Why RVA?

Every day the staff of RVA gets together to pray to seek God and look to Him.  Because we know that God is over all we come together to look to Him and in doing so He works out His glorious plan around us and binds us together.

It is this example of holding onto God as a community of believes that is our witness to the younger generation.  As we look to Him each day to be God in our lives we desire to be a example of life in Christ to the students - to show them what it means to look to God with everything in life, but not just by ourselves, to do so with others who are standing beside you doing the same for each other.  As we do this we live out Ephesians 3: 6b which says reminds us to live as "members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise of Christ Jesus."

RVA gives the young people the opportunity to see how wonderful it is to come together with others in a community that builds each other up because of our great and loving God.  It gives the students the opportunity to see what life can be like when you love God and love others, and in so doing, it points to the importance of holding onto God together no matter where you go.

As the students graduated the commencement speakers boldly reminded each student that they were never meant to stay at RVA.  It was always the plan for them to learn about life in a community that points to God, but then to go out to into a dark world and proclaim the possibility of living in community with God as the fellowship of believer.  To know because of the example they grew up in that fellowship with God leads to rest and trust and then to proclaim this hope to others.

The student speakers said it best as he addressed is fellow classmates, paraphrasing, he encouraged us all in saying, "we are feel so strongly sad in leaving because God has blessed us with a community of other believers who build us up, friends who have been there for us and who we don't want to leave, but it just points to the possibility for the same in other places."

God has called us to live in community, together with others holding onto Him wherever we go.  He gives us the strength each day and He wants us to bring others into this life of fellowship wherever we go.

It has been my privilege over the last few years to experience this fellowship of believers at RVA and it is my hope that God would use the powerful experience of communion with Him to inspire and encourage the students as to what life can be like wherever they go because of our Great and Awesome, Loving God.