The Riverside light March 2023

Hello everyone!

Amazing we are already more than halfway through April.  The trees are blooming, the grass is growing and there are flowers everywhere! Nothing like the "birth" of spring time to bring reminder of the joys of life.

Now that we have Rev. Bob back we will each contribute to the newsletter updates.  Please continue reading below for the newly added Pastor's Corner.   There has been a lot of activity going on with our church, including the unfortunate loss of our Sexton Mike.  He has decided to pursue a different option for work and has left his position with us.  We wish Mike the best and hope he finds something that is fulfilling for him. We will be actively searching for a replacement Sexton over the next couple of months. In the meantime, if you see something out of place in the building, please help and clean it up. 

The Cobweb has been bustling! if you haven't been in to see what's going on, please come by on Wednesday or Thursday and check out what all the fuss is about!  you will not be disappointed.  Equally busy, the Lighthouse Shops and our tireless volunteers continue to bring in food that would otherwise go unused and distribute it out to our community.  These missions help make our church a valuable part of the Riverside community.

Reminder:  The combined Annual/Fiscal meeting has been scheduled for May 7, 2023 immediately following service, do not forget if you are not coming to service, the meeting will begin a half hour earlier around 10:30 AM. Anyone interested in sitting on the Ministry Team can reach out for more information before the meeting by sending an email  riversidechurch.ucc@gmail.com. You can also ask any one of the team's current members for more information.  If you are not familiar with our Ministry Team:

Tammy Lavin - Moderator

Susan Olson - Treasurer

Marcia Vallese - Worship Minister

Pat Rebollo - Missions Minister

Robyn Crowle - Technology Minister

If anyone has church or community news they would like to share or have a name to be added to our prayer list, please contact me via email using the "Contact Us" page of the website. 

Thank you all for your continued support of our Church and it's missions.  God's blessings to all.

Tammy Lavin

Moderator

                                                                              You are a Living Stone

                                   "And like living stones, let yourself be built into a spiritual house…" (1 Peter 2:5)

In order to plan a worship celebration, it takes many parts working together.  Our worship ministry, those parts harmoniously came together during our recent Holy Week and Easter Sunday celebrations.  My thanks for the worship ministry, music ministry, and ministry facilitators for their part in helping us to touch the depths of sadness and joy during this special season.  Also, many thanks to the group who made a soup and bread meal that helped us bring the sharing of a Maundy Thursday service for Riverside and Hope Churches and then an Easter Sunday where we began two services at Riverside Church (9:30 AM) and Hope Church (10:30 AM) with a common pastoral presence, facilitated by the joint ministry group of these faith communities.  Truly, all are living stones that build our spiritual house, alive in the Body of Christ in our churches.

It might be hard to compare yourself to a stone, but imagining yourself as a living stone can be exciting.  Each follower of Jesus, united together, is built into a spiritual house.  We are called together to make sacrifices that will count in a way that builds up the Body of Christ here on earth.  As we mass our living stones, the spiritual house is strong and provides a frame for all to find comfort and peace.

How ready are you to be used by God as a living stone?  Where can you be of service to build up the Body of Christ?

As we stand in God’s presence, let us pray that God will grant us the courage to stand together in one body.  Let us work together for form new frames of reference that will invite others to join us in this spiritual house.  I hope more of you will take an active role as a living stone in our works that express our faith in the way of Jesus.

With you on the journey,

Rev. Bob