Josh Bryan, Riverside’s Stewardship Chair, along with Jan Nicholas , RPC’s outreach coordinator, and Pastor Brian Lays visited DESC where they observed the ministry of Matthew 25 in action. 

Jeanne Miller Clark, a Riverside member and the chaplain at MD Anderson Cancer Center, shared this photo of her neighbor who helped his elderly neighbor by removing this huge load of bamboo that was overgrowing her yard. 

Julie Handley, a DESC Board member and RPC member, shared the story of how DESC (Downtown Ecumenical Services Council) changes a life…one pair of work boots at a time!! Bernard had been out of work for two months. He applied to a landscaping company, but a new pair of boots was required if he was going to be hired. Thankfully DESC was able to give him a new pair of boots and lots of encouragement as he headed to his new job. 

“When I was hungry . . .” Michael Lane, former Deacon and RPC Sexton, delivers meals to Meals on Wheels recipients at Riverside Apartments.

I was standing at the shore of the Volta Lake in Ghana, still shivering from malaria, but needing to get into a wooden outboard ferry. Just offshore, that would take Mary and me the thirteen miles across the lake to our next hosts as she negotiated partnerships between American Presbyterians and two Ghana Presbyterian denominations working in different language groups.  We knew the water was badly polluted with schistosomiasis, a nasty parasite that causes bloody urine. I hesitated, trying to imagine some safe way to get aboard. Recognizing my fear, a young Ghanaian man scooped me up in his arms and by his wading, carried me over the polluted water to my seat in the skiff. Suddenly an Epiphany: he had taken the very real risk for me – and was gone before I could even thank him. I felt very embarrassed, and then acknowledged how truly he had been Christ to me in his gracious act. – John Bartholomew

“As I was driving back from the store this morning, I saw a mother and her daughter cleaning up litter alongside the road in their neighborhood. I found it wonderful to see a parent modeling such good work with her child.” – Dave Tuttle
Have a story to share? We invite you to share where you have seen Matthew 25 at work! Email your story to communication@rpcjax.org. 

At the end of our street is a nondenominational Christian church called The Well. I don’t know a lot about The Well, but I do know that they have a ministry they call “Love Cleans”. The church has invested in a large vehicle that is equipped with three private showers and a bathroom. They take this unit to areas in the city where there are communities of homeless people. With the “Love Cleans” vehicle, people are given a place to take a shower and receive a change of clothes. It’s a ministry of basic human dignity and compassion – providing resources for personal hygiene. Jesus showed us humility and love throughout his ministry and tended to the details of life by feeding people, healing them, and teaching them about their worth and God’s love for them. The work of The Well with its “Love Cleans” ministry is a beautiful example of Jesus’ reminder and call to us in Matthew 25 – “whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me,”  “I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me.” – Kathy Para

Click here for more information about Love Cleans

On April 27, I was the recipient of kindness from a stranger. I had gone to a nursery to shop for plants for the 2 large containers on my front porch. I found what I wanted and was beginning to wrestle with these bulky plants when a young woman, not an employee, asked if she could help. I said I probably could manage but she said, “Here, take these,” and handed me her two little pepper plants and then deftly and easily picked up my plants, one under each arm. I followed her to the check out area where she stopped long enough for the clerk to take note and then walked to my car and, while I used the clicker to open the back and pay, she placed my plants in my car. I was very grateful. – Marilyn Noon

” I was a stranger and you welcomed me . . .” 

To be sure that every RBI participant could enjoy this inner city activity, Debbie Grisnik, avid garage sale bargain hunter, found bats, gloves and balls for those who don’t have their own.  Play Ball!

On May 30, Riverside hosted a Pop Up Vaccination Site, providing Covid vaccines to those in need.