Stateside Missions Events
Nashville
The week of September 19 – 26, Stateside Missions will sponsor a mission trip to Nashville working to repair homes damaged by the floods earlier this year. Work will consist of light carpentry, drywalling, and painting. Many people in Nashville were without flood insurance when these devastating floods hit. Most are working people who have lost their homes. Many churches have helped these people reconstruct their homes and lives. Rivermont is glad to join in this effort. Please pray for all of this team’s efforts.
Buffalo Creek
In Buffalo Creek, Rivermont and Living Waters of the World (LWW) have partnered to provide a well for a family in desperate need. Tonya Simpson is a single mom with four children living in a trailer without water. Normally LWW uses money from the USDA to drill a well, but in order to qualify, the person must own their own home. Tonya lives in a trailer on her grandparents’ property, so she did not qualify. With a family in such need, Rivermont donated $3,000 for the well. LWW will pay the additional expense. The well has been drilled reaching a clear stream of water at 185 feet. After the well was drilled we found out that the trailer is not wired properly for electricity and has to be rewired. Our team is waiting for the trailer to be rewired so the pump can work. Once this happens we will return to Buffalo Creek and sample the water. Water tests include bacteria, iron, calcium, and hardness. After the water test, LWW will design the proper filtration system, which Rivermont team members will install.
In addition to training Tonya on her new system, people from Rivermont will follow-up with twenty other families in the Buffalo Creek area who already have systems in place to further train and understand any issues they may have. If they have issues, to help solve those issues.
Frakes School
Lisl Jackson has volunteered to assist Frakes school with art projects and beginning September 3rd, will travel to Frakes school every other Friday. Also, we have agreed to sponsor Christmas gifts again, for these children who otherwise would not have any Christmas. (You will hear more about this in November.)
Tool Collection
TOOL COLLECTION: Many thanks to everyone who generously gave so many tools for our church’s missions! Even though the official collection was over at the end of May, if you have any more to donate or any large ones that you need to have picked up, please call Fred Lupton at 266-1329. Once again Rivermonters have showed their willingness to help – even in this unusual way.
Stateside Missions Updates
Stateside Missions
Where we stand in Buffalo Creek, Tennessee. A family in desperate need is being assisted by Rivermont. Really we are talking two families, a brother and sister both having children neither having jobs. Locals in Buffalo Creek are helping provide food, but both homes, trailers, are without water and require assistance to provide safe drinking water for their children. Rivermont with Living Waters of the World Appalachian Network will provide a well and a filtration system to provide clean, potable water to help these needy people raise healthy children. The Buffalo Creek Water Association will assist in maintaining the water system, providing free filters and helping these people keep their system working.
In the past wells have been provided by the USDA, but one of their requirements is for property ownership. Neither family meets these requirements since the land where their trailers reside is owned by their grandfather. In order to assist these people, LWW and Rivermont are contributing money for a well and the associated filtration system. Rivermont will donate $3,000 to LWW for this project. Depending on the local geology, a well can cost $1,500 to $7,000 with the filtration system adding an additional $500 to $2,000 dollars. Well costs are dependent on finding a good water source and the depth required to do this. Filtration costs are dependant on the water quality. These range from nothing if the water is clear, clean, and bacteria free to the $2,000 range for two filters and an ultraviolet light (kills bacteria) and an array of water softeners and iron removal filters.
Once a well is drilled, LWW ( in this case Rivermont volunteers) will test the water. LWW staff will review the test data and recommend the level of filtration required to provide safe drinking water. Safe is described by LWW as bacteria free water. In some cases, water will be treated for high amounts of iron, sulfur, or some other contaminate. The LWW chosen method of providing clean water is a UV Light and a one micron filter. Both remove bacteria, together they provide safe drinking water.
Other projects in Buffalo Creek are a possible addition of a new water treatment system for another family. These people own their own home and land which means the USDA money will drill the well. Rivermont volunteers will then install a filtration system and train the new family on how to maintain their system. Sustainability is an on-going project of Rivermont’s in Buffalo Creek, helping to train, monitor, and partner with the people of Buffalo Creek to ensure each current system is well maintained and operating correctly.
Besides Buffalo Creek, Stateside Missions is looking into a work day at John Knox, relocation and updating sinks and a washer and dryer set to improve their laundry room before summer camps begin. All of this will happen in the next month. If interested in learning more about either Buffalo Creek or volunteering at John Knox, contact Bob Bay at (407) 847 -1303
UPDATE: Frakes, KY Christmas Project Big Success!
UPDATE: The people of Rivermont Presbyterian were asked to help the child of Frakes, KY. Thanks to you every child on our tree was claimed and had a present. Our team of Joyce Bay, Ruth Honeycutt, Lisl Jackson and Dana Stubstein took the donations to Frakes on December 17th. Here is a clip of the celebration.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R461KS5gME0
Our Stateside Mission Committee in conjunction with Living Waters of the World is working in Buffalo Creek, TN to provide clean, potable water which is safe for rural residents of northeast Tennessee and southeast Kentucky. This area of Appalachia is poor and many people live without clean, safe drinking water.
Not only is Rivermont providing clean water, we are working on sustainability – which means developing a relationship with the people of the community, identifying and meeting their needs.
One such need came to our attention this past week. Linda Partin, the resource family coordinator at Henderson Settlement in Frakes, Kentucky contacted Rivermont to see if we would be willing to sponsor 176 children from the school in Frakes this Christmas.
There will be a Christmas tree in the Atrium in a week or so with the children’s names hanging on its branches. Along with the child’s name there will be three toys that the child would like. We are to choose just one toy and we are not to spend over $15.00 on that toy. We will need for the gifts to be wrapped and tagged with the child’s name by December 13 so we can deliver the gifts to the school by December 18th.
If you are unable to purchase a gift and you would like to donate money, we would be glad to purchase the gift for you.
We took a leap of faith when we said we would be the school sponsor, because this is a large number of children. But this is another way of showing the people of Appalachia that Rivermont is committed to helping them in more ways than water!
– Joyce Bay
Knitting Group Completes Afghan Project
The brilliant colors used by abstract artist Piet 
Mondrian inspired Rivermont’s knitting group for its latest afghan. After being displayed in the Atrium, the afghan will be sent to a man in Fort Myers, FL, who is moving into a new home. The man is a friend of one of the group members.
Rivermonters working with The Presbytery of East Tennessee
Dan Sansbury – member, Permanent Judical Committee
Diane Stocker – co-moderator, Committee on Ministry
Jack Danner – Vice Moderator, Presbytery; Vice Moderator, Coordinating Council for Vision and Mission committee; member, Equip Mission Team
Lucy Dethro – member, Corporate Board of Directors
John Guthrie – member, Corporate Board of Directors
Lina Hart - Associate Presbyter; member, Coordinating Council for Vision and Mission committee
Fred Lupton – member, Finance and Stewardship
Paul Phillips – member, Equip Mission Team; member, Coordinating Council for Vision and Mission committee
Tom Shipley – moderator, Outdoor Ministry Team and member, Coordinating Council for Vision and Mission committee
Choon Sohn – member, Committee on Preparation for Ministry
Judy Stone – member, Finance and Stewardship
Loretta Teter – moderator, Presbyterian Women; member Coordinating Council for Vision and Mission committee
Bud Little – Committee on Ministry
Missions and Outreach at Rivermont
Rivermont Presbyterian Church is “Mission Oriented” with a view to the “Great Commision” given to us by Jesus: Go forth therefore and make all nations my disciples.” (Matthew 28:19, The New English Bible). “Go forth to every part of the world, and proclaim the Good News to the whole creation.”(Mark 16:15, The New English Bible).
The Mission and Outreach effort at Rivermont begins within the local community and extends through various stateside missions to the broader sope of international missions. This effort is promoted by different groups within the church which include the Missions Committee of the Session, Presbyterian Women and the Service Committee.
Our motto comes from St. Francis of Assisi, “Go everyday to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and if you must use words”.
Confrontation Point 2009
There are a lot of people in this world that need help, and some of them are not further than a 2 hour drive into the mountains. 
This year, through the ministry of Confrontation point, 19 students and 5 adults traveled to Oneida, TN for a week of service and building to benefit struggling families in the area.
At night, we had the adventure of camping in South fork campground, sleeping in tents and working together to cook meals and accomplish chores. Students learned to act as the body of Christ as we each accomplished different areas of service that led to an overall result.
We were able to serve two families during our week in the A
ppalachians, building porches, fitting fascia boards, repainting, yard work, and helping prep both additional doors and wheelchair ramps for other groups.
The best part of the week was the chance to share Christ’s love in a practical way through service.
This trip, like other mission projects, acts as “sandpaper” in a participant’s life, rubbing away the outer layers to let other parts of their personality shine through. We saw weaknesses, strengths, and fascinating parts of each person that would otherwise have never been known.
I’m planning another trip for next summer (as well as some weekend service projects) and we hope to help more families and show His love to those who need it most!
John Knox Center
John Knox Center (JKC) was established in 1960 as a 140 acre camp with four miles of shore line on Watts Bar Lake. Its facilities include 15 sleeping cabins, 3 lodges, a Dining Hall, Staff Cabin, Superintendent’s House, Cook’s Cabin and a pavilion. It is an important part of the ministry of the Presbytery of East Tennessee.
Its mission is to provide a quality Christian experience that builds up the community of faith, strengthens Christians of all ages, leads people to a new relationship with Christ, celebrates God’s gifts of nature and fellowship and promotes stewardship of nature. What John Knox Center does is in two parts: 1) It gives children the opportunity to conect with other people, nature, and most importantly Chirst in a way they really can’t anywhere else and 2) it gives adults a place for growing faith experiences by providing respite, and sanctuary through family camp, picnics and retreats. JKC is important to Rivermonters as it provides a place where we can relax and spend personal time with God.
We can get involved by 1) volunteering mission time for word days doing whatever is needed, 2) supporting the upgrade and improvement of JKC through approved special offerings and capital campaigns and 3) encouraging our your members to spend time at JKC summer camps and our adults to participate in the many adult activities that the Center hosts throughout the year.
For more information, contact Tom Shipley or visit their website at www://johnknoxcenter.org
Sunset Gap Community Center
Sunset Gap began in the early 1900′s, It has been supported by the PUCSA since its inception. Its mission is to provide programs that contribute to the physical, social, economic and spiritual growth of the people of Cocke and Sevier counties in Tennessee.
They execute their mission through work camps, an early learning center, a food pantry, spiritual retreats, youth nights and a Children’s Christmas store.
The work camps are made up of volunteers who help to repair and rehabilitate houses in the area. The teams pay for the supplies needed to complete their project.
The Children’s Christmas store is the only way many of the children receive anything for Christmas.
You can help by donating items such as: 1) paper towels and toilet paper, 2) new or gently used toys, books, pencils, crayons, etc., 3) used clothing & househld items in good repair and 4) non-perishable dry goods such as canned meat, peanut butter, sugar, cereal, rice, oatmeal, flour, cornmeal or money to buy food.
For more information about, contact Loretta Teter or visit their website at http://www.sunsetgap.org
