MISSION PARTNERS

Jesus taught and modeled a way of missional living that has radically influenced people and cultures for centuries. Jesus is still active today, and we seek to join him in the work he’s already doing. One of our goals is to equip each follower of Jesus to be on mission with God and with each other in daily life. This includes each person being missional where God has placed us (neighborhood, workplace, family, friends), as well as participating in local and global mission with the church. 

Logo for The Beacon with a stylized blue light radiating from the word 'BEACON'.

THE BEACON

When Riverside acquired the long-abandoned Beacon Bowl building in 2010, we saw it as an opportunity. Church buildings are nice, but another traditional church building wasn’t going to make much difference in our local community. We asked the community what was needed, and immediately, one need was identified unanimously: space.  

In 2015, The Beacon re-opened as The Beacon Resource Center, with 30,000 square feet of renovated multi-purpose programming space available for the community. Now, under the leadership of Executive Director Jeff Walker, the Beacon’s capacity has increased so that more partner organizations than ever are able to use the space for academic, recreational, and mentoring programs. 

The Beacon Resource Center continues to be the missional anchor for Riverside here on the west side of South Bend, and a core outlet for our missional priority of Restoration of the Vulnerable. 

Logo for Camp Ray Bird with stylized flame and two abstract figures, one larger with a ball above, on a black background.

CAMP RAY BIRD

The heart of Camp Ray Bird is to share the gospel with children from South Bend area who come from families who can’t afford camping opportunities. More than 600 of our 727 campers live under the poverty line. Camp Ray Bird offers a unique camp experience while sharing the gospel and incorporating discipleship and connection to local churches for campers.

Many Riversiders regularly serve at camp in various roles throughout the year:

  • full-time staff

  • summer counselors and activities staff

  • kitchen volunteers (cleanup, food prep)

  • clean-up days

  • office tasks

  • facilities and grounds projects

  • Bible verse listeners

The logo of ASHA Mission features large purple letters spelling 'ASHA' with a stylized white dove in front of the 'H'. The word 'MISSION' is written in smaller purple letters underneath..

ASHA MISSION

When Riverside Church began, one of our mission priorities was to not to cast a wide net, but to be heavily invested in relationship and support of a small number of global mission partners. Our first partner, since the earliest days of Riverside, has been Asha Mission. Asha operates children’s homes in India, in cities like Delhi, Kolkata, and Malda, which house, care for, and get access to education for many vulnerable children and orphans throughout the continent.

Riverside makes it a priority to visit Asha Mission regularly, sending small teams to foster relationships and to continue investing in these incredible ministries.

If you want to send financial support to Asha, or if you are sponsoring a kid through Riverside, click here and select Asha under Designation.

Logo for Hope Ministries featuring a radio tower emitting signals inside the letter 'O' in 'HOPE' with the text 'Ministries' below.

HOPE MINISTRIES

The core of Hope Ministries is to provide a space for people in the Michiana area to heal, transform and thrive. Hope carries out their mission by creating a community that offers housing, meals, addiction recovery, spiritual and emotional classes for residents, and intentional relationships.

Our church has held a long-time partnership with Hope through volunteering and donations. We often welcome Hope residents on our Sunday mornings.

DuComb Center sign for St. Joseph County.

DuCOMB CENTER

Since the summer of 2022, The Beacon and Riverside Church have facilitated the Inside Out Dad program at the DuComb Center, our St. Joseph County work release facility located just north of Riverside.

Inside Out Dad is an evidence-based program designed to teach incarcerated men how to become better fathers while serving time. Our main task is walking the men through the weekly lessons, but relationship-building is at the core of why we are there. Our goal is to have a consistent presence at Ducomb and continue to build a partnership with the residents and staff.

Family Partners

As people who have been part of Riverside are sent out, we maintain relationships of ongoing support. These dear partners are domestic and international, short term and long term, in traditional and nontraditional contexts. Pray for them and click to learn more about how you can partner with them as well: