Riverside Church
A COMMUNITY OF HOPE
Our Story - Riverside Church Davenport, IA
From Two Congregations to One Family
Riverside Church and Community of Hope began as two distinct congregations in the Quad Cities, each faithfully pursuing Jesus in our own context. We carried different histories, different rhythms, and different leadership structures, yet we were moved by the same hunger for the presence of God. Over time, the Lord began to knit our hearts together around something deeper than shared belief. He was drawing us into shared life.
The first step toward that life together was not organizational. It was devotional and intentional.
Riverside Church in LeClaire helped spearhead a project on Kimberly Road called The Worship Center. It was established as a neutral space where churches could gather simply to pray, worship, and seek the face of Jesus together. There was no banner to promote, no platform to defend, and no identity to preserve beyond belonging to Christ. The desire was straightforward and sincere: to host the presence of God in unity and allow Him to shape us as one Body.
In that shared space, something holy formed. Pastors prayed together without comparison. Worship leaders lingered in the presence without agenda. Believers from different congregations lifted one sound, not as guests in someone else’s house, but as members of one spiritual family. Trust developed slowly and naturally as we continued to behold Jesus together.
Over time, the Lord made it clear that unity was not meant to remain occasional. He was inviting us into something more mature and covenantal. We recognized that the prayer of Jesus in John 17 was not theoretical language. It was a present invitation to embody visible, spiritual oneness in our city.
The decision to merge was not driven by pressure or decline. It was born from conviction. We believed that when a church is formed in intimacy with Jesus, visible unity becomes both a testimony and a responsibility. We saw that depth precedes multiplication, and that maturity carries more authority than isolated strength.
Two congregations became one church family.
This union required humility, patience, and surrender. It required listening well, honoring one another’s histories, and submitting ourselves to the work of the Holy Spirit. It was not about preserving what we had built; it was about stewarding what God was building.
Today, Riverside Church carries the shared story of that obedience. We are a presence-formed family devoted to beholding Jesus, becoming like Him, and being real witnesses of His Kingdom. Our identity is not rooted in the memory of two former churches, but in the present reality of one unified people learning to live in intimacy, purity, and Spirit-empowered love.
Learn more about our vision here: Riverside's Vision & Mission
We believe that unity flows from abiding in Christ and becomes the foundation for Kingdom expansion.. As we encounter Him, we are transformed in His presence, and that transformation reveals Jesus to the world around us.
Our story is still unfolding. The same Spirit who brought us together continues to mature us, refine us, and prepare us for greater Kingdom expansion. We are committed to cultivating disciples who hear His voice, walk in obedience, and live as visible expressions of heaven on earth.
If you are longing for a church family shaped by the presence of Jesus and strengthened by authentic unity, we invite you to walk with us. Our story is not about institutional success. It is about becoming a people in whom God is pleased to dwell.
Riverside Church gathers every Sunday at 9:30 AM in Davenport, Iowa, serving families throughout the Quad Cities.
Our Call To Oneness
Jesus prayed in John 17 that we would be one as He and the Father are one. We believe that prayer is not symbolic language; it is an active work of the Spirit unfolding in real places among real people. In the Quad Cities, we have seen that prayer begin to take shape. Oneness is not something we assume or inherit; it is something we cultivate through humility, surrender, and shared devotion to Christ.
When two congregational streams became one river, we stepped into more than structural unity. We entered a deeper formation. Unity formed in the presence of Jesus produces maturity, and maturity carries authority. As we walk together in covenant, we are shaped into a people capable of sustaining the weight of Kingdom expansion and multiplication.
Jesus builds His Church. Our role is to remain yielded to Him and to one another, allowing His Spirit to refine us into a unified and prepared Bride. As we behold Him together, He aligns our hearts, purifies our motives, and strengthens our love. This depth of shared life becomes the soil from which multiplication grows, not through ambition, but through spiritual formation.
Unity, then, is not an accessory to our mission; it is the foundation of it. Jesus said our oneness would testify that the Father sent Him. As we live reconciled in Christ, we become a visible witness to His reconciling power. A unified church in this region carries spiritual clarity, credibility, and strength.
We believe depth precedes multiplication. As we are formed together in intimacy, purity, and Spirit-empowered love, the Kingdom advances naturally through mature disciples who carry His presence into every sphere of influence. Oneness prepares us to expand without losing devotion, to grow without losing alignment, and to multiply without losing our center.
We move forward together in humility and faith, confident that the same Lord who prayed for unity is faithful to complete His work among us. As we remain rooted in His presence, we trust that what He is forming here will overflow for the glory of His name in the Quad Cities and beyond.
If your heart is stirred by the prayer of Jesus for unity, we invite you to walk with us. This is not simply about attending a church; it is about becoming part of a people being formed together in the presence of Christ. As we behold Him, we are changed, and as we are changed together, His Kingdom is revealed through us. There is room in this story for those who desire depth, covenant, and shared devotion to the Lord who is making us one.