Bishop Rivera has served, as pastor, preacher, denominational executive, organization founder, and community builder. In the late-1960s through the 1970s, Rev. Dr. Raymond Rivera was Co-Founder and Chairperson of the Sunset Park Re-development Housing Initiatives in Brooklyn. He was Community Coordinator of the Lutheran Medical Center and developed community outreach programs for clergy and community-based organizations. From 1975 to 1984, he was National Executive for the Hispanic Council of the Reformed Church in America. In 1992, he founded the Latino Pastoral Action Center (LPAC), which started as a division of the Manhattan-based NYC Mission Society, the NYC’s oldest and largest social service agency. His vision was to develop an organization that dealt with social justice issues from a holistic perspective. In the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, he worked as an educational advocate and trainer in School Districts No.1 and No. 4 in Manhattan, empowering parents to become partners in the educational process. As a result, parents were elected to school boards, school-based management teams, and other policy committees within educational systems. In 1999, after years as a public education reformer, Rev. Dr. Rivera led a team of community and education leaders to establish the Family Life Academy Charter School.
Rev. Rivera is a spiritual father to many including many on the team at the Passion Center. He is also the author of the book Liberty to the Captives: Our Call to Minister in a Captive World.
Bishop Rivera is also the founder of the Council of Holistic Christian Churches and Ministries of which the Passion Center is a part. He serves on the Presbytery of the Passion Center.
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