There are many ways you can volunteer to help in the Outreach Ministry! Here are a few opportunities available:
Join the Outreach Ministry Team - we meet monthly and plan Outreach activities, workdays, presentations, and make quarterly recommendations to the Congregation Council for RLC's Benevolent giving
Join the Jefferson tutoring team and reach out to community children
Volunteer for the annual block party, community work days, or in the Food Pantry
Help present a worship service once a month at the Union Gospel Mission
Work on small projects from cutting, pinning to actual quilting of quilts with the RLC Sewing Bee
Shop for or pack bags for Weekend Lunches for Kids at Sacajawea Elementary
Be a Visitation Minister and spend time with those who are shut-in or who request a visit
If you are interested in any of these opportunities, contact the church office for more information.
Visitation Ministry
We currently have on staff an interim Visitation Pastor, Sam Geyer. Pastor Geyer and the Visitation Ministers extend care and companionship to those who are unable to attend worship services, are homebound, are ill or hospitalized, or bereaved. They will also take time to pray with those they visit, and even offer communion upon request. Visits can be requested by calling the RLC office. Currently, most visits are accomplished through phone calls, but if you would like to have someone come to your house they will observe mask-wearing and social distancing. If you would like to visit others, please contact Pastor Sam.
Visitation Ministers, please fill out a visitation form after each visit.
One of our community outreach ministries is our Food Pantry, which distributes food on Tuesdays from 1-4 PM and Saturdays from 9 AM - Noon. The Food Pantry provides groceries for local families in need, reaching out with the love and light of Jesus to encourage and support these families in their daily lives. We accept donations of food items and financial donations to purchase food supplies for the Pantry.
Here is a shopping list of specific items to purchase and donate.
Our Grief Support Ministy offers a 13-week GriefShare classes twice a year - spring and fall. The purpose is for our facilitators to walk alongside those who are experiencing the loss of a loved one, to provide support and encouragement as they journey through grief.
At each session, we spend some time sharing , watching the very helpful GriefShare videos and then discussing the information we have learned from the videos. It is a safe place to express the emotions brought on by grief and to learn how to work with and through them to healing. The curriculum we use is biblically based and we take time to pray for each other every week, as well.
Our next session will begin in the fall of 2024 via Zoom. Please register at GriefShare.org and we will contact you to get your materials and the Zoom information to you.
We also offer an in person Grief Support Group that meets on Monday's at 1:30 PM at the church in the Friendship Room. This group is a general grief group open to anyone experiencing grief. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to Merri Buck. For more information and to register for the next session of GriefShare please click here: GriefShare.org or contact Merri Buck.
Jefferson Tutoring
For the last several years, many dedicated RLC members have committed to tutoring one or two students each week at Jefferson Elementary. Typically, these students are in need of extra help in the areas of reading or math. Our tutors provide this help in a loving and encouraging environment to actively support our school system and to demonstrate the generous love of Jesus.
Tutors must fill out volunteer and background information with the Richland School District in order to participate. Contact the church office for more information.
Prayer Ministry Team
Our Prayer Ministry has several ministry groups that are vital to the work and worship at RLC. Prayer, both individual and corporate, is an important part of the spiritual growth and health of the church, as modeled by our Lord Jesus. The Prayer Ministry Team provides opportunities to equip and encourage the RLC congregation to pray not only for all people in need, but with them, as well.
Assisting Ministers
Our Assisting Ministers are part of our Prayer Ministry team. They lead the "Prayers of the Church" portion of worship at each worship service, encouraging the entire congregation to intercede on behalf of all people. If you would like to be involved in this vital part of our worship service, please contact the church office.
Intercessory Prayer Groups
We currently have two prayer groups that meet weekly via Zoom to pray for the needs of our congregation, our community, and our wider mission efforts. These groups are a part of our larger Prayer Ministry at RLC. The Prayer for the Church Group meets on Thursday mornings to specifically pray through the prayer requests we receive at RLC, and for concerns for our congregation and our community. The Mission Prayer Group meets on Saturday afternoons to pray for all the missionaries and mission efforts we are involved in. They also pray for our community mission work such as our food pantry, the annual block party, the places where we provide worship chapels, and Good News Media Ministries TV program, Good News Today.
For more information or to join one of these prayer groups, please contact the church office.
Prayer Ministers
Our Prayer Ministers offer personal, one-on-one prayer and mentoring for those individuals who desire it. They also meet with the Pastoral staff on Sunday mornings before worship. They pray faithfully, following the Holy Spirit's direction, for our pastors, worship support participants and the congregation during worship services.
Sewing Bee
The RLC Sewing Bee is a community service outreach ministry that provides quilts, lap quilts and baby quilts to Lutheran World Relief and various local agencies in our community to give a tangible gift of love, encouragement, and support to those in need. The Sewing Bee meets weekly on Wednesday mornings at 9:00 am. Twice a year we bless the quilts during a worship service before they are distributed.