Our story starts at Bible College in Murrieta, CA. In 2011, I (George) was taking an Old Testament class and was asked by the teacher if I had ever considered church planting. Honestly, I had no idea such a thing existed; nevertheless, I took the idea back to Janelle and we prayed. Soon after, we believe the Lord confirmed He wanted us open to the idea. The next question was, “Where would we go?”

When Janelle and I were dating, we discovered we both desired to live in Connecticut - a place neither of us had ever visited. So when it came time to deciding where to start a new church, we thought Connecticut would be a good start, having no idea the spiritual condition of New England. As we began to pray and research, it became very apparent the Lord was calling us to a place that needed more churches. Therefore, I booked a trip to Connecticut.

If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water. – John 7:37-38

On my first trip, I rented a car, drove all over the Greater Hartford area and prayed. As I updated Janelle on the trip, she kept encouraging me to visit Glastonbury. Oddly enough, I got lost and ended up in Glastonbury. While driving down Main Street, the Lord spoke to my heart to stop and pray. I pulled into a parking space in front of a bicycle shop and noticed the fountain across the street. Suddenly, God brought to my mind the following verse.

It was at that moment I knew God was calling us to Glastonbury, Connecticut. Not too long after, I came back with Janelle and the Lord confirmed this to her as well.

The next few years involved us preparing to church plant. We took classes, read books, attended conferences and flew back to Connecticut yearly to pray. 

Then, in June 2015, the Lord spoke to me through Phil. 3:12-14. Janelle and I knew it was time to move to Connecticut and “lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.” So, the following month, we sold everything and drove cross-country with all our possessions stuffed in four duffle bags, in a small Thule on top of our car. We arrived home to Glastonbury on August 04, 2015.

In May 2016, we were approved as SEND Network church planters. Additionally, we formed many local partnerships with churches like Centerpoint Community Church, Faith Fellowship Church and Calvary Fellowship.

A few months later, on October 15, 2016, we held our first service! We continue to hold weekly worship services on Sunday mornings at 10 am!

You can check out our ongoing, written story here - including the stories of dear River Church members!