and found what she thought...

The Post-Christian Problem

I attended the New Day Conference in Murfreesboro, Tennessee at the end of last week with a small group from Riverchase. It was a good conference and I left encouraged about the opportunities we have to fulfill the call of Christ to make disciples. On Friday evening,...

Josiah’s Reform

In the thirty-one years of his rule, King Josiah proved to be a faithful man of God and a great king of Judah. He served God from the beginning as a young king and grew into a greater understanding of God’s will and a determination to follow that will. He made a...

You Are What You Eat

You Are What You Eat You’ve heard the phrase, “You are what you eat.” Simply defined, it means that you should eat healthy if you want to be healthy. This phrase can trace its roots back to the early 1800’s. It came from the 1826 work The Physiology of Taste, in which...

It Is Well

Above the piano in our house is a large wood sign with the phrase, “it is well with my soul” on it. Kimberly and I purchased it during a season of our life together where we were not completely sure what the future had in store for our little family. Since then, the...

Do Over

  I messed up on recording my recent radio programs. The sound quality was so bad Mark could not run them on the air. So, I deleted them and recorded them again.   I sure wish I could do that in real life with all the other mistakes I make. Just delete them...

Don’t Believe Your Preacher

Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. (2 John 1:9 ESV) Here is the test. The “teaching of Christ” is, of course, the very word of God. So, if your...