TURN Today's Urban Renewal Network

Beyond facilitating a network of churches for united prayer and a stronger Church of the City in Riverside, TURN’s local ministry focuses in four areas: 

• helping churches to collaborate together to effectively care for local homeless families
• equipping and empowering churches to engage in serving the needs of local foster children
• educating churches on how to work together with schools to raise the reading levels of our area's elementary students knowing that literacy is a pathway out of poverty
• encouraging congregations to love and serve their local neighborhoods

Connecting Churches

TURN facilitates a growing network of churches located in the Riverside, California area.  Our mission is to serve the local church, promoting unity in the Body and collaboration in outreach within our city, specifically in the areas of caring for homeless families, local foster children, working to raise 3rd grade reading levels, and neighborhood organizing. 

For the past 7 years TURN has organized a Bless Riverside Prayer Service at the top of Mt. Rubidoux. Church memebers from all over the city meet at the top to pray and join hands as one "church of the city".

Helping the Homeless

At Christmas, TURN helps Riverside residents move beyond charity to friendship.  This December will mark the 7th annual “Parents Night Out at Christmastime” where volunteers from local churches partner with four of Riverside’s transitional living and homeless shelters to take parents out to local stores for the evening, providing them an opportunity to pick out Christmas gifts for their children.

Members from local churches raise money to buy over 300 gift cards, each in the amount of $25.  Parents at the shelter receive one gift card for each of their children, plus one additional as the head of household to spend. On the night of the event, volunteers from the local churches come out and are matched up with parents from the shelters. They spend the evening together, go to the store to pick out gifts with the gift cards and many stop to get a cup of coffee together.  When the volunteers and parents get back to the shelters, the churches have a wrapping paper station set up where shelter moms and dads wrap up their newly purchased presents.  Meanwhile, the children stay back at the shelter and participate in parties organized by the churches.

“We love doing Christmas this way because the parents get to pick out the gifts for their own children – they get to be the heroes!”  Libby Collier said, TURN’s founder.  “At the same time, it provides an opportunity for members from our local churches to spend several hours with some of our local homeless neighbors. They get to network and even begin friendships!”

At one of the shelters, Amelia’s Light, a 2-year transitional housing program for mothers and their children, 10 congregations have collaborated to put together the children’s Christmas party with crafts, outdoor games, face painting, balloons animals, and Christmas carols for the younger children and an urban art workshop for the teens (see photo) led by a local artist. The children have lots of fun while their mothers shop for them with a volunteer from a local church.

Foster Families

For the past 5 years TURN has participated in planning a Caregiver Appreciation Picnic with the County Dept. of Social Services. Foster families are treated to a fun free day of food, crafts, and games. TURN is also a key partner in the County's Faith in Motion initiative. This program connects churches with the County's social service agency and the children and families they help.