real people.
"Thank you, Lord. Thank you for leading me to Riverwood. When I had given up on life, was counting the minutes, ready to finish it all, you brought me home."
- Riverwood Family Member
Pastor David & Cheryl Cross
David and Cheryl met just a few miles from Riverwood in the 1990s while ministering to at-risk youth from Chicago. The Lord called them to serve as missionaries in the Middle East and in the Midwest until joining the Riverwood team in 2019.
Through his years in missions, David has served as a pastor, youth pastor, interim pastor, conference keynote speaker, and preacher at numerous colleges, universities, churches, and Christian camps.
David holds degrees in Biblical Studies and Bible from the University of Northwestern - St. Paul, and a graduate degree in Linguistics from the University of North Dakota. He is author of the books Work of Influence: Principles for Professionals from the Book of Daniel, Mondays In the Middle East: The Lighter Side of Arabian Nights, and contributor to The Desert Is Alive! His latest book The Integral Life: Complete Passion and Purpose for God (forthcoming 2020) specifically teaches church members on how to integrate home life, work life, and ministry life all to serve the Lord.
Together, David and Cheryl have five teenagers who make the Cross home a fun, eventful environment.
(262) 539-2383 (office)
Jeff Viol
From an early age, Jeff had instilled within him both a passion for music, as well as for the Lord and the truthfulness and authority of His Word, and to serve the local church by these means. Jeff has been using his gift of ministering through music to serve at Riverwood since the mid-90s, and specifically as worship leader since early in 2018. Our desire on Sunday mornings is to glorify God in humbly offering Him our praise corporately as a church body. We do this by extolling the name of the Lord and rejoicing in precious, glorious truths together. As a blood-bought people, we are bound together by Christ's sacrifice. We are people who now belong to the King.
Vanessa Hall
Vanessa sees that the Word of God is handled and taught rightly for our youth. The God-breathed Scriptures are what we need to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord. The power of the Holy Spirit enlightens and convicts us to understand and embrace these truths, and apply them to our daily walk with Christ. Vanessa's desire is to see that lived out among our youth.
Jenny Irwin
Jenny serves us all as our treasurer and with indispensable office help to keep us together. 'Nuf said.
(262) 539-2383