Missions
At Riverside Baptist Church, we are very active in the mission field. We follow the JJSU model (Judea, Jerusalem, Samaria, Uttermost parts of the Earth – Acts 1:8). In other words, we do missions at every level: local, regional, national, and global (LRNG).
Several of our members have done short-term mission work outside the US, in places like the Philippines, Indonesia, China, and Africa. We also support long-term missionaries financially through the International Mission Board, and send our own mission teams to places like West Virginia and New York City.
Below you can find out more about some of the missions areas that RBC is involved in. You may click on the links below to jump directly to each section.
Ramp Building
The RBC Men’s Ministry, along with other Baptist Men of Haywood County, regularly goes out into the community to build entrance ramps for those who need them. RBC has many skilled carpenters who contribute to this ministry, some on an almost weekly basis. The Men’s Ministry has literally built hundreds of ramps all over the county, and they have been recognized for their service multiple times by various organizations.
Local Missions
There are many other ways we reach out to our local area. We do evangelism through events like Trunk or Treat in the fall, and Vacation Bible School in the summer. Following the 2024 floods in our area, members helped local residents with flood clean-up and a mission team visited the town of Marshall, NC to deliver much-needed supplies to residents there.
West Virginia
Riverside first got involved with McDowell County, West Virginia in the early 2000’s, taking supplies to the area and helping the people there recover from a major flood. However, our West Virginia mission efforts really started to kick into high gear in late 2012.
McDowell County is one of the most poverty-stricken areas in the state, and has all of the problems that come along with extreme poverty. RBC mission teams make trips to the area each year, delivering food boxes, hygiene items, school supplies, and donated furniture and clothing. In recent years, we have set up stations to give out treat bags, hot chocolate, and coffee, while also praying for, and sharing the Gospel with, those who stop by.
Since 2013, we have held a Vacation Bible School each year during the summer, which is for all ages, from infants through adulthood. Through VBS and our other missions, we have formed long-lasting relationships with the people in the area, and we love to go there to spread the love and message of Jesus Christ in a place that badly needs to hear it.
New York City
Our New York ministry started in December of 2013 when a team traveled 700 miles to Brooklyn to do mission work with Park Slope Community Church. In later years, we worked with Mosaic Baptist Church in Crown Heights, as well as The First Church of the Brethren in Sunset Park. Since 2022, we have been partnered with Swerve Church.
As part of our mission work in NYC, we have delivered lunches to the homeless, shared the Gospel with people at prayer stations, given out free food and literature to help promote our host churches, worked in parks and senior centers, and washed windows for businesses in Brooklyn as an act of kindness to the community. We’ve also ministered to children through a balloon ministry.
In 2017 we started a special outreach ministry to the NYPD. Throughout every trip, we reach out in various ways to show our appreciation to the city’s law enforcement.
Other Missions
RBC’s missions efforts go beyond the areas listed above. Several RBC members have made international trips to areas in need of the Gospel, and the church helps to support international missionaries financially through the International Mission Board (IMB). We also participate in Operation Christmas Child every year. Not only do individual members pack shoeboxes for this ministry, but the church collects shoebox items throughout the year so that we can pack boxes collectively each November.
