Ministries

Animal Blessings

Our pets are a blessing to us! We experience God’s love as we care for and receive care, from animals. Each first Saturday of October, we offer a blessing for our furry friends. Watch our website for dates & times.

Caring Dinner

The Ridgewood “Caring Dinner” will be held at 12:00noon on the following 2024 dates:

January 27, March 23, May 18, July 27, September 28 and December 7

.The dinner provides an atmosphere of fellowship and friendship.

• It is FREE to all persons in our community.
• We deliver meals to our shut-ins on this day.
• The meals are cooked and served by church volunteers and are absolutely delicious every time!
• Both the volunteers and dinner guests have a wonderful time sharing in each other’s company.
• All of the excess food is taken to various non-profit groups immediately after the dinner.

Music Ministry

“All the music sung and played here is a gift, O God, from You. For as long as we have prayed here, we’ve been blessed by music, too. By your Spirit, each musician finds new depth of faith to share. Music is a gift you’ve given and becomes our thankful prayer”. Copyright © 2000 Carolyn Winfrey Gillette

Music has a central role in the history of the United Methodist Church and in the life of Ridgewood United Methodist Church. Ridgewood is blessed with a congregation lead by a dedicated adult choir, men’s ensemble, women’s ensemble, children’s choirs and instrumentalists who love to glorify God through music.

The Chancel Choir
The Chancel Choir participates in every Sunday service. They also sing at the Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday services. When present, the Choir provides an important leadership for congregational singing.

The Chancel Choir sings music of many different styles, including classical, traditional, gospel, multi-cultural, and contemporary. Thursday rehearsals, 7:15 – 9:00 pm in the Music Room, are open to high school through adult singers.

The Children & Youth in Musical Worship
At Ridgewood United Methodist Church, the LOGOS Worship Skills groups provide a means to praise God and worship Him through music, puppets, drama and more. These ensembles offer exciting music/worship opportunities for the youth for fellowship and service to all members of the church.

Rehearsals for these groups take place as part of our LOGOS Youth Club Wednesday evening activities. These groups are supervised by lay persons and enhance the worship services throughout the school year.

Safe Sanctuaries

Reducing the Risk of Sexual Abuse: Safe Sanctuaries® is one of the “social structures that are consistent with the gospel” (Book of Discipline, ¶122) allowing our sanctuaries, classrooms, mission encounters, camps and retreats, and all spaces where we gather to worship and serve God to be places of trust.

At Ridgewood, training is required for all persons having direct contact with children, youth, and vulnerable adults in all activities. Our training begins with an annual orientation that includes information about the Safe Sanctuaries Policy; training in the supervision of children, youth, and vulnerable adults; and training in the identification and reporting of abuse.

Those who wish to serve in ministries with children, youth, and vulnerable adults must be actively engaged in the life of the congregation for at least six (6) months prior to service, including worship, Sunday School, mission opportunities, and other ministries so that the people serving with children, youth, and vulnerable adults are known in the congregation. Groups of children and youth will be supervised by two non-related, noncohabitating adults, and each supervising adult will be five years older or more than the oldest child or youth in the group.

Safe Sanctuaries® training stresses the importance of face-to-face training and conversation when online training is used. The opportunity to talk through case studies or issues specific to a particular context is imperative so that each person working with the most vulnerable has an understanding of what is expected.

Not putting appropriate policies, procedures, and guidelines in place allows for the risks of abuse to increase. Congregations who develop and live  Safe Sanctuaries® find it a deterrent to predators who are looking for easy access to the vulnerable. Ridgewood believes we need to honor children, youth, and vulnerable adults enough to protect them from bodily harm, emotional damage, and spiritual destruction.

Stephen Ministries

Stephen Ministry is a system through which members of Ridgewood UMC are trained and organized to help provide Christian caregiving to members of our congregation and community. This will multiply the amount of caring ministry Ridgewood UMC can provide by giving us a whole team of skilled caregivers who are equipped to bring Christ’s healing love to people who are grieving, in crisis, or experiencing other stresses in life.

Sometimes it takes more than a parka to keep a person warm; sometimes it takes the presence of a caring Christian friend. Stephen ministers share the warmth of God’s love with those who need it most: the lonely, the depressed, the grieving. Is God calling you to reach out to those who are hurting? Consider serving as a Stephen Minister.

Love One Another As I Have Loved You…
In John 15:12 (NRSV), Jesus says, “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.” Loving and caring for one another is not just a pastor’s job – it’s something Jesus calls us all to do! Stephen Ministry is a ministry in which people with special gifts for caring ministry can put those gifts to use in an organized way, bringing Jesus’ love and care to those who need it most. Stephen Ministry is a vital part of our congregation’s mission.

Please pray for and support this caring ministry and these gifted people whom God has called. If you would like more information about Stephen Ministry or if someone you know could benefit from the care of a Stephen Minister, please call the church office at (440) 885-1360.