Today, with the final session of Growth Track 301, we've completed our inaugural run of the RVC Growth Track that we launched at the beginning of this year. It's constituted a massive amount of work to transform hundreds and hundreds of pages of research, source material, and original content into our core curriculum.
We've designed the Growth Track to help people learn about River Valley Church, understand what we believe and why, and lay a foundation for a purpose-filled life of knowing and serving our great God, loving Him, and loving people. It's His great love that compels us to work together to achieve our mission, to lead people to an authentic, life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ.
I want to thank all those who've been a part of our first run of the Growth Track. You were great students, and you had great questions. And as I'm fond of saying, "The truth is not afraid of questions." Thanks for your attentiveness, support, and feedback through this first run!
And please endulge me a moment as I must thank my Growth Track team... Ben Bertell who serves as the ministry director for team, who compiled our research and spent long hours pouring over it with me. And his wife Cathy who heads up the hospitality, setting up the snacks and beverages for all those weeks, and who assists Ben in the administration -- you two have been so faithful! You are invaluable treasures. The teachers, Gerald Baltrusch, Traci Kubisiak, and Jeff Raich -- I wanted teachers who were truly gifted at teaching so that our students could have the very best! ...and that's exactly what they got. Thank you for saying yes! And last but far from least, a huge word of thanks from all of us to Diana Betzold who masterfully took on the immense task of converting those hundreds of pages into a beautiful curriculum! The work you did was amazing and the time commitment considerable, and I truly believe we could not have pulled this off without you. You and Mark have invested your notable skills into this, which I know was a labor of love. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
This project came into existence by people using their gifts and talents to serve God. Overall, an average of 40 hours went into the creation of each of the 13 one-hour sessions. And we'll be continuing to edit, revise, and enhance our Growth Track curriculum over the next several months. It's exciting, because of what it will mean to RVC in the years ahead, but also because of other churches and church plants, like Highpoint Church, that are eager to utilize this curriculum as well.
