Riverside Weekly Actions | September 17, 2026
Small Beginnings Build Real Power
“For who has despised the day of small things?” — Zechariah 4:10
Zechariah spoke to a people rebuilding a temple that looked embarrassingly modest next to the grandeur they remembered. Sometimes we get that way too about the little work we can towards change. But God’s answer to the people wasn’t a promise of instant grandeur; it was a rebuke of the very instinct to despise the small start. Don’t get it twisted. The work begins small. That is not a flaw in the plan; it IS the plan.
Voting and organizing live in that same tension. One vote. One knock on one door. One conversation. One person deciding to show up to a meeting. None of it looks like power. It’s tempting to write off the small, unglamorous first steps as beneath the size of the problem, just as tempting to wait for a movement that already looks large before joining it.
But it’s got to start somewhere.
Check out these small beginnings that lead to building real power:
Election Protection Volunteer Training – October 3, 1-4pm, Assembly Hall
Want to do your part to ensure the upcoming midterm elections are safe and fair? We know there is growing anxiety around our elections and a strong desire to understand what can be done to protect our democracy—to ensure that every eligible New Yorker can cast their ballot and have it counted.
Join us to become a trained volunteer for poll monitoring! With us, you will learn how to support your neighbors—and yourself—by understanding your voting rights, de-escalation techniques, and how to respond to issues at the polls.
Register here: NYS Election Protection Volunteer Training · Hands Off NYC
Mental Health Listening Circle – October 4, 1:30pm, 9T
We are gathering with Metro-IAF/Manhattan Together organizers, community leaders, and members of our congregation to speak honestly about New York City’s mental health crisis and its impact on our communities. This listening circle is an opportunity to share your concerns, hear from others, and deepen our collective understanding of the challenges facing so many New Yorkers. Your voice will help shape our advocacy as we prepare for the October 11 citywide rally, where we will call on the Mayor to follow through on commitments to expand access to mental health care across the city.
Come be part of this important conversation as we listen, organize, and build power together for a more compassionate and effective response to mental health crises.
The Riverside Church will join Metro IAF at Queens College to call on Mayor Mamdani to uphold the commitments he made to our communities in 2025.
More than 10,000 New Yorkers came together through Metro IAF to advance a people-powered agenda focused on:
• Building affordable housing
• Fixing NYCHA
• Addressing the mental health crisis
• Taking action on community issues
Mayor Mamdani committed to this agenda. Now, we’re coming together to review the progress made and organize for what’s next.
Join us! We’ll meet at The Riverside Church at 12:45 PM and travel together by bus to Queens College.
Bus departure from Riverside: 12:45 PM
Event at Queens College: 2:30 PM
Register now to secure your spot on the bus Oct 11- Mayoral Accountability Action