I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. John 15:5, NRSVUE
 

Riverview UMC displays their vision—Connecting in Faith & Community. Photos courtesy of Rev. Teresa Person, Riverview UMC.

Riverview United Methodist Church in Huron, South Dakota, is living into a vision to make John 15:5 become part of who they are as Christians living like Jesus. 

"We want to make sure that everybody knows that they can find a place to connect here. We want people to connect to God, connect deeper in their faith," said Rev. Teresa Person, Riverview UMC. "We want to offer that connection to other people as well because we know that we were made to be in community with one another."

In the spring of 2023, Riverview United Methodist Church received 66 new members. Since then, 35 people have joined the congregation, and a projected 20 will begin the process soon.

"We are seeing folks from within the community that have been looking for a church home come to Riverview," said Person. "We are really into our vision—'Connecting in Faith and Community.' We want people to see us being that place to connect faith and community."

Children's and youth ministry is vibrant. Children attending Sunday School are blessed with lay volunteers who lead experiences in drama, art, music, and Bible stories. The youth gather on Wednesday nights and for special events.

"Our youth groups are growing. There are probably, on average, 15 to 20 kids that come to middle school youth group," shared Pastor Teresa. "I did a Star Wars lock-in; we talked about some similarities and compared the whole narrative of Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker, to the birth narrative of Jesus. It happened just as we were coming up to Christmas and discussing how the Bible influences culture and vice versa. It was fun and interesting. The kids absolutely loved that lock-in."

The lock-in inspired energy and enthusiasm. Students made lightsabers out of pool noodles and held galactic battles.

Mission and outreach continue to grow.

The congregation is serious about the mission and vision to be the hands and feet of Christ in the community. At worship recently, five totes full of bags that hold a change of clothing for middle school students were blessed. Each packet has underwear, sweatpants, socks, and a sweatshirt.

A Sleep in Heavenly Peace bed on display at Riverview UMC.

"We just blessed another set of totes for our middle school outreach ministry. It's just a set of clothing in case somebody needs a change of clothes, for whatever reason, during the day at the middle school," explains Pastor Teresa. "Our finance team has taken over our mission oversight. We used to do something each month. People would just put in their loose change or write a check for the mission that month. We wanted to do something more hands-on. We switched to a quarterly focus."

The mission focus for this quarter is Sleep in Heavenly Peace. A team of seven people helped to build beds for children who needed a bed. The team, with other community volunteers, built 40 beds in one day. 

"Some folks are participating in the delivery of the beds. Others are collecting bedding and things like that. We have one of the Sleep in Heavenly Peace beds set up in the lobby area so people can see that as a visual. People can give monetarily, volunteer, go shopping, and bring items," said Pastor Teresa. "Our Sunday school kids are giving stuffed animals."

Riverview UMC's quarterly missions will include the middle school ministry, backpack program and school lunches, and the Jan Manolis Family Safe Center.

"Jan Manolis and her family are members at Riverview. Last year, I challenged the congregation to raise $800 for a new dishwasher for the Safe Center. We ended up raising $3,500. The Center got some grant money and did a kitchen remodel rather than just the dishwasher. I am excited to see what God will do next," Pastor Teresa said.

Person becomes full-time pastor at Riverview UMC.

In September 2023, Pastor Teresa moved from serving Riverview UMC and Virgil UMC to serving Riverview full-time. The congregation moved the time of worship from 10:45 a.m. to 10 a.m. 

"I can be fully present at Riverview. I have been able to lead some adult studies that have gone along with my sermon series. They have been well attended," said Pastor Teresa. "I have enjoyed connecting more fully on Sunday morning rather than running into worship at the very last moment."

The third Sunday of the month is Egg Bake Sunday. A brunch is served for people to be in fellowship and connect. It is a time for Pastor Teresa to get to know people in the congregation.

People enjoying Egg Bake Sunday at Riverview UMC in Huron, S.D.

"Recently, we had a cold, dreary Sunday. The roads were slick. I was curious to know how many people would show up for worship or egg bake. It was just fantastic; we had 135 people in church, and at least 100 stayed for brunch," Pastor Teresa said. "People are really embracing that. It's become popular."

Small groups continue to flourish. A men's breakfast club meets on Saturday mornings. They do egg bake and a book study together. A quilting group has started recently. They plan to make quilts to give to babies when there are baptisms. A new group called Soul Food meets on two Tuesdays each month. They make casseroles and then deliver them to folks needing extra care.

"Soul Food periodically goes out to dinner together for their connection. They are feeding themselves as well," shares Pastor Teresa. "We are creating a new care team. This is part of the Caring Congregation workshop that I attended. Marsha Thomas is volunteering to be the care coordinator. She will work alongside Rev. Brenda Wicks,our regional care coordinator, and me. On Sunday mornings, we have a couple of people willing to do blood pressure checks and talk to people about their meds and health needs. We will consecrate this team in worship so that everybody knows this is our care team. "

During Lent at Riverview UMC, people gather for a meal and worship. Teams of people prepare the meals. It is something different each week.

A conference room was recently remodeled to make it usable for small groups and meetings within the congregation and the community.

"People are bringing their groups outside the church to use the space. Members of the commuity are unsure where the church is located because we are tucked back into a neighborhood. I'm all for any time we can host an event here. We can point people to our location so they can find us and be part of us," Pastor Teresa said.

Each Sunday, people are visiting. Plans are underway to recruit volunteers, track visitors, and ensure no one falls through the cracks.

"I'm here full-time, but there are over 100 new people, and still more are coming. We have people visiting every Sunday. It's just a wonderful thing. We want to make sure that nobody's falling through the cracks. We're working to empower and enable others to rise as leaders. We want to put into place an infrastructure that will support volunteers. We will also investigate some paid staff positions," Pastor Teresa said.