We are a community of Christians who are dedicated to the mission of Christ Jesus: To be a blessing for those who need to be blessed.
Jesus said in the book of Luke that “The greatest among you must become like the youngest, and the leader like one who serves. For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.”
In Meeting this general call to missional service, each member of the Tappan Reformed Church are called to ministries of mercy, service and outreach. Our Board of Deacons are men and women who help then coordinate and establish these service ministries to individuals and families facing illness, disability or economic hardship. Through the following partnerships we seek to work together with people, institutions and organizations that promote the health and well being of our neighborhood and region:
LOCAL
People to People of Rockland
People to People is a community outreach program whose mission is to provide food and support for those in need. The TRC helps in this mission by sponsoring four or five dinners each year at the Piermont Reformed Church as part of the People to People Safe Sanctuary program outreach to serve the homeless of Rockland County. In addition to the meals, which take place between the months of December and April, our deacons and interchurch youth group distribute hygiene kits to those in attendance. At the beginning of the program, TRC was serving between 10 and 15 people, but every year the number grows and more people are provided for.
Child Care Resourses of Rockland (CCRR)
The TRC has enjoyed a partnership with the CCRR for over 20 years now, with four members having served on the administrative board. The TRC has collaborated with the CCRR on many outreach programs, including: Tops for Tots, a daycare center for which TRC and CCRR provide various volunteer services; Samaritan’s Purse “Operation Christmas Child,” in which members of the church community donate gifts to children in need around the world; and the Rockland County Family Court Care Group, through which, and with the help of the YMCA, we provide winter clothing to local children in need. Through this partnership with the CCRR, the TRC has also been able to provide a home for the Children’s Enrichment Center (CEC), a non-affiliated daycare and education center located in the TRC Manse Barn community center.
In addition to providing talent and services to these organizations, the TRC also gives monetary and substantive donations to the following organizations:
• Center for Food Action – Bergen County
• Hudson Valley Food Bank
• People to People Food Pantry
• CCRR
• St. Judes Children’s Hospital
• Heifer International
• Tappan Volunteer Fire Association
• Thorpe Senior Center-volunteers provide meal assistance.
• Tappan Zee Thrift Shop
• Susan B. Komen Cancer Foundation
• Westchester Medical Center
• Jawanio
• Meals on Wheels
• Girl Scouts Heart of the Hudson
GLOBAL
Christian-Muslim Interfaith Education
The RCA, in partnership with the Al Amana Centre of Muscat, Oman, is a proud sponsor of journeys to the Middle East for an interfaith education experience that will strive to bridge the gaps of misunderstanding between the churches of Christianity and Islam.
The goal of this mission is for the Christian world to better understand the Muslim world in the context of Arab culture. Oman has been selected as the ideal location for this mission due to its healthy balance of modernization and traditional beliefs. With the help of Al Amana Centre and the people of Oman, Doug, with a group of university and seminary students from the RCA, will work to create a thriving interfaith relationship from which the global religious community can learn and benefit. The Al Amana Centre will also sponsor visits to the US from various religious figures in Oman.
The Al Amana Centre has been affiliated with the RCA since the denomination began a missionary presence in 1893. From there, the RCA went on to establish the first hospital and coeducational school in Oman. For over the past century, the Al Amana Centre has worked with the people of Oman to create an environment of understanding and respect for the relationship between Islam and Christianity throughout the Gulf region. Amidst today’s tense political climate, cementing these religious connections is more important than ever.
More information and ways to support this Global mission can be found at alamanacentre.org.