RPC Members ringing the bell for the Salvation Army December 1–6, 2025
Caring Tree Gift Sorting on December 14, 2025
Greening of the Sanctuary on December 13, 2025
From Your Pastor
Brian Lays
Dear Riversiders,
What are you good at?
We all have God-given gifts, or strengths—things we naturally do really well. Some of us aren’t sure what our gifts are, and others of us know what our gifts are, but aren’t sure how we might put them to good and faithful use in the service of Jesus Christ. And even if we have a good sense of both our strengths and how to use them well, there is always more to learn.
This fall, we have an opportunity to explore our gifts together! We are introducing a book called Living Your Strengths, which takes the 34 attributes identified in the popular CliftonStrengths assessment and adapts them for faith communities. This assessment is useful for many areas of life, whether personal or professional, and it’s also applicable for our lives of faith. In small groups, we will take the assessment, discover our top five strengths, and then together consider the ways we might leverage these gifts in our lives of faith.
A common theme in the feedback we received through the Be the Church initiative is that our members are eager to deepen their engagement and volunteering, but aren’t always sure where to start or where they might be needed. Given this data, and as a follow up on the Be the Church luncheon on volunteerism, we think this program will be a great next step toward helping folks find new ways to engage their faith at Riverside. Once we know and have carefully considered our strengths, we will have a clearer sense of where we might engage most meaningfully in the life of the church. And we’ll be able to apply our strengths more broadly to better function within our personal and professional lives.
This is a fun process! The 34 CliftonStrengths fall into four general categories: strategic thinking, relationship building, influencing, and executing. I’m sure you can think of someone, for example, who has the executing “deliberative” strength, someone who thinks carefully through a process in order to ensure the best outcome. The CliftonStrengths website describes them as those known for “the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate obstacles.”[1] Or perhaps you can think of someone with the influencing “woo” strength, someone with that magnanimous personality who you can’t say “no” to when they ask you to do something. They are known to be “people who love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over.”[2]
Scripture tells us that we are each “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14a). Stay tuned for more information about how you can join a small group this fall to take this journey with others, and together discover more depth and meaning to the gifts that make you fearfully and wonderfully you!
Yours in Christ, Pastor Brian
[1] https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252215/deliberative-theme.aspx
Director of Children’s Ministry
[2] https://www.gallup.com/cliftonstrengths/en/252359/woo-theme.aspx
Upcoming Living Your Strengths Groups
January 19–February 23: Group full!
February–March: Parents of Young Families Class will participate in Living Your Strengths during Lent.
April 12–May 17: Living Your Strengths Small Group 9:30 am on Sundays
Email emily.heeg@rpcjax.org to sign up or to suggest another time frame for this small group experience!
Happy 100 th Birthday, Doris!
Happy Birthday to Doris
who celebrated her 100th birthday on Sunday, January 4, 2026. After worship we had birthday cake for everyone to enjoy in Bittinger Hall.
New Pew Racks Installed
In the fall, new children’s Bibles were ordered for the congregation through a worship grant from Columbia Theological Seminary. When they were first placed in the sanctuary, they were laid at the end of each pew beneath the friendship pads, as there was no other suitable place for them.
After exploring possible solutions, the idea emerged to mount additional pew racks for the Bibles. Dave Tuttle was consulted about building new racks to hang in the available space along the inside aisle of each pew. Once it was determined this could be done, work began on creating the racks from scratch.
The main challenge was making the new pew racks match the existing 97-year-old hymnal racks. In addition to restoring ten original racks recovered from pews that had previously been removed from the sanctuary, 34 new racks had to be built and finished to blend seamlessly with the historic style and appearance of our pews.
With help from Jon Mann and Christy Lane, the racks were installed before Christmas.
Thomas,
Thanksgiving Dinner for Apartments
Sharing good food and breaking bread together have long been treasured traditions of our church. As part of our Community Outreach Programs for at least fifteen years, we have provided a full Thanksgiving Dinner for the residents of the Riverside Presbyterian Apartments on the Sunday prior to Thanksgiving.
This fall was no exception, and on Sunday, November 23rd, we lovingly and happily served over 100 folks a delicious (hopefully) feast of Roast Turkey with Gravy, Ham, Cranberry Relish, Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Green Beans, Squash & Stuffing Casserole, Mac ‘n Cheese, Rolls, and both Pumpkin and Apple Pies. After all, Thanksgiving is ALL about the carbs, right?!
For many of the residents, this is the only Thanksgiving meal they will get to enjoy with others, so it’s a greatly anticipated event. They have a devoted group, who festively decorates their tables and handles beverage service, which makes our job exceedingly easier.
Matthew 25 Lending Library
It takes MANY hands to accomplish this gift of love, so special thanks go to our awesome food prep team of Elaine Akin, Arden Brugger, Ed Davis, Ronda Doonan, Thom Doonan, Pat Mason, Jane Miller, Kathy Para, Jaimie Smith and Lori Wexler.
Also, it takes a small army to transport all this food from our Kissling Kitchen to the Apartments and graciously serve it to the residents, many of whom have mobility issues and require assistance. So our appreciation goes out to this wonderful group including Ed Davis, Ann Eadie, Wyatt Eadie, Julie Handley, Christy Lane, Dana Riley, Laura Silva, Lee Silva and Deborah Stapp. They also handled cleanup and delivering left-over food to Tradition House, where even more folks got to enjoy this meal.
Let us know if you’d like to be a part of this fabulous event, by joining us as a volunteer in some capacity this coming fall.
Blessings, Susie Morrow (event coordinator)
RPDS Food Drive with DESC
Debbie Pierson
A note from Debbie sent to RPDS teachers and students: I just wanted to say again how important the RPDS Food Drive has been for DESC (Downtown Ecumenical Services Council). This extraordinary generosity is helping us meet the demand during the holidays and into 2026 when there are fewer donations.
The students' concern and engagement in the mission work were uplifting. They asked thoughtful and insightful questions. It was wonderful to see the team work as they carried that heavy load down the steps and pushed the carts into the storage area. It was truly hands-on volunteering.
Matthew 25 Lending Library
. . . focusing on matters of justice and equality
RPC is a Matthew 25 (M25) congregation of the PC(USA). In Matthew 25, Jesus makes clear that what we do and how we treat others matters to God. Matthew 25 provides the foundation and framework for the missions of RPC. The three focus areas of the Matthew 25 initiative include: building congregational vitality, dismantling structural racism, and eradicating poverty. Responding with wisdom and discernment, we educate ourselves and work together to make our community more compassionate, more inclusive, and more just. We have an amazing resource that informs and challenges us in our work: the Matthew 25 Lending Library. It is located in Bittinger Hall, inviting us all to sit, browse the collection, and check out a book! Our Lending Library was established because of the generous donation of Carl and Barbara Zacheis of a very comprehensive collection of books focusing on historical issues of race and inequality and our responses to racism today. Read one of Carl’s reviews below.
Freedom Riders
1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice
by Raymond Arsenault, co-director
of the Florida Studies Program at USF
This author captures the drama, power, and the struggle for racial justice in the U.S. His studies were pursued as an insider, a Professor of Southern History at the University of South Florida. I believe this book to be the definitive study of the actual happenings during that terrible crisis period. If you want to know what actually happened, this is the book to read. He also wrote The Sound of Freedom.
Check out a book from the Matthew 25 Lending Library today! If you'd like more information about the work of the Matthew 25 and the Community Outreach Committee, please contact dana.riley@rpcjax.org.
Montreat College Conference
January 2–5, 2026
What a gift this Montreat trip was with our college-aged Riversiders! We learned about the theme “Strains of Joy” in keynote, sang and prayed our way into joy during worship, and experienced that joy together in so many moments. We soaked up the beauty of the North Carolina mountains, watched the sunrise from Lookout Mountain, and enjoyed slow walks through Black Mountain. We cheered for the Jaguars (DUUUVAL!), danced at the silent disco and barn dance, played games at the Assembly Inn, and laughed our way through our annual taste test (11 kinds of Pringles!). Most of all, we grew closer as a Riverside family and returned feeling grateful for this experience and for one another.
The Men’s Retreat was held at Marywood Retreat Center January 2–3, 2026.
Reflections on Men’s Retreat Summer 2026 Dates
"It was a really nice retreat with a great group of guys. We had crash course in the surprising similarities among the world’s major religious traditions. Matt Hartley is a great facilitator and a wealth of knowledge.”
–Joe Eberly
“I am so grateful, not only for the unique learning experience but also for the time spent getting to know other members of RPC more personally. Hearing from other men and sharing my experience as a husband, father, and neighbor was an opportunity I found very valuable. I look forward to more events like this from RPC in the future.”
–Mike Fisher
"It was so enriching to lead the Men's Retreat with Riverside. As I shared some of what I know about other religions and how we can make connections with our own faith in Christ, the men had deep wells of their own experience and discipleship to enrich all of us. It is clear Riverside has cultivated a community of inclusion, respect, and spiritual depth."
–Matt Hartley
June 1–5
Vacation Bible School for PreK3–Rising 3rd graders and Summer in the City for rising 4th grade – completed 5th graders
June 6–14
Chiapas, Mexico Mission Trip for youth, college students, and adults
June 22–27
Massanetta Middle School Conference Harrisonburg, VA for completed 6th–8th graders
July 11–18
Montreat Youth Conference Montreat, NC for completd 9th–12th graders
July 26–31
CROSS Mission Trip Charlotte, NC for completed 6th–8th graders
Recently at Riverside
Recently at Riverside
849 Park Street
Jacksonville, FL 32204-3394
Address Service Requested
THE MESSENGER (USPS 466-960) is published bi-monthly by the Riverside Presbyterian Church, 849 Park Street, Jax. FL 32204-3394 (904) 355-4585
Periodicals Postage Paid at Southside Blvd. Business Mail Entry Unit. Jax. FL 32216-9651
POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to THE MESSENGER 849 Park Street; Jax., FL 32204-3394
Periodical Postage Paid
Shrove “Sunday” Pancake Lunch
Sunday, February 15, approx. 11:30 am
Enjoy pancakes and bacon, warm fellowship, and live music as we prepare for the season of Lent.
Ash Wednesday
Wednesday, February 18
Ashes to Go, 7:30–8:30 am in upper parking lot Worship Services, 12:00 and 7:00 pm in the Sanctuary Bread & Soup Dinner, 6:00 pm in Bittinger Hall