Our Ministries

We offer ministry opportunities for every age and stage of life.

We believe that everyone is in a different step in the journey for spiritual wellness. We look to meet you and come along side you on that journey, with love and acceptance. Our ministries reflect that love.

Building and Grounds

Purpose: To assist the church in the care of all property and buildings

Examples of ways to serve on this committee:

Inspect all church property and equipment periodically
Manage and complete preventative maintenance in and around the church building
Work with leaders to make recommendations for repair or maintenance on the property
Keep up weekly and seasonal maintenance tasks such as keeping the grounds and shrubs/trees well-manicured
Recruit volunteers to ask in all physical work around the church
Have a working timeline and obtain estimates for upcoming projects

Meeting Dates: Once per quarter on the first Wednesday morning at 9:00AM

Christian Education

Purpose: The Christian Education Committee works with the part-time Christian Education Director to provide educational and faith development programs for preschool children through adults.

Examples of ways to serve on this committee:

Sunday School

Teach for preschool, elementary, middle school or high school youth or be a substitute teacher
Teach a four-to-six-week adult Sunday school class

Children’s Church

Become a member of the Children's church team teaching about once a month
Assist coordinating the curriculum for Children's church

Kid’s Club

Become a member of this team by helping with games, crafts, story, and food
Chaperone Kid’s Club

Youth Group

Chaperone monthly meetings or provide a meal
Assist Christian Education Director with outings and yearly local mission trip with food, transportation and being a chaperone

Nursery

Provide childcare with the nursery worker on Sunday mornings
Clean and inspect toys for safety

Vacation Bible School

Become a member of the VBS planning team (choosing a program, mission project, craft, games, decorations, registration, AV leader, music leader, buying snacks, sending emails to parents, clean-up crew)

Christmas and Easter Family Events

Help with crafts and family activities.

Meeting Dates: 1st Sunday of the month after church in the Ruth Room

Fellowship

Purpose: To promote fellowship among the Congregation through worship, activities, and interaction with others.

Examples of ways to serve on the Fellowship Committee:

Purchasing for church functions, funeral dinners, and fellowship time after church
Keep basic supplies stocked in pantry
Organizing volunteers
Purchasing, making, or helping with decorations
Help with setting up tables and chairs
Help with clean-up and taking down tables and chairs
Assist with preparing and serving foods for church functions (cookie hour after service, church dinners, blanket Sunday, Chili cook-off, etc.)

Meeting Dates: As needed per Fellowship function.

Finance and Budget

Purpose: The Finance and Budget Committee serve as good stewards of the financials of
the church and review expenditures compared with budget allocations and encourage other ministries to be fiscally responsible.

Prepare monthly financial report and present report to Session comparing budget to expenditures to offerings.
Hold a meeting a minimum of once every three months in combination with Personnel and Administration and Stewardship.
Prepare agenda and minutes and give to office administrator for dissemination to Session: FAB Chair
Review utilities information for best rates
Review church insurance yearly
Prepare yearly budget for Session approval
Present budget at annual Congregational Meeting
Advise Session

Recruiting: Identify anyone in congregation who shows interest in working with budgets and expenditures or and discuss with him/her about any interest in the committee.

Meetings: Sunday after church service every other month except every month in October, November and December.

Outreach and Mission

Purpose: to plan and provide opportunities for all members of the congregation to share God’s love and word to those outside of our church family.

Some of the existing projects and ways to serve:

Portico Pantry- Donate nonperishable food
Volunteer to stock and oversee the pantry for 1 week
Community Day school supply and backpack giveaway- donate school supplies and backpacks or volunteer to help give away the supplies
Youth group local mission trip- supply food, transportation or chaperone
The West Hills Food Pantry is supported with a monthly donation
Care packages are sent to college students twice a year
Women’s Baby Shower Brunch to support the portico pantry with baby supplies
Angel Tree Prison Ministry Christmas gift program- Choose a tag from the Christmas tree for a gift for a child or deliver a gift to a family
Day of service 2x a year- volunteer to be part of the yardwork team or the cooking team that makes meals for the freezer for the deacons to distribute
Compassion International- all Sunday school and children’s church offering goes to support 2 children(1 from Peru, 1 from Kenya)
MDM Honduras- we have partnered with them to build a house virtually, fund their dental project and support a child for the school year. VBS offering goes to support this child.

Meeting dates: 3rd Sunday after church

Personnel and Administration

Responsibilities include:

Oversee hiring and dismissal of paid staff
Assist in mediation of staff disputes
Oversee annual review of Pastor
Oversee annual review of office staff
Review Pastor terms of call from Presbytery and make recommendations for budget.
Review staff salaries and make recommendations
Oversee the Safety Committee

Meeting Dates:
In conjunction with the Finance and Budget Committee. Sunday following church service every other month except every month in October, November, and December.

Technology Ministry

Purpose: To enhance the worship service through music and video production.

Incorporate upcoming events into announcement slides
Incorporate song lyrics into a presentation viewable for the congregation
Present the Pastor’s scripture lyrics to the congregation
Livestream the service
Manage and train volunteers to run the soundboard, SongShow, or Livestream during the service
Provide video/tech service for weddings, funerals, and other special events
Monitor supplies needed for computer, video, and lighting equipment

Examples of ways to serve in this ministry:

Help with running SongShow, soundboard, or Livestreaming during worship services
Provide assistance with equipment needs such as setting up microphones for pastors/speakers, moving equipment for the outdoor service, etc.

Worship

Purpose: The Worship Committee works with the Pastor and the Music Director in providing meaningful, vibrant, and reverent corporate worship that reflects the church’s vision, mission, and core values. In addition, they work to:

Develop, support, and expand ministry goals for worship in conjunction with the pastor
Coordinate with the pastor and music leader to develop new themes and ideas
Recruit and support worship leaders such as liturgists, ushers, greeters, acolytes, audio/visual helpers and others
Recommend purchase, repair, and maintenance of equipment and instruments used in the music and worship program
Coordinate the decoration of the sanctuary for special occasions such as Easter and Christmas (including sanctuary flowers), and coordinate rotation of banners and cross drapes during the church calendar year
Explore resources for worship
Plan special services surrounding special religious events (Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, Blanket Sunday, etc.)
Regularly evaluate the quality of worship services

Examples of ways to serve in this committee:

Help with ideas and implementation of decorating the church for regular and holiday celebrations
Coordinate special events throughout the calendar year
Serve as liaison between worship committee and other committees
Provide ideas for improving the worship service

Meeting Dates: 4th Monday of every month @ 7PM in the Ruth Room

Safety Committee

Purpose: The safety committee works together to create and maintain a safe church environment.

Ways to serve:

Develop, implement, and monitor the church’s safety policies and procedures.
Identify potential hazards and develop strategies to mitigate or eliminate them.
Oversee the development and implementation of emergency response plans
Monitor entryways and doors to maintain a heightened awareness of potential
risks on church property, immediately before, during, and after the 10:30 a.m.
worship service on Sundays.
Provide support, training, and guidance to new people on the committee

Nominating Committee

Purpose: The nominating committee is responsible for selecting candidates
for key leadership positions (Elders and Deacons) within the church.

Ways to serve:

Identifying candidates - The committee prayerfully looks for candidates with the skills, experience, and personal qualities to contribute to the church's operations.
Contacting candidates - The committee reaches out to potential nominees to get their consent to serve if elected.
Presenting the list of potential nominees to the Session.
The committee helps new board members understand the organization's strategy, culture, and management structure, and provides ongoing support to help them adapt to their roles.

From the Book of Order:
There shall be a committee chosen annually by the Members for a term of one year.
The committee shall consist of at least three (3) active Members, including
at least one (1) ruling elder who is currently serving on the Session.

In addition, the pastor shall be a member of this committee ex-officio, without
vote. No member of this committee shall serve more than three years
consecutively.

Pastoral Support

Our pastor is here for any pastoral support you are needing. Please contact us if you would like a phone call or meeting.

Get Involved!

We welcome you to get involved with our ministries and committees!

To learn more or express your interest, please email office@riverdalechurch.org