Riviera Spirit Center - An Inspiring Ministry Grant Recipient
By Emma Cottrell, Director of Faith Formation & Outreach at Riveria Presbyterian Church
Thanks to the Synod's generosity through the Inspiring Ministry Grant, we are thrilled to have renovated our church library into an intergenerational space for education and fellowship! The library had been a beloved space for adult Sunday School and community groups, and we hoped to revitalize this space to make it more comfortable and welcoming for adults, while also giving children and youth an established place to learn and grow at church.
We started by repainting the room to make it brighter and complement the natural light. We refurbished a table from storage to replace the folding tables that were previously there, and purchased comfortable furniture for kids, youth, and adults to enjoy! We also used grant money to set up a coffee station and buy new books and supplies for all ages!
Since the completion of the Spirit Center, we have continued to use the space for adult Sunday School and community groups, and have used the space to share meals together, hold session meetings, have children’s Sunday School, and host a variety of fellowship events! It's been extra special to watch the kids enjoy a space in the church designed especially for them! By expanding this space to be inclusive of kids and youth, they can feel more included in the life of the church and be reaffirmed that they are important members of our church family!
We have been thrilled to update our library with books from authors including Bruce Reyes-Chow and Rachel Held Evans, and a variety theological and “banned books” for our kids and youth to enjoy! Going forward, we hope to continue to make this space and our resources accessible to both our church family and our wider Miami community!
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