Here at RISE, you will hear us say "everyone means everyone." But what does that really mean?

eve·ry·one  /ˈevrēˌwən/

Pronoun
Every person.

Synonyms
everybody - anybody - anyone - each - every - all

Whether you're 104 years old or 104 days old, we love you. 

No matter if your skin is black or white, or where your family came from, we think you are a gift. We seriously love color, just take a look at some the creations made by the kids at RISE!

From Harrisonburg natives to citizens of the world, we welcome you.

Here at RISE, we believe that God created us all differently and wonderfully, and we want you to be comfortable being yourself, not who you think we want you to be.  We welcome any and all sexual orientations and gender identities and want you to express yourself fully and honestly.

We see ourselves as a family here and we want to welcome your family into ours, however your family may look.  Single moms, single dads, two mommies, two daddies, moms and dads, aunts, uncles, people flying solo, grandparents and everyone else, your story matters to us.

Whether you were born with a silver spoon in your mouth, you fought hard to get the plastic spork in your pocket, or you're someone who may not know where your next meal will come from, we have a place for you.

Perhaps you lean a little to the left.  Maybe you're as far right as you can get.  It may be the case that you like it right in the middle.  Or maybe you just don't care.  Here at RISE, the only politics we preach are the politics of Jesus: Love one another as He has loved you.  

Whether you're a marathon runner or someone who needs assistance getting around from time to time, a genius or someone who may need to take a little longer to think about things, you have a lot to offer this community and God's world. 

We also realize that everyone comes to us with a different story.  Some have grown up in the church and love everything about it.  Some have been deeply hurt by the church and its lack of compassion for who they are.  Others have no experience with church.  No matter what your story is, we want to hear it; we want to journey with you and have you journey with us.

If you don’t fit into any of the categories listed above, we love you and welcome you. We realize categories are limiting and want to emphasize that God’s love has no bounds.

So, if we're going to say that everyone, every person, everybody, anybody, anyone, all, and each are welcome, well, we mean it.  We're a diverse bunch here at RISE and we like it that way. It keeps things spicy. We believe that God's dream is for all of us, in our crazy differences, to come together in unity and wholeness.