Our Story
Everyone has a story. Even a church.
Discover where RiverLife started and share in some of our milestones along the way.
August 2012
The Birth of an Idea
Greg learns of a ministry serving 2nd gen Koreans and wonders if it could be done for Hmong.
September 2012
Dreams & Plans
Greg and Pang Foua begin to think and pray about a ministry focused on second-gen Hmong.
July 2013
C&MA Approves
Greg and Pang Foua meet with District Superintendent Don Wiggins who approves starting RiverLife.
January 2014
God Gathers a Team
The newly-formed Ministry Launch Team meets for the first time with 7 members (and one baby).
September 7, 2014
Our First Service
RiverLife launches with its first service at Dayton’s Bluff Rec Center with 125 people.
October 2014
Our First Move
We outgrow Dayton’s Bluff and move to Central H.S.
February 2015
Life Together
We add weekly Life Group bible studies to study God’s Word in community.
June 2015
Be the Change
We launch our Community Engagement ministry to serve our neighbors and those in need.
July 2015
Our Second Move
The AC breaks at Central, so we move to Washington Tech Magnet School.
September 2015
Blessing on a Stick
RiverLife is invited to participate in Hmong MN Day at the State Fair.
May 2016
A Place for Youth
The new Youth Ministry meets for the first time.
February 2017
A Place to Call Home
We move into our current location on the Eastside of St. Paul.
September 2017
Mission Change #1
We include third-gen Hmong in our mission. We want our children to experience God's hope & healing too.
June 2018
Pastor to Reverend
After two years of study, Greg becomes an ordained Reverend in the Alliance.
July 2018
Food for the Hungry
We launch The RiverBank Food Shelf, providing diverse foods for a diverse community.
April 2019
Packed House
525 people celebrate Easter at RiverLife with service, baptisms, and an egg hunt.
May 2019
Mission Change #2
We add “growth” to our mission to emphasize life-long spiritual development.
October 2019
The Sent Ones
We send our first mission team out to serve at the Envision site in Chicago.
March 2020
We Move Online
Due to the pandemic, we shut down in-person services and start live streaming from Pastor Greg’s home.
March 2021
In-Person & Masked
We return to in-person services with lots of smiles (under our masks and from a distance, of course).
September 2021
We Expand to Multi-Site
We launch a second campus in Brooklyn Park to bring more hope, healing, and growth to the Twin Cities.