Leadership

 My name is Pastor Johnny Rivera, and I am blessed to be married to Ashley Rivera. Together, we have two wonderful children, Elijah and Mila. We are the pastors of Rivers of Living Water Church in Minnesota, having recently relocated from El Paso, Texas. Both my wife and I were raised in challenging, impoverished neighborhoods, facing many struggles, but our lives were transformed when we encountered Jesus Christ. Now, God has called us to Minnesota to bring a message of hope, healing, and transformation to this community and region. Our deepest passion is to see hearts changed and people surrender their lives to Jesus. We are eager to pour out the love and power of Godlike rivers into the lives of those around us. 

Pastor Jane Taves is the children’s pastor at Rivers of Living Water Church. Born in Chicago and raised in poverty, she overcame many hardships throughout her early life. In 1990, as a single mother of three teenage boys, Jane moved to Minnesota, where she had a life-changing supernatural encounter with the love of Jesus Christ. This experience ignited her passion for teaching children how to know God and His ways, establishing a personal relationship with Him grounded in His love.
With over 30 years of ministry experience, Pastor Jane has dedicated her life to training children to recognize God’s voice, empowering them to be a light in their homes, schools, and communities. In addition to her work with children, she has ministered to the elderly in nursing homes, served on evangelism teams in urban areas like Minneapolis, St. Paul, and Chicago, and participated in international mission trips to countries such as Peru, Belarus, Romania, Hungary, England, Germany, and Switzerland.
Her heart is to bring the love and freedom of Jesus Christ to children and people of all ages, so they can experience the life-transforming power of His crucifixion and resurrection.

Mary Brent has faithfully walked with Jesus Christ since a life-changing encounter in 1975. For nearly 50 years, her life has been a testimony of unwavering devotion, powerful intercession, and compassionate service to both God and people. She lives out the call of Isaiah 61—to bind up the brokenhearted, proclaim liberty to captives, and exchange ashes for beauty through the healing power of Jesus.
Mary’s ministry has spanned decades and reached across diverse communities. She spent years supporting underserved entrepreneurs with tools for sustainable business, directed an inner-city crisis intervention center offering literacy, employment strategies, and essential resources, and served in battered women’s programs where she provided advocacy and shelter to survivors of abuse. For two decades, she led an emergency food shelf in Frogtown, Minnesota—one of the state’s most ethnically diverse and economically challenged neighborhoods—providing critical support and hope to thousands.
With a degree in Psychology and a concentration in Human Services Administration, Mary combines clinical insight with spiritual authority. She is licensed and ordained in inner healing through Christian United Ministries and certified in Restoring the Foundations, where she has helped many find freedom through prayer, deliverance, and restored identity in Christ.
In December 2021, Mary was commissioned by Apostle Chuck Pierce under the Glory of Zion Apostolic Hub, affirming her apostolic call and Kingdom fruitfulness.
At the heart of her ministry is a passion to see people encounter the living Jesus, receive the healing love of the Father, and walk fully in their God-given purpose. Whether in quiet intercession, city streets, or strategic assignments, Mary’s mission remains unchanged: to bring the broken to the feet of Jesus and watch Him make all things new.
Her life is more than a legacy—it is a living blueprint of what it means to serve with humility, power, and relentless love.

"Born in India and nurtured in Qatar's vibrant landscape for 16 pivotal years, Caroline Mabel 'Olive' Rapaka's fervor for missionary work ignited during her formative years. This nascent passion led her to embark on transformative journeys to Kenya and Tanzania, where she served alongside her school and church youth ministries. Upon her return to India in 2018, Olive immersed herself in a diverse array of ministerial roles within her local Hyderabad church, encompassing ushering, worship leadership, media coordination, children's ministry, young adult mentorship, and creative design. Her innate compassion for humanity and dedication to serving others reflected her burgeoning desire to devote her life to the Kingdom's service. Olive's academic pursuits at Charis Bible College commenced in 2021, and she later relocated to the United States to complete her final year in the ministry track, culminating in her graduation in 2024. A subsequent internship with RVFM proved pivotal, as she discerned a profound calling to serve at River of Living Water (ROLW). With a heart aflame for the marginalized and downtrodden, Olive's long-term aspiration is to establish a non-profit sanctuary dedicated to liberating and rehabilitating survivors of human trafficking and prostitution, thereby restoring their dignity, facilitating healing, and offering hope in Christ."