Riverside Community Church, UCC

Riverside Community Church, UCC All are welcome! 10:30 worship Sunday mornings, Sunday school for K-Middlers offered during worship, as well as a staffed nursery.

Immigrant welcoming. šŸŒŽ Open and affirming. šŸ³ļøā€šŸŒˆ Environmental stewards. šŸŒæ We are a Christian community of faith, seeking to work for justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God.

Church SchoolSeeing Jesus Through a Narrow LensMatthew 21: 1-11On his final approach, the crowd perhaps did not fully gr...
04/03/2026

Church School
Seeing Jesus Through a Narrow Lens
Matthew 21: 1-11

On his final approach, the crowd perhaps did not fully grasp Jesusā€™s purpose when he entered Jerusalem on a humble donkey, because he came not in power but rather as a savior who chose humility over grandeur and peace over pride.

After taking to the street to shout ā€œHosanna in the Highestā€ while we banged our instruments, we continued our parade inside and were most grateful that Beverly and Garrett were willing to be donkeys for Gloria and Althea.

To embrace the idea of the crowd not fully grasping Jesusā€™s purpose when he entered on a small donkey, we also played a ā€œNarrow Visionā€ game to pretend what it is like to see something through a narrow lens. To do this, we made telescopes out of rolls of paper and tried to pick up tiny marshmallows by only picking up the ones we could see through a small lens. This was harder than we expected!

šŸŒ… Sunrise Service šŸŒ…All are welcome at Great River Natural Burial at 6am Easter Sunday.
04/03/2026

šŸŒ… Sunrise Service šŸŒ…

All are welcome at Great River Natural Burial at 6am Easter Sunday.

The Bitter and the SweetHow lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. ā€”Winnie the PoohDear Friends...
04/02/2026

The Bitter and the Sweet

How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard. ā€”Winnie the Pooh

Dear Friends,
Peace and grace to you in the midst of these bittersweet days.

As we journey through Holy Week, weā€™re invited to taste the bitter flavor of fear as Jesus is beaten, mocked and nailed to the cross, while little ones are buriedā€”yet again, under the rubble of war.

By the light of Easter morning, weā€™re called to savor the sweet, nourishing flavors of resurrection as we stand in awe before the empty tomb, and witnessā€”yet again, tender shoots of new life emerge from the soil.

Can you taste itā€”this holy mix of bitter and sweet?

As I enter my final weeks at Riverside, I am keenly aware of both precious flavors. The sadness creeps in as I make my final visits to the homes of our elders, hold a final gathering with staff, attend one last meeting with boards, committees and Riversideā€™s council. And the sweetness is there too, amidst the pain, as you leave notes of appreciation under my door, tell me stories of transformation, and shower me with love.

Winnie the Pooh was right. How good it is to live and laugh and pray among you. And how hard it is to say goodbye.

Blessings of Holy Week,
Pastor Vicky

Christ is risen! Join us for Easter, brunch, and our annual egg hunt. šŸ£
04/01/2026

Christ is risen! Join us for Easter, brunch, and our annual egg hunt. šŸ£

All are welcome for Holy Week at Riverside. Hereā€™s the full schedule of events & services. Join us as we journey toward ...
03/30/2026

All are welcome for Holy Week at Riverside. Hereā€™s the full schedule of events & services. Join us as we journey toward Easter. šŸŒ…

Our Pockets of Plenty offering this Sunday, presented by OAIT, will help The Next Door and Columbia Gorge Pride Allianc...
03/29/2026

Our Pockets of Plenty offering this Sunday, presented by OAIT, will help The Next Door and Columbia Gorge Pride Alliance purchase binders for transgender individuals, especially youth.

A binder is an individually sized compressive tank top-like undergarment that smooths or flattens the chest. It is an important tool for gender expression and affirmation, which can markedly improve mental health and a sense of well being. These cost approximately $50.00 per binder, and must be hand washed and dried, so it is best to have 2 binders. A set of binders lasts about a year, at $100.00 per set.

If you are out at the No Kings Rally on Saturday, look for Somos pop-up displays on 2nd Street from 11 a.m. to 1:30 pm, ...
03/27/2026

If you are out at the No Kings Rally on Saturday, look for Somos pop-up displays on 2nd Street from 11 a.m. to 1:30 pm, and later from 1:30 to 6:30 in the Riverview Room as part of the Minoru Yasui Day celebrations.

Yes, Saturday is also Minoru Yasui Day, and our community will honor him at various events all afternoon.

Dear Friends,Our sacred Lenten journey is coming to an end. On Sunday, we will accompany Jesus into the lair of empire....
03/26/2026

Dear Friends,

Our sacred Lenten journey is coming to an end.
On Sunday, we will accompany Jesus into the lair of empire. He will enter Jerusalem through the east gate, riding on a donkey. Roman soldiers, riding on war horses, will come from the west.

It is, in many ways, the original ā€œno kingsā€ event. While wealth is concentrated in the hands of a few, Jesus stands with the many. As rulers boast of their godly powers, Jesus grounds himself in the power of God. While they dominate and violate, Jesus comforts and connects.
And we must choose, once again, while the peddlers of fear and purveyors of violence overwhelm us all: which gate will we enter?

Who will we follow?

I give thanks for the gift of making this journey, and this choice with you. Not alone, but together: step by step, hand in hand, guided by the hallowed echo of donkey hooves and the amazing grace of our God.

Blessings of Lent,

Pastor Vicky

Church School!Commandment Four: Honor the SabbathExodus 20:1-17After practicing our song with Pam and Jo, we began our t...
03/21/2026

Church School!

Commandment Four: Honor the Sabbath

Exodus 20:1-17

After practicing our song with Pam and Jo, we began our time together talking about the word anxiety.

Everyone seemed to know what this word meant right away and were pretty clear that it has to do with feeling nervous or fearful. Some things that make us fearful are people who hurt others, being in the dark with no light and having bad dreams.

We talked about how honoring the sabbath can help us feel calmer especially when we go to church and then we wrote several ideas down that also help us to feel more peaceful. Our ideas included taking time to sit down, playing with a unicorn, doing yoga, eating donuts and drinking tea, watching a show and having fun.

Next, we did some yoga and made a pyramid for fun, and then went bowling for the ten commandments. We knocked over 10 pins with a bowling ball so that we could read the ten commandments that were placed underneath each one of them.

Finally, we created ā€œTen Commandment Mobilesā€ to serve as a reminder and a memory aide.

Address

317 State St
Hood River, OR
97031

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9am - 2pm
Wednesday 9am - 1pm
Thursday 9am - 2pm
Friday 9am - 2pm
Sunday 10am - 1pm

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Seeking Justice, Loving Kindness, Walking Humbly with our God

10:30 worship Sunday mornings, Sunday school for K-Middlers offered during worship, as well as a staffed nursery.

We are a vibrant, Spirit-filled community of people who seek to follow in the ways of Jesus: loving our neighbors, doing justice and sharing the extravagant welcome of God with the whole of creation.

We are an ā€œOpen and Affirmingā€ congregation and ALL are welcome in this place!

We provide programs for children, youth and nursery care for the littlest ones. Visit our website: www.riversideucc.com for more information.