Yes, they are a cult, and are one and the same as Victory Campus Ministries. The parent organisation's name this week is Every Nation... before that they were Morning Star International. They used to be Maranatha Campus Ministries back in the 70s and 80s. Look them up in the Ubyssey archives http://wildhorse.library.ubc.ca/archives.html and you'll find out all kinds of history about these guys. There seems to have been no love lost between Maranatha and UBC. Also, look up "Rice Broocks" in those Ubyssey archives... he's the guy who's now in charge of this outfit.
Their main website is www.everynation.org
The River's website might be down, but they are still listed in Every Nation's church directory. They might look all nice and orthodox on the outside but on the inside they are a cult through and through. They practice what used to be called "Shepherding." They don't call it that anymore but it's the same now... just different terminology (they call it "accountability," passing on "spiritual DNA" and "discipleship" now).
Their mother church (they're now based in Nashville, Tennessee) also does the food thing. They sent a couple of sweet young college kids to our apartment with a gift bag. I still remember that it was really good bread from an expensive gourmet bakery. :-)
Bert Thomson, who was UBC Maranatha chapter's pastor back in the day, went here after Maranatha supposedly "broke up" in 1990... http://www.uchurchnet.com/dna.htm. They consider The River their "sister church:" http://www.uchurchnet.com/family.htm
The founding pastor of that outfit is now Rice Broocks' right hand man in Nashville--he went there in 2000.
Victory Campus Ministries does not appear to be a registered student group/club on UBC's campus. Wonder why.
Enjoy the bread but lock and bolt the door after they leave.
blessings,
ulyankee ([email protected])