And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good.

Genesis 1:31

In the beginning…

After God created everything, He looked at it and repeated this simple but profound statement: It is good. And in these acts, He revealed something essential about His character: God is good, and His goodness is woven into the very fabric of creation. From the start, His world was marked by beauty, order, and life.

But the story of Genesis also reminds us that His goodness has been questioned from the very start. The serpent whispered doubt in the garden: Did God actually say…? (Genesis 3). Beneath that question was the same lie we still hear today: Can you really trust God’s goodness? In a broken world filled with pain, loss, and injustice, that question lingers. Yet again and again, Scripture shows us the answer — His promises stand, His presence remains, and His goodness keeps breaking through.

When God called Abraham, He promised that through his family all nations would be blessed (Genesis 12). Even in the betrayal Joseph endured, he could look back and say, “You meant evil against me, but God meant it for good” (Genesis 50:20). These stories — from creation to covenant to redemption — reveal a God whose goodness is not undone by sin or suffering. His goodness endures forever, and it is ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd who lays down His life for His sheep.

In this brochure, you will see The Grove’s 2026 response to God’s call to proclaim His goodness. Each of these initiatives is a glimpse of His original design being restored in a broken world. We will provide safe places for children and families, strengthen churches where there were none before, train leaders for the harvest, and send workers to the nations. We will stand with our neighbors through practical care, and we will walk alongside our Global Partners as they shine the light of Christ in hard-to-reach places.

These projects are not simply tasks to complete. They are testimonies that God is still good, still present, and still working. Through them, His declaration from the beginning — it is very good — will break through in lives and communities across Riverside and around the world.

And that is why we keep showing up. Because when we invest in projects like these, we are not just funding ministry; we are declaring something bigger. We are saying to the world — and to ourselves — that even when life is uncertain, God is steady. Even when sin has broken what He once called good, His redemption is stronger. Even when the serpent’s old question comes whispering again, we respond with faith: Yes, our God is good. Always.

Like a stream, His goodness flows steadily through every valley and every season. It moves quietly but powerfully, bringing life wherever it runs. My prayer is that as you read through these stories and initiatives, you will be encouraged to see His goodness afresh — in creation, in redemption, and in the mission we share together. And I pray that as a church family, we will continue to live out our vision of Being Changed by God to Reach All People.

 Daniel Bishop, Lead Pastor