Serving Opportunities
Community Groups
Riverside is growing and so are our Community Groups. New groups will be starting in the future in a neighborhood near you. Please call the Riverside office for more information (215.441.0404).
Sunday Morning Ministry Groups
Riverside has several groups of volunteers that work on a rotating schedule helping to fulfill the needs on Sunday mornings. These groups are crucial, without them we simply would not be able to function. They are an excellent opportunity to invest some of your time in a very practical demonstration of serving the church and one another. We currently have needs in the following:
Nursery
A volunteer in nursery needs to arrive 30 minutes prior to the service they are working. It involves caring and playing with children newborn to 2 years old. The only requirement is to love being with children!! Depending on how many volunteers there are, you would serve only once or twice a month. Our church has been blessed with many newborn babies - and they each require a lot of individual attention. With all of the babies and more on the way we are in need of several new volunteers.
SPLASH Children's Ministry
SPLASH is the ministry that teaches our children the word of God. For Splash we are looking for teachers and volunteer helpers in the classrooms. If you have children in the nursery or children's classes we encourage you to get involved with SPLASH as a volunteer so you can have a "hand on" experience with teaching your child and others about a relationship with God!
Set Up & Tear Down Teams
A member of the set-up team arrives at 7:30am to help set up the classrooms used for the children's ministry. Also, the signs and café tables must be set up. With a full crew, the set-up is easily accomplished in 45 minutes. There is some minor lifting involved as everything must be moved from either the trailer or storage closet. Team members are scheduled every third week on teams of 3 - 4 people. It's a great and easy way to serve and you get donuts and coffee before anyone else!!
The tear down team does the same thing in reverse...although the time frame is shortened. If you are available to stick around after the service once every 3 weeks and don't mind doing some light lifting this is a great way to help out!
Greeters
This is a crucial ministry that makes certain that everyone who walks in our doors knows that they are welcome and we are excited to have them at Riverside. It is an outstanding way to get to know new people and people who have been coming to Riverside for a long time. The Greeters are also responsible for the resource table and collecting the offering. This ministry requires no special skills or knowledge - just a willingness to smile, greet others, and recognize opportunities to help people connect at our Sunday morning services.
Riverside Cafe
If you have ever walked into Riverside craving a donut, bagel, or cup of coffee you know the importance of the Riverside Cafe. We love to serve our guests and regular attenders with this ministry. The cafe team shows up early on Sunday mornings to brew coffee and set up the cafe tables. Once everything is set up the cafe team monitors the tables to make sure everything is fully stocked and available. Once the service ends everything needs to be cleaned up and put away. There is also a great opportunity here to meet and greet people - because almost everyone comes through the cafe line on Sunday mornings!
Youth Group
If you have a love for teens and want to help grow and develop the future leaders of Riverside this is a great place to serve.
Power Point
The powerpoint team sets up the projector and operates the powerpoint presentation during Sunday morning services. One huge advantage is that this does not require you to miss any of the service - in fact, you really have to pay close attention! Powerpoint is a simple program to use, so no computer knowledge is required. The powerpoint team typically shows up when the band is setting up for practice so that they can work through the slides during practice and identify any corrections that are required prior to the start of the service.
Sound
The sound team plays a crucial role in creating the worship experience at Riverside. We are able to train anyone to operate the sound board but an interest in music is certainly a plus. A member of the sound team typically works one week and then has two weeks off. The morning sound person shows up with the band to help run through practice and dial in the sound. This is a great opportunity to serve and learn to use some very cool equipment.
Riverside Worship Team
If you have musical talents and are interested in serving on our worship team there is definitely a place for you. Playing on the worship team is an incredible blessing but it also takes a larger time commitment than many of our other ministries. Practices are typically for 2 hours on Monday nights at the church office. Band members show up at 7:30AM to set up and practice, lead worship, and then tear down after the service ends. Scheduling is very flexible - so if you have an interest or hidden musical talent please contact us so we can discuss things further.
Hospitality
The hospitality ministry does not have regular Sunday morning duties. Rather, they seek to serve members of our church community who are in need of assistance from our church body. They provide meals for families with newborn babies or for people who are ill. With enough volunteers there is no limit to the ministry that this team could provide. If you would be willing to help provide meals for those in our church body who have a need please sign up for this team.
Missions
Riverside missions teams have made several trips to help out with Hurricane Katrina relief. We've have also been involved with ministries in Kensington with New Hope for Women and churches in that area. Recently many of our missions efforts have been directed towards helping prepare the launch of new church plants in this area as well as Newfoundland. If you have a heart for missions and would like to be involved in planning future missions opportunities please sign up!
If you would like more information on these or any other serving opportunities please contact the church office at 215.441.0404.
