Riverside offers care opportunities for a variety of needs as well as opportunities to serve those in need. You may be starting a new life with Jesus, life may have brought unexpected challenges or you’re in a great place and have the ability to care for someone who needs help. Wherever you are, there are opportunities for you or someone you may know. Please scroll down for some opportunities to get involved and get support!
The Marriage Course
The Marriage Course is a series of seven sessions, designed to help married and cohabitating couples invest in their relationship and build a strong home life. Nicky and Sila Lee, authors of The Marriage Book, developed The Marriage Course for couples looking for practical support to strengthen their relationship. The course is designed to help couples build strong foundations, learn to communicate more effectively and resolve differences well.
Mondays, Nov 3 - Dec 15 @ the Big Lake Campus, 6:30pm (light dinner served)
Cost: $20 (Scholarships available).
Register here
GriefShare's Surviving the Holidays
Help and hope as you navigate the Christmas season
Wondering how you will survive the weeks surrounding Thanksgiving and Christmas? Are you dreading these holidays, knowing that everything has changed and that happy memories from past years can’t be recreated?
GriefShare's Surviving the Holidays seminar is especially for people who are grieving a loved one’s death. You’ll learn:
- How to deal with the many emotions you’ll face during the holidays
- What to do about traditions and other coming changes
- Helpful tips for surviving social events
- How to discover hope for your future
Saturday, November 15, 2025 @ Big Lake Campus, 1pm-3pm
Saturday, November 15, 2025 @ Sauk Rapids Campus, 10am-12pm
Cost: $5 (scholarship available)
Looking for a simple yet valuable way to GIVE OF YOURSELF?
Take one of your next steps and bring in new socks and underwear to any Riverside campus. Items will be given to local agencies helping those in need. (This is one of the biggest needs for people experiencing times of hardship.) Bring your items to the Riverside drop off sites located in each campus between October 1-31. (At the Big Lake Campus, drop off in the Café. Buffalo and Sauk Rapids, drop off in foyer.)
Watching church online? Order online and ship directly to: Riverside Church, Attn: SOCKTOBER, 20314 County Rd 14 NW, Big Lake, MN 55309.
Items to donate include:
Men: New socks (dress, sport & casual) - size large & x-large | New briefs, boxer briefs and boxers (all sizes & colors)
Women: New socks (dress, sport & casual) - all sizes & colors | All sizes and styles of new ladies' underwear
Children: New socks (all sizes from infants to pre-teens) | All sizes of new underwear for boys/girls from toddler to pre-teens
CARE
griefshare
Grieving the death of a loved one? A friendly, caring group of people who will walk alongside you through one of life's most difficult experiences; losing a loved one. Facilitated by people who've walked the road you are traveling; people who understand how you feel and can offer encouragement.
Mondays @ the Big Lake Campus, 6:30pm
Tuesdays @ the Buffalo Campus, 4pm
Tuesdays @ the Sauk Rapids Campus, 6:30pm
Wednesdays @ the Big Lake Campus, 1pm
Cost: $20 (Scholarships available)
Register here
life recovery
Life Recovery is a Christ-centered 12-step group built to foster and encourage healthy recovery from all of life's ugliness. Designed for those who have experienced the effects of sin and separation from God in their lives. This may be drugs, alcohol, overeating, pornography, or any of the other numerous ways people experience disconnection from God. Join others in this warm environment where an intentional focus on Christ is foundational to recovery utilizing the proven 12-step approach. Weekly meetings consist of a step based teaching, a testimony, or medallion night.
Mondays @ the Big Lake Campus, 6:30pm
Tuesdays @ the Sauk Rapids Campus, 7pm
Register here
finances
FINANCIAL PEACE UNIVERSITY (FPU)
Financial Peace University is a nine-lesson course that teaches you how to save for emergencies, pay off debt fast, spend wisely, and invest for your future. And no complicated financial blah blah blah over here. For over 25 years, Dave Ramsey’s been teaching commonsense, biblical money principles that work. Every time.
Next session winter 2026
Cost: $129.99
Registration coming prior to course.
THE LEGACY JOURNEY
Grow it. Live it. Share it. Living and leaving a legacy. This course doesn't replace FPU—you still need the nuts-and-bolts foundation for your money FPU provides. The Legacy Journey builds on that foundation. It's for those who want to know what's next once their families are free from debt. If FPU was God showing you how to wake up, The Legacy Journey is God showing you how to grow up. This class leads members into a deeper look at what the Bible has to say about wealth and gives them practical tools for managing their resources and living a generous life. The Legacy Journey will show you how to live a legacy now while preparing to leave a legacy for your children—and future generations to come. This is the class for those who want to finish strong!
When: After successful completion of Financial Peace University
Marriage / Divorce
THE MARRIAGE COURSE
The Marriage Course is a series of seven sessions, designed to help couples invest in their relationship and build a strong home life. The Marriage Course is for couples looking for practical support to strengthen their relationship. The course is designed to help couples build strong foundations, learn to communicate more effectively and resolve differences well.
Mondays, Nov 3 - Dec 15 @ the Big Lake Campus, 6:30pm (light dinner served)
Cost: $20 (Scholarships available).
Register here
Mondays, Feb 9 - March 23, 2026 Online, 6:30pm
Cost: $20 (Scholarships available).
Register here
Mondays, March 23 - May 4, 2026 @ the Buffalo Campus, 6:30pm (desert served)
Cost: $20 (Scholarships available).
Register here
DIVORCECARE
DivorceCare’s life-changing support groups welcome people and guide them on the path of recovery after separation or divorce. Over 1 million people have found comfort and hope through this 13-week, video-based series. Find help. Discover hope. Experience healing.
Mondays, Sep 8 - Dec 1 @ the Big Lake Campus, 6:30pm
Cost: $20 (Scholarships available).
Register here
Blood Drives
We are excited to host blood drives at all of our campuses. Volunteers needed to help welcome our guests and check them in to the Red Cross' system. Volunteers also needed to donate blood.
Car Care Days
Riverside offers a free oil change and basic maintenance, and counsels vehicle owners about the best way to care for and service their vehicles. This ministry is designed for single moms and widows local to each of our campuses. Registration opens shortly before each event. Upcoming dates include:
- Sauk Rapids Campus - May 16, 2026 - details & registration coming April 1st, 2026 here
Servants on Standby (S.O.S.)
Servants on Standby (S.O.S.) is a team of volunteers "standing by" to respond to immediate one time, or short term needs of the Riverside body and community, thereby showing the love of Jesus Christ by helping in practical ways.
Counseling
While Riverside does have staff members who are available for spiritual consultation and premarital counseling, we do not have a trained psychologist on staff. There may be times when the concern or issue you share suggest professional counseling could best help you as you take next steps in healing. Here is a list we can recommend as a place for you to start your search finding a counselor best suited for your needs and personality.
Center for Family Counseling (Dave Olmscheid)
Monticello | 1.844.221.1191 | Web
Tollefson Counseling Service (Barb Tollefson)
Monticello | 763.295.3207 | Web
Solace Counseling Associates (Deborah Peterson)
Delano | 612.584.1153 | Web
Family Counseling Center (Mark Pederson)
Buffalo | 763.682.5420 | Web
The Center for Family Counseling
St. Cloud | 320.253.3540 | Web
Hanson Associates LLC (Gary & Joy Hanson)
Maple Grove | 763.533.5339 | Web
Levang and Associates (Curt Levang)
St. Louis Park | 952.541.4799 | Web
Red Cross Blood DriveS - November 6, 13 & 20, 2025
We are excited to host blood drives at all of our campuses. Volunteers needed to help welcome our guests and check them in to the Red Cross' system. Volunteers also needed to donate blood.
DONATE @ SAUK RAPIDS 11/6 DONATE @ Buffalo 11/13 DONATE @ Big Lake 11/20
VOLUNTEER @ SAUK RAPIDS 11/6 VOLUNTEER @ Buffalo 11/13 VOLUNTEER @ Big lake 11/20
Need more info? Contact our Care Team at or call us at (763) 263-2410.