Mission Committee
- Ellen Anderson – Food Pantry
- Vivian German – Riviera Child Care Center
- Amparo Hernandez Riviera SERRV Shop
- Isabelle Hill-Smith –Riviera “Sock Mission” and Thelma Gibson Health Initiative
- Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus – Covenant Network and Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
- Janet Peterson– Environmental Issues
- Mary Sapp – Mission Convener, Social Justice Issues and Heifer Project
- Eve Tolley – Kenya Mission and PC(USA) Special Offerings
- Mimi Sutherland – GATE
Please join our committee to further the Mission of Riviera Presbyterian Church!!
Linking Heart and Hand: Our Mission Programs
Child Care Center, Inc. Riviera Presbyterian Church
Established in April of 1980 the Child Care Center is known as one of the best in Miami-Dade County. Volunteers are needed for easy tasks in the office and for projects such as the annual playground project. For more information or to volunteer, contact Vivian German, 305-662-2493; The Child Care Center.
Covenant Network/More Light Presbyterians
Working for full inclusion of gay, lesbian and transgender persons in the full life of the church. For more information, contact Laurie Kraus, 305-666-8586; Covenant Network / More Light Presbyterians.
Environmental Issues
Riviera’s environmental mission focuses on the local “slow food” movement. Past efforts have centered on educating the congregation concerning sources for locally grown foods and the importance of sustainable eating. Future efforts will be made toward assisting with community gardens in low income neighborhoods of Miami-Dade County. Efforts have also been made to consider the environment during the routine life of the church. For instance, shared meals at the church are more frequently served on washable china than on disposable Styrofoam and paper products. Plants purchased for Easter and Christmas are Florida natives that are subsequently planted as landscaping around the church. Glass from the old art-glass windows that were replaced during the recent renovation was ground up and re-used as a decorative finish on the southern, eastern, and western facades of the sanctuary. The Environmental Mission at Riviera is new and evolving. Please contact Janet Peterson, janet@gate.net, with ideas or for more information.
Food Pantry
Riviera’s Food Pantry project includes the collection of non-perishable food so that bags of food are available for distribution. Other activities include providing holiday food baskets to the underprivileged and grocery store gift cards for perishable items for the needy. For more information or to donate food or funds, please contact Ellen Anderson, schatzie49@comcast.net.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity is a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian ministry based on the conviction that every man, woman and child should have a decent, safe and affordable place to live. Habitat builds with people in need regardless of race or religion. Riviera provides regular volunteer opportunities several times a year during Habitat’s “Faith Days” and through donations to its ReStore. For more information, contact Niala Boodhoo, nialaboodhoo@gmail.com.
GATE
The GATE Program at Jackson Memorial Hospital is an alternative court-mandated program for adolescents involved with weapons. The six-month long after school program is an experiential educational program focusing on life choices and consequences. A non-punitive approach has proven to be far more effective in changing attitudes and behaviors. The youths learn first hand the injury and death consequences of risk taking choices. During the last two months of the program they learn and build new skills to deal with their everyday lives at school, home, and on the street with their peers. Positive peer pressure is used to facilitate change. The program culminates in a graduation including a CPR Certificate to acknowledge their achievements. The program has been funded for the past 11 years by the Youth Crime Task Force of Miami-Dade County. For more information, contact Mimi Sutherland, GATE Program Director, msutherl@med.miami.edu.
Heifer Project International
The mission of Heifer Project International is “to work with communities to end hunger and poverty and care for the earth.” The Heifer Project gives low-income families around the world livestock and the training for how to care for these animals in order to improve the nutrition of these families and to allow them to generate income in a sustainable way. One of the requirements is that families who receive livestock (from chicks and ducks to water buffalos and heifers) promise to “pass on the gift” by bestowing one of their animal’s offspring to another needy family. For more information about how to donate your choice of animals to a needy family, contact Mary Sapp, msapp@miami.edu; Heifer International.
Kenya Mission
In Kenya, a country where there is no such thing as free public education as we know it here in the United States, the least expensive government schools must shut their doors when classroom size reaches 75 to 80 children. Kiawaithanji Academy, a small, private boarding and day school for children in nursery school through the equivalent of our U.S. eighth grade, was started by the Women’s Guild of the Nyeri, Kenya Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of East Africa to help address these education challenges. In 2006 Riviera Presbyterian Church partnered with Kiawaithanji Academy to improve the educational opportunities for their children. With “A Buck and a Book” project in 2006, RPC sent 150 pounds of books to Kenya to improve their library. In 2007 funds were raised for solar lighting at the school. In 2008 a group of mission volunteers from RPC spent a week at the school, painting the dining hall and interacting with students and teachers in educational and musical activities. And this year, we engaged in a “matching funds drive” to raise money for a school bus to transport day students from great distances to attend the school. Primary school is every child’s doorway to education, and RPC is playing an important role in keeping this door open wide for children in Nyeri, Kenya. For more information or to make a donation, contact Eve Tolley, etolley@snet.net.
PC (USA) Special Offerings
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)’s has designated four special offerings each year “to provide congregations direct ways of supporting specific causes that help those in need”: One Great Hour of Sharing (collected during Lent, especially Palm Sunday and Easter), a Pentecost Offering (collected on Pentecost Sunday), Peacemaking Offering (collected World Communion Sunday), and the Christmas Joy Offering (collected during Advent). Riviera also provides basic mission support, which in conjunction with the four special offerings, makes us a “Five for Five” Presbyterian church (see http://www.pcusa.org/specialofferings/five.htm). For more information or to make a donation, contact Eve Tolley, etolley@snet.net; PC(USA) Special Offerings.
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Presbyterian Disaster Assistance enables congregations and mission partners of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to witness the healing love of Christ through caring for communities adversely affected by crisis and catastrophic events. Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus serves on the PDA National Response Team, a 60+ member cadre of trained disaster responders who are deployed as needed to support comminities afflicted by and responding to disaster. Laurie’s areas of specialty include response to human caused disaster (9/11 and shootings), church fires, Care for the Caregiver and Compassion Fatigue and Resilience. The congregation donates Laurie’s time to this effort, and, closer to home, participates in hands-on responses of recovery and rebuilding after hurricanes and other regional catastrophes, like the Haiti earthquake of 2010. For more information, contact Laurie Kraus, 305-666-8586; Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
Riviera SERRV Shop (aka A Greater Gift)
The Riviera SERRV Shop sells arts and crafts made by artisans in developing countries that receive a fair wage for their work. SERRV (originally an acronym for Sales Exchange for Refugee Rehabilitation and Vocation, also known as “A Greater Gift”) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to eradicate poverty wherever it resides by providing opportunity and support to artisans and farmers worldwide. SERRV International was started in 1949 to help refugees in Europe recover economically and socially from World War II, and it continues its work to reduce inequalities in income and to improve the quality of life for people in developing countries. One of the first alternative trade organizations in the world, SERRV is a founding member of the World Fair Trade Organization (formerly IFAT) and a founding member of the Fair Trade Federation (FTF). Purchasing an item from the SERRV shop not only supports these efforts but also provides you with something pretty for yourself or for a gift. For more information or to make a purchase, contact Gillian Kraus-Neale; SERRV.
Riviera “Sock Mission”
Riviera has collected men’s cotton socks and hygiene products for several years to give to homeless people living in downtown Miami. This is done through Camillus Health Concern, which is a clinic serving this underserved population. Many of the people on the street suffer from foot conditions because their feet are damp and they are unable to keep them clean. White cotton socks give them some relief. Hygiene products such as those picked up at hotels when travelling also help them to enjoy some of the amenities we take for granted. Anyone wishing to help with this ministry can bring these items to the church and place them in the baskets at the back of the church. For more information or to donate socks, contact Isabelle Hill-Smith, hillsmith33156@yahoo.com.
Social Justice Issues
The church at large has a long history of protesting injustices wherever they may be. We at Riviera are committed to carrying on this practice as we “reflect the path of Christ.” We encourage you to take part in our letter writing campaigns to your congressional representatives or to others and in other forms of social action relating to issues such as war, poverty, health care, the environment, economic disparity, and foreign policy. Watch for opportunities to take part in this very important mission. For more information or to propose in issue the church should address, contact Mary Sapp, msapp@miami.edu.
Thelma Gibson Health Initiatives
Riviera has supported the Thelma Gibson Health Initiatives (TGHI) since its inception seven years ago. TGHI is a store front social service agency in Coconut Grove that serves the people of the Grove by providing early intervention for health care and social issues. It does education, testing and counseling for HIV/AIDS. It has established several youth groups that meet regularly for the purpose of education and socialization to assist “at risk “youth. We have assisted financially and by bringing nutritious snacks to the agency on a regular basis for their groups. We also provide them with school supplies at certain times of the year. Anyone having good clean used clothing is encouraged to bring it to the church for donation because they sell these items and use the proceeds for these groups. Anyone wishing to help with this mission is asked to call the church and let us know. For more information or to donate clothing or school supplies, contact Isabelle Hill-Smith, hillsmith33156@yahoo.com; Thelma Gibson Health Initiative (http://tghi-cg.org/).
Other Mission Programs Associated with Riviera Presbyterian Church
YES Institute (Project YES)
A not for profit organization that provides education on gender and orientation to the community, and is an accredited CEU provider to mental health professionals and medical professionals. For more information, call (305)-663-7195. Yes Institute.
Alzheimer’s Care Giver Support Group
Meets third Thursday of every month, 1:30 p.m. – 2:30 p.m. in the Riviera Church Library. For more information, call (800) 861-7826 Ext. 7; Southeast Florida Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, Caring for Alzheimer’s. The contact for the support group is Rosanna Masi, rmmasi@bellsouth.net.
Overeaters Anonymous (OA)
Meets every Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. in the Riviera Church Library. For more information: call S. Tarjan at 305-275-1774; Overeaters Anonymous.