FROM THE INTERIM PASTOR

It’s hard to believe but summer vacation is almost over. Students will be heading back to school soon. Riverside is partnering with Cape View Elementary in a back-to-school backpack drive at our First Sunday service on August 7. Bring new backpacks to worship at 10 a.m. for a special blessing of the backpacks and the students who will be receiving them. Dress casual, enjoy the music of the Caribbean and stay for the fellowship luncheon immediately following the service. Riverside is also welcoming new students to the Lab School this month. Riverside has partnered with the Eastern Florida State College Lab School for almost 50 years; and Lab School parents and staff spent the summer updating and renovating Calvin Hall in celebration of the relationship which we have enjoyed over the years. Thank you, Lab School parents and staff! Our own Riverside students will be enjoying newly repurposed classroom space in the Pfeiffer Room. Thank you to the church volunteers and staff who donated their time and resources to create this dedicated space for Children’s Church and One Room Schoolhouse. We are excited for the future here at Riverside and making changes necessary to move into that future. Grace and peace,

Pastor Melanie

New Church Office Hours:

Monday-Thursday 9am-2pm

3400 N. Atlantic Avenue

Cocoa Beach, FL 32931

(321) 783-6085 riversidepres@cfl.rr.com

www.riversidepres.org

Rev. Melanie Ruta

Interim Pastor

Chuck Torgler

Custodian

Cecilia Quist

Nursery

Jeff Janowich

Audio

Doug Kasimier

Treasurer

August2016

Monthly Newsletter

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Summer Fellowship: On the second, third and fourth Sundays join us from 10-11 in Fellowship Hall for light

refreshments, coffee and conversation. Fellowship after the 11:00 service will resume in the fall.

August 2016 Worship Calendar

8/14: 9 Worship w/ the Band

10:10 Sunday School/

Fellowship Hour

11 Worship w/ the Choir

8/21: 9 Worship w/ the Band

10:10 Sunday School/

Fellowship Hour

11 Worship w/ the choir

FELLOWSHIP MEAL AUGUST 7th

11:30 Fellowship Hall

August 7 at 10am continues our First Sundays worship & music

series. We will have a special Communion service with steel

drum island music and afterward, a meal in Fellowship Hall.

Mark your calendars. Free! RSVP by August 1st

Yes, we are coming to the Island Meal! ________________

NUMBER (#) ATTENDING

Place your RSVP in the offering plate or bring to the office.

8/28: 9 Worship w/ the Band

10:10 Sunday School/

Fellowship Hour

11 Worship w/ the Choir

Thank you from Chili & Jen Thorstad

Friends, our departure from Riverside is bittersweet, because we so love this church and its people.

You have been our family and dear friends, and we cannot thank you enough for all you have done

for us over the years. Though our time here comes to an end, we are excited for what God has in

store for us in North Carolina. Many of you make that area your summer home, so we know there will

be Riversiders in our midst, which is comforting. And we hope many others will make it up that way

someday and be sure to look up the Thorstads!

Riverside will always be our home, and we look forward to the day when we return to visit and see all

that God has done here in this marvelous church. So special a place, with spirit-filled people, warm

welcomes, hugs and love that pours out from everyone. The uniqueness of this congregation is its

true family-feel and willingness to extend a helping hand without question, always supportive and

forgiving. We will miss you all more than you could possibly imagine! We truly appreciate the

amazing send-off you gave us on Thursday. Thank you to all who organized the party and those of

you who took time out of your lives to come and bid us a fond farewell. We truly appreciate your

presence and prayers as we look ahead to the next journey. We would like to keep in touch with

everyone, so if you are so inclined, please make note of our emails and new address:

thorstadjen@gmail.com and chili.gigs@gmail.com and home address of 12 Shady Walk Trail, Black

Mountain, NC 28711.

We love you all and continue our prayers for Riverside.

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Michael Meighen 8/1*

Bob Howard 8/2*

Flip Boehmer 8/4*

Lindalee Torgler 8/4*

Coleen Castillo 8/7*

Mary Josselson 8/7

Parker Holden 8/9*

Val Constantini 8/14

Billy Coon 8/15*

Charlotte Coon 8/15*

Karen Hitch 8/15

Tammy Ivan 8/18*

Ginny Skywark 8/20*

Helen McDowell 8/21*

Lodene Farden 8/25

Rusty Fischer 8/27*

George Smith 8/27*

Joe Fanning 8/28*

Dorothy Larson 8/29

Penny Dale 8/30*

Abbie Gordon 8/31

Jim Mustin 8/31*

Mabel Stafford 8/31

August 2016 Birthdays

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PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN NEWS The Presbyterian Women in Central Florid Presbytery 2016 Bible Study, “Who is Jesus?” will be held Saturday, August 20, 2016 at the Maitland Presbyterian Church, 341 North Orlando Avenue, Maitland, Florida 32751, 407-644-3455. There will be a continental breakfast at check in. Lunch will be between the morning and afternoon sessions. Cost is $10 due August 6th. Late registration will be $15 after the 6th. Registration forms will be available with circle leaders, on line and with Gail Marshall. Look ahead and save the date of The 10th Triennial Gathering of Presbyterian Women in the Synod of South Atlantic on October 21-23, 2016 at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island, Georgia. The theme is “Looking at Jesus through a Different Lens.” The Year End Luncheon and planning meeting at the home of Gail Marshall was held on Wednesday, July 27. The restructuring of Riverside’s Presbyterian Women’s Coordinating Team (PWCT) to the Presbyterian Women’s Council (PWC) and the 2016-2017 plans/activities were discussed. Information was updated to be included in the 2016-2017 Presbyterian Women’s Yearbook. Hold the date of Saturday, August 27th for a Gathering to be held in Fellowship Hall from 10 AM to 2 PM. Sewers and non-sewers are welcomed to join in the fun to work on baby quilt tops. Quilt top fabric kits will be available. Also, yarn workers are welcomed to attend. Come join in the “SEW IN" and enjoy the fellowship and provided lunch.

Dates to Remember:

August 20 – 9:30 AM PWCFP 2016 Bible Study “Who is Jesus?” Maitland. Florida August 27 – 10 AM to 2 PM Gathering “Sew In” Fellowship Hall October 21-23 – Epworth by the Sea, St. Simons Island, Georgia

-Gail Marshall, Publicity

Summer Studies: Riverside’s Adult Sunday School

The Education Commission continues the summer adult Sunday school program with a video series by C. K.

Robertson, entitled Hazardous Saints, Christians Risking All, Changing Everything. The study will introduce

Barnabas, Francis of Assisi, Thomas Cranmer, Sojourner Truth, Dorothy Day and Oscar Romero. These

individuals made the powerful uncomfortable while bringing significant lasting change to the lives of those

around them and to generations of believers who followed. Hazardous Saints will challenge us to consider

how we too can reflect the love of Christ in creative and intentional ways.

The video series meets in the Pfeiffer Room (Fellowship Hall) between the 9 AM and 11 AM services, but will

not meet on the 1st Sunday of each month. Video Series Adult Sunday school schedule: August 14, 21, 28;

September 11. Jak Burton’s Knox Parlor Sunday morning class on Revelation continues this summer as well.

Save the Date: September 18 and 25 - Curriculum Fair introducing fall classes beginning in October

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GGGRANDPARENTSRANDPARENTSRANDPARENTS RRRAISINGAISINGAISING GGGRANDCHILDRENRANDCHILDRENRANDCHILDREN

SSSUPPORTUPPORTUPPORT GGGROUPROUPROUP

2nd Tuesdays of the month

9:30am Knox Parlor

begins September 13th

Support group meetings where relatives can discuss their

issues and concerns in a non-judgmental and caring

environment with others in the same situation as

themselves. For more information, visit their website:

www.grandparentsraisinggrandchildren.org.

Lunch 'n Learn: Be Scam Smart

Thursday, August 4

12:00pm - Fellowship Hall

Cocoa Beach Police Department will present the latest scams

targeting seniors and provide Q& A on the following topics:

Internet safety

Financial security

Identity Theft

Boxed lunches available for purchase: $7.00 each

(Please make check out to Riverside Presbyterian Church)

Reservations required by Monday, August 1st.

Call the church office at 783-6085 or email

riversidepres@cfl.rr.com for more info.

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August in the Kid’s Corner - One Room School House

SUMMER VACATION IS HERE !!! The One Room School House for Riverside’s Kids

will be on summer break during the month of August. Our fall curriculum will

resume on September 11th.

The Children’s Church classes from the 9 AM worship service and the One Room

School House classes have been relocated to the Pfeiffer Room adjacent to Fellowship Hall. The children

will have their own room in which to study, do crafts, and display their artwork.

Miss Vicki and Miss Gail will happily welcome all students, new and old on Sunday, September 11th to

begin our new study of “Grace and Gratitude” in the book of Exodus. Grace flows from God’s desire and

actions to free people. Then and now, gratitude acknowledges freedom and the responsibilities that

come with it including living in community with God and neighbor as partners who value freedom and

respect for all people.

Happy Summer Vacation Days !!!

Backpack Drive: August 7th

Keep on the look out for good, sturdy backpacks for our upcoming backpack drive in

August. Our partnership with Cape View Elementary School in Cape Canaveral enables

Riverside to provide backpacks, emergency non-perishable food and school supplies for

children in need.

Our backpack and school supply drive is Sunday, August 7th.

Supplies needed are: Wide ruled notebook paper, Single subject spiral notebooks, Composition books,

Ticonderoga pencils, Fiskars kids scissors, 24 count crayons, Highlighters, Boxes of tissues, Dry erase

markers, Colored pencils, Eraser caps, Glue sticks, Glue bottles. Bring your backpacks or supplies to church

next Sunday, August 7th. Sales tax holiday is Aug 5-7 so grab those deals!

Food Pantry/ Grocery Carts

Have you ever wondered about the grocery carts in the Sanctuary and Fellowship Hall? Weekly, Riverside

volunteer Pam Weiger stops by the church to collect the food donated to those carts and delivers it to St.

Vincent de Paul Society at Our Savior’s Catholic Church.

They have a food pantry that distributes non-perishable grocery items to individuals and families in need in

the Cocoa Beach/ Cape Canaveral areas. Many of these families’ needs grow during the summer due to the

absence of school-provided breakfast and lunch.

If you can give, bring your non-perishable goods to either the Sanctuary or Fellowship Hall and deposit your

food donations into the grocery carts. And be sure to give a warm “thank you!” to Pam when you see her.

She is our faithful pickup and delivery angel!

Summary of Session Actions:

Stated Meeting, July 19, 2016

Received with regret the resignations of staff members Jen and Chili Thorstad to follow God’s leading

and provision of new positions in North Carolina. Two teams of elders are assisting the Personnel

Commission in the development of new job descriptions and hiring new staff.

Received the report of the PNC that approval of the Ministry Information Form is pending.

Received the report of the Treasurer that at the mid-year point there is an approximately 7% decline in

giving as compared to 2015. The challenge to the congregation is to reduce that number to 2% in order

to finish the year with a balanced budget. We are inching toward that goal and the staff, session and

commissions are helping by keeping expenses to a minimum. In dollar terms, we are short $8,352 as

of the end of June.

Received an overview from Stewardship and Finance of the online giving program by the Presbyterian

Foundation.

Received an update on the stewardship campaign (“Trusting in the Promises of God”) in October.

Received a report from the planning team for the 60th Anniversary celebration beginning October 2.

Adopted a new Sexual Misconduct Policy on the recommendation of Personnel. Child Protection and

Disaster Preparedness policies and revisions to the Personnel Policy are pending.

Received the report from Property regarding a further reduction in the cost to the church of securing

replacement lighting with gratitude and thanks to Dave Bartine and Lighting Science Group.

Received reports from OMEC and the Education Commission regarding on-going mission and summer

educational activities of the church.

Approved Worship’s recommendation to go to one service on Sunday, December 25 and Sunday,

January 1; and approved a “Blue Christmas” prayer service on Sunday afternoon, December 11.

Approved the 2016-2017 Dr. Vernon Boushell Concert Series dates beginning with a performance of

the Appalachian Gospel Ensemble for the church’s 60th Anniversary Celebration on Oct. 2.

Education Commission accepted responsibility for securing volunteers as required for the Nursery.

Noted with regret the passing of long-time member Jim Walker whose funeral was held on July 22.

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