Youth
Contact: Sara Orr
Visit YOUTH.RidgewoodParkChurch.org
Ridgewood Park United Methodist Church Youth (our own UMYF) attracts youth from across the metroplex who attend a wide range of public and private schools. All 7th through 12 grade students are invited every Sunday from 6:15 p.m to 8:00 p.m. In the dedicated youth area upstairs, youth eat dinner together and enjoy fellowship and devotional time.
Our UMYF doesn’t stop on Sunday nights! Year-round service projects include helping with the United Methodist Men’s garage sale, hosting Parents Nights Out, assisting teachers at Vacation Bible School, feeding the homeless, and Youth Week (a special time of activities right before school starts back). With so much going on and so many opportunities, there is something for everyone and our youth get to be a vital part of our mission.
Children
Contact: Sara Orr
Visit the children’s page
RPUMC has children’s programs for infants through 6th graders. Nursery care is available on Sunday mornings for our youngest. Sunday School programs, Children’s Choir, and numerous other programs are offered year round. Visit the children’s page for more information.
Young Adults
Contact: Nick La Rocca
The Ridge is a group of young adults that have very busy schedules, especially on the weekends. This gathering, which meets on the first Tuesday of every month, offers another option to the Traditional and Contemporary services offered on Sunday mornings. Throughout the month we also serve the community in a number of different ways. Click here for more information.
Music
Contact: Nick La Rocca
Music ministry has a long tradition of enriching the mission of Ridgewood Park. We love to sing and to praise God through music, and we find it’s a contagious joy! Musical groups for every age and stage both teach the art of singing and encourage personal, musical worship of God. As well as participating in worship and special events, groups enjoy fun and fellowship together throughout the year.
Classical organ repertoire to African percussion and everything in between can be heard on occasion at Ridgewood Park during worship. In fact, Ridgewood Park offers something for everyone who wants to learn, have fun, explore their musical talents and make a joyful noise to the Lord.
The United Methodist Men’s group of Ridgewood Park meets at 8:00 am on the second Saturday of the month for breakfast, fellowship, and an inspirational program. Other activities include work projects, family outings to the ballpark, fundraising for ministry projects, and occasional golf tournaments. We also sponsor our Boy Scout Troop #709. We focus on Christian fellowship and service.
The United Methodist Women’s groups are proud of our historical predecessor, the Home and Foreign Missionaries Societies and Guilds. We continue that heritage by focusing our prayers and our fundraising efforts toward global missions. We believe that by promoting Christian education generally, and by fostering knowledge of and support for foreign missions, we can most effectively serve our local congregation and ensure that the treasure of our history will bless future Methodist women.
Ridgewood Park boasts an extremely active Boy Scout Troop (#709), sponsored by our United Methodist Men. 2006 marked the Troop’s 50th Birthday! Activities include weekly meetings, monthly campouts, summer camp and service projects. We are proud of the many Eagle Scouts who have come up through Troop #709 – nine in 2006 alone. In celebration of 50 years of Troop 709, the Scouts and their many supporters plan to rebuild the Scout Hut (to make sure the next 50 years’ worth of Scouts have somewhere to meet!). Many of our Boy Scouts got their start through our Cub Scout packs, which meet in the church gym weekly. The participation of young men and boys from our surrounding community provides our congregation with wonderful opportunities to put our mission into action.
Weekday Programs
Contact: Jane Ellen Shilling
Visit the Weekday Programs page
Ridgewood Park offers two distinct programs for young children during the week: Ridgewood Park Preschool and Ridgewood Park Mothers Day Out. Both programs are directed by Director Jane Ellen Shilling. Both programs are licensed by the Texas Department of Regulatory Services; both programs are governed by the Weekday Board of Directors (Ridgewood Park members and School parents). Ridgewood Park Weekday Programs has ministered to East Dallas since 1961 and still strives to give children experiences which encourage their eager, happy participation and grow their understanding and love of God. Our trained teachers guide their students in age-appropriate activities and balance group learning with a focus on each individual child to expose all students to a curriculum which includes science, math, art, music, and creative movement.
