From Your Pastor
Brian Lays
Dear Riversiders:
On March 4, we celebrated the ribbon cutting ceremony at our new Mary Lou Davis Family Life Center (FLC)! The joy continued after church on Sunday, March 9, as we hosted cookies and lemonade in the new FLC, giving our members the opportunity to walk through the new space. If you missed all the “hoopla” surrounding the opening of the gym, I hope you’ll get the chance soon to have a walk through, or maybe even to lace up your sneakers for a game of pickleball!
Over the past year, our youth group has met twice a month on Wednesday nights for “PPP,” where they play pickleball, pray, and eat (Panera or pizza). With the FLC now open, we are expanding the pickleball to our whole congregation. Join us on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month from 5:30-7:30 pm on one of the three courts that fit inside the gym!
If you’ve not dipped your toe into the pickleball fad yet, you’re missing out! Some people say pickleball is like mini tennis, but I think it’s more like jumbo ping pong. It’s easy to learn, social, a good workout, and a whole lot of fun! From 5:30-6:00 pm, we will have a “teaching court” open so you can learn the rules and the basics if you’re unfamiliar with the game. Otherwise, we will play until 7:30 pm and enjoy a new fellowship opportunity our new facility offers us.
The FLC and the newly reconfigured Rice Sports Zone, as well as our new youth space and endowment projects, represent a project nearly five years in the making. Our Cornerstone Campaign has been a wonderful success. We’ve deepened our partnership and cooperation with our Day School, navigated significant challenges resourcefully as shipping and construction costs have risen and fallen, and developed a campus that is more secure, welcoming, and versatile.
I want to thank everyone who has served on our Campaign Steering Committee and our Design and Development Committee for their amazing work over this long span of time. They have devoted more hours than we’ll ever know to seeing this project through, and without their patience and commitment, we wouldn’t be here today.
Our new facilities give us the opportunity to deepen not only our ministries among ourselves, but also to welcome our neighbors and expand our outreach to our community. I pray that as we open our doors, more people will feel welcome on our campus, find a sense of belonging and connection among us, and ultimately, by God’s grace, perhaps also find us to be a faith community where they feel at home.
See you soon, in the sanctuary or on the pickleball court!
Grace and peace,
Pastor Brian
Women’s Retreat Reflections
Over 20 women attended the annual Women’s Retreat at Marywood Conference and Retreat Center on February 7–8. Led by the Rev. Jessica Means, the retreat, titled Journeying with Ruth, invited participants to explore how Ruth’s story offers guidance for living faithfully in uncertain times. The women shared meals, gathered around the campfire by the St. Johns River, engaged in thoughtful discussions, and enjoyed moments of reflection and connection. Here’s what a few participants had to say:
“The Women’s Retreat offered the opportunity to step out of my busy life for a short period of time to share fellowship, to engage with scripture, to reflect and pray together, all in the pastoral setting of Marywood. I am thankful for the presence of the Spirit in our discussions, our laughter, and our environment, and especially in the beautiful sunset over the Saint Johns River. A weekend filled with blessings and gratitude.” -Claudia Calhoun
“Marywood provided such a wonderful place to escape with a great group of women to study, relax, and enjoy the peaceful setting. Having Jessica Means leading us was the best!” -Jane Miller
“I was so grateful for the opportunity to attend the RPC’s Women’s Retreat with Rev. Jessica Means. I have been attending RPC with my high school daughter Evelyn, but she has gone off to college and I was eager to become more connected to the adult women in the church and to become closer to God. The retreat was perfect. The Marywood environment was peaceful, the food was excellent, and the river and firepit were inspirational. Learning about the characters of the book of Ruth and their challenges gave me valuable lessons I can use to navigate through life’s difficult times. As a lonely empty nester, I enjoyed the fellowship so much. I was grateful to meet Emily and so many wonderful women from the church. I brought two friends with me, and I was so proud to integrate them into my new church family. I can’t wait until the next women’s retreat and another opportunity to learn more about God.” -Heidi Brown
The Power of Flowers
Luther Burbank, the American botanist, said, "Flowers always make people better, happier, and more helpful; they are sunshine, food, and medicine for the soul." The power of flowers is seen and felt weekly at RPC. Every Sunday we enjoy the beautiful chancel flower arrangements that enhance and elevate our worship experience. These stunning floral creations are designed by a talented and committed team of volunteers led by Pat Setzer. They include Ann Curley, Bobbie Gittings, Marlene Goodwin, Denise Judd, Margaret Julian, Pat Mason, Debra McEachin, Rebecca McNeil, Isabelle Milne, Pam Roberts, Diane Schwalbe, and Jaimie Smith. After worship, Debra McEachin faithfully breaks down the arrangements into three or four bouquets that are then delivered to church members who are grieving, celebrating, or unable to get to church. Chaired by Jan Duncan, this mighty delivery group includes Dorothy Marsh, Elizabeth Meux, Jane Miller, Julie Handley, Maggie Means, Marilyn Noon, Pam Roberts, Susan and Bill Schilling, Susan Sharp, and Vickie Breedlove.
Much like the bouquets themselves, the entire ministry of flowers takes multiple stems that come together to create a lovely worship experience inside the sanctuary and a beautiful expression of Christian outreach beyond Sunday. People touched by this ministry have said: "The flowers in the sanctuary took my breath away and were a comfort to me and my family as we remember our loved one"; "Thank you for bringing me some Riverside beauty when I couldn't come to church"; " We appreciate the bouquet you delivered. It reminded us of how much the church cares about us and how much we care about Riverside”; and “Somehow the flowers made my heart hurt a little bit less." The power of flowers is alive and flourishing at RPC.
Sacred Ground
In keeping with our commitment as a Matthew 25 church, a group from Riverside Presbyterian Church has joined members from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church for Sacred Ground, a “film- and reading-based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith” developed by The Episcopal Church as part of its Becoming Beloved Community commitment. Paul Arrington of Good Shepherd is co-facilitator with Associate Pastor Dana Riley, meeting at RPC. The curriculum focuses on the intersection of the histories of Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific Americans and the histories of European Americans. During the 11 sessions that meet every two weeks, the group discusses the assigned documentary films viewed and readings done, with sometimes difficult conversations occurring in the safe space afforded. According to the Sacred Ground website, participants are “invited to peel away the layers that have contributed to the challenges and divides of the present day—all while grounded in our call to faith, hope, and love.”
Representing RPC are Mary Elizabeth Ballentine, Arden Brugger, Lissa Kiser, Kathy Para, and Karen Stiltz. They are joined by Good Shepherd’s Rich Phelan, Cookie Rogers, and Chris Steilberg. The current session began in November and will conclude in April.
The Neighboring Collaborative
A little more than a year ago, the Neighboring Collaborative, a project of the Community Outreach Committee of Riverside Presbyterian Church, was formed to work alongside the newly created Five Points Association (the “FPA”) to promote and address the needs and goals of the Five Points neighborhood. The FPA is now once again an energized group of merchants and property owners. Although it had been dormant for several years, the FPA started holding their monthly meetings in Bittinger Hall in 2023. Once the FPA began to meet at our church, the group laid out a plan to address several objectives: to eradicate the widespread litter throughout the commercial district, to improve lighting and landscaping throughout the district, to deal head-on with the needs of the unhoused population, to deter if not eliminate crime, to promote fellowship events and activities, and to otherwise improve the vibrancy of the neighborhood for all residents, merchants, and patrons.
The Neighboring Collaborative was launched with the understanding that RPC has a significant stake in the success of the FPA. Our committee, which meets once a month, is designed to put words into action. For instance, equipped with gloves, grabbers, and trash bags, we meet on the third Sunday of each month for an hour before church services to clean up the trash on Park, Post, Lomax, Oak, and Margaret Streets. We also have created an interactive map of the neighborhood and have assisted with the planning of family-oriented events that we hope will take place in Riverside Park and along Park Street. We are working to improve the landscaping and the overall appearance of Five Points. Our committee also regularly meets with and builds relationships with merchants and encourages RPC members to stay after church and eat lunch at local restaurants. We also invest our time with ideas to improve the quality of life, such as providing solutions for parking, addressing the needs of the unhoused people who are within our midst, and even to make plans to use the Family Life Center for neighborhood events.
Once a month, our committee of 10 people meets at a local restaurant to discuss our visions and concerns for the neighborhood. If you’re interested in getting involved with the church in this meaningful way and like the idea of improving our neighborhood in tangible ways, we encourage you to join us at our next meeting with fun people and good food.Please talk to any of the committee members for more information.
Committee members are Elaine Akin, Arden Brugger, Lauren Fitzharris, Christy Lane, Susie Morrow, Kathy Para, Dana Riley, Jim Riley, John Sapora, and Laura Silva.
Friends in Five Points
Confirmation Retreat
The Confirmation Class along with their teachers and mentors met at a beach house for a weekend in February.
This trip was very meaningful to me because I got to hang out and get closer to people I either know only a little bit or don’t really know at all. This was also important to me because I got to learn more about God and get closer, and I got to write a lot of my faith statement. - Courtland Rice
This trip was meaningful to me because I got to think of questions that I haven’t thought about before. I enjoyed meeting people I haven’t talked to much before, and I also enjoyed playing games. - Mitchell Blanks
This retreat was meaningful to me because I learned more about myself and my values. Also I connected more with my mentor and learned that we have shared a lot of experiences in our lifetime, like my parents got divorced and I have a stepsister, and she is divorced and has two stepchildren. That brought me a lot closer and made me feel a lot more comfortable sharing my faith journey with her. I’m so excited for the days to come and to become closer with everyone through God! - Ellie Chambliss
This year’s confirmation was meaningful for me because I was able to look at my faith through many different lenses! We had a great weekend full of many laughs and great youth bonding time. Thank you RPC for this memorable weekend!! - Anderson Chambliss
This retreat was meaningful to me because I got to talk to my mentor Paul about his journey of faith more and have some good time with him. I also met some new people and overall had a great and fun time. I really enjoyed the worship on the beach in the morning. - Haiden Christian
This year’s confirmation retreat was important to me because I learned a lot more about my faith and my values as a Christian. I learned that making mistakes is okay, and we are always forgiven in our journey of life. I connected more with my mentor, and we learned a lot more about each other which I really enjoyed. Thank you so much, and I can't wait for what's to come!! - Kimbrough Chambliss
Recently At Riverside
RPC volunteers who served at Angelwood on Saturday, February 16. They organized books, tested out electrical appliances, sorted through clothing, and shopped! After working up an appetite that morning, they ate lunch at Bono's a few doors down. A good time was had by all!
RPC Youth led 10:30 am worship on Sunday, February 2.
On the first Sunday of the month, Worship and Wonder occurs at 8:30 am. While this service is similar to our regular worship services, it is more interactive and has options for movement during the service.
We celebrated Dave Tuttle’s retirement on Sunday, February 23, 2025. Dave has served as our Director of Property and Maintenance since 2019.
Officer training is underway! New Deacons and Elders met after worship on Sunday, March 2, to learn the ins and outs of their role.
RPC Youth had a blast at Rock the Universe in January!
Connectors are making visits to all RPC members! Visits come with a yellow bag with a jar of honey for you to enjoy, an invite to a lunch celebration on May 4, and also a few easy ways to update your contact information if it’s out of date!
Heard from your Connector but forgot to call or email them back? Try to make that a priority this week.
Haven’t heard from a Connector?
Please email hello@rpcjax.org and let us know.
Finished your visit?
Pick up a bee sticker from the cookies and lemonade table after worship, and wear it proudly!
Looking for a way to serve?
• Sunday Morning Usher
• Call to Worship Liturgist
• Flower Delivery Team
• Deliver a MealTrain
• Drive Meals on Wheels
• College Secret Pal
• Serve in the Kitchen
• Serve / Cook Dinner at Sulzbacher
• Volunteer at the Front Desk in the Office
• And More!
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
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Holy WeekSCHEDULE
7:00 pm 8:30 am 10:30 am 7:00 pm
Communion will be served at all services except Good Friday Nursery will open 15 minutes prior to each service
