November 30, 2020
Fall 2020 Service Times:
9:00 AM - Sanctuary | 11:00 AM - Sanctuary & Livestream
No nursery or Children's Worship available at either service.
No Wednesday Communion Service until Spring 2021
Comfort, O comfort my people,
    says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
    and cry to her
that she has served her term,
    that her penalty is paid,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand
    double for all her sins.
A voice cries out:
“In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord,
    make straight in the desert a highway for our God. -Isaiah 40:1-3
 
“Comfort, O comfort my people.” There is no need for this cry unless there is distress. We all are feeling a great portion of distress these days. Where do you seek comfort in your distress? A place of comfort for me is my home. When disease entered into my family’s life, I remember locking our front door at night and feeling relief, as if this house of ours could protect us from the raging cancer. It did not stop that destruction, but it still provided a place of comfort.

And what is comfort? It is a calming of one’s fears, but it is also the delivering of hope. When a child wakes up from a nightmare, we hold them, we soothe their fears, but we also assure them that all will be well. We deliver hope. When our friend faces life changing devastation, we hold their hand, we hear their cries, and when appropriate we help them envision a new life that is ahead. We deliver hope.

The people of Jerusalem have been in exile and have experienced Babylonian captivity, economic devastation, and upheaval of life as they knew it. They are in need of comfort. And they do not even have their homes anymore to lock out the evil as the day ends. God does not stop the destruction of Jerusalem. God does not stop viruses from existing either. If we base God’s goodness on the state of our worldly circumstances, then we will find no comfort. But if we base God’s goodness on God’s continuous comfort and delivery of hope then we do not come up short. We find such words of comfort and hope all throughout the Old and New Testament.

The prophet Isaiah is delivering God’s comfort to the people’s cries. “Speak kindly to Jerusalem,” the scripture says. Comfort is shared, fears are heard and soothed. But then the prophet challenges the people of God to imagine a future. Out of the wilderness a way is prepared - cities rebuilt, livelihood reestablished, a reunion of brothers and sisters, a nation reconciled, and most importantly a restored relationship with God. God offers them a word of hope not based on their current condition but based on their future … a promise to be delivered. 

Hope is delivered. The world teeters in uncertainty, but hope is delivered.

And that hope is delivered and laid in a manger.

God cries “comfort, comfort my people,” and Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh, comes down from the heavenly throne to walk beside us, to speak kindly to us, to soothe our nightmares, and to light the path to a new way of living. We will still face the trials of being human, but through God’s spirit we are able to rest in the comfort of knowing that God has made a way for us. Hope has been delivered and it is stronger than any vaccine, filled with more joy than any family gathering, it wipes away all nightmares, and gives abundant life. 
We seek comfort and we wait for hope this Advent, knowing we are already the recipients of that hope … the way has been prepared! So live it! Watch for how hope is delivered this Advent season! Be a comfort to others in our perilous world, speak kindly, and be one who shares in hope, delivering its goodness to all in need! Amen.

-Leigh Sackett, Director of Christian Education
Wednesday Dinner to Go
In November, fellowship dinners switch to Dinner to Go. Reserve your dinners by Tuesday at noon to pick up at 6:00 PM-6:30 PM on Wednesday. In case of rain, food will still be prepared for you to pick up if you registered for the event.
Wednesday Dinner to Go
December 2, & 9 at 6:00-6:30 PM

Registration is required by Noon on Tuesday the week of the event either using the online link in the This Week @ RCPC or by calling the church office, 540-343-5541 x 111 and leave Anne Currin a message. There will NOT be a paper sign up sheet in the Gathering Area. Meals are a suggested donation of $7 for an individual 12 years and up, $5 for children ages 4-11, and free for 3 and younger, with is a max of $20 for a family.
The Fellowship Committee will be wearing masks, gloves, and socially distancing to get the food into individual or family boxes. Plastic utensils and napkins will be provided. We ask that you place all trash in the provided garbage cans.

UPDATED Curbside pickup directions:
  1. Wear mask for pick-up
  2. From Grandin Road, please enter the parking lot closest to The Maridor. Drive to the end of the lot and circle around to the side entrance. (Preschool pick-up traffic pattern). The driver's side of your car will be next to the side entrance of the building.
  3. Place on the DRIVER'S SIDE window white 8.5"X11" sheet of paper, with last name and number of meals in large black letters
  4. Step out of car to place donation envelope on tray and pick-up meal(s). On the envelope: last name, number of meals, and amount of donation.
  5. Please pick up meals even if there is inclement weather.
  6. We hope you enjoy the meal because it will be prepared especially for you! May it be a reminder of God's provision and the caring of your church family during the pandemic. 
If you have made a reservation, please plan to pick-up your meal.

We always welcome new volunteer!. Please contact Maureen Guelzow at nanaguelzow@gmail.com or 540-529-5347 if you are interested.

December 2 Wednesday Dinner to Go
  • Lasagna, Italian Green Beans, Sweet Corn, Garlic Bread, Cake
  • Vegan Option: Vegan Lasagna
December 9 Wednesday Dinner to Go
  • Herbed Pork Loin, Buttered Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli, Homemade Bread, Cupcakes
  • Vegan Option: Veggie Roast
Adult Small Groups for 2020-2021
Our Adult Small Groups will resume the week of September 20. There are available spaces in our small groups for new participants. If you have not been a part of small groups in the past now is a great time to join! Sign-ups for small group will be made available online, or you can contact Leigh Sackett if you would like more information about our small groups.
Our small groups will be reflecting on the previous Sunday worship service sermon and the Sunday scripture. A weekly small group lesson is provided, participants discuss and share how the word read and proclaimed connects to our world today and to our personal lives and experiences.
In a time where social connections have been a challenge for many, small groups have become a vital place for the sharing of our faith and the uplifting and encouragement of one another. We hope to see many new faces in our small groups this fall! Below is a list of our small group offerings and facilitators.
 
  • Andrew Whaley – Mondays, 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm – via Zoom
  • David Dixon – Tuesdays, 5:00 pm – Church Parking Lot
  • Jennifer Bryant (30-something women’s group) – Tuesdays, 8:00 pm - rotated through backyards
  • Leigh Sackett - Wednesdays, 7:00 pm – Church Parking Lot
  • Elise Hansard - Fridays, 10:00 am – via Zoom
Alternative Giving in 2020 will certainly be a bit alternative! In a year where everything has changed, this beloved tradition will also look different. Alternative Giving encompasses different ways of giving during Advent that connects RCPC with our neighbors in Roanoke and allows us to thoughtfully give gifts in honor of our loved ones directly to our many mission partners. Below you’ll find the necessary information to participate in Alternative Giving this year. 

SUDANESE REFUGEE GIFT DRIVE
On our virtual Sudanese Refugee Gift tree you will find names, gifts, and ages of family members of our Sudanese refugees living in Roanoke. Please sign-up below and purchase and wrap the gifts listed. Be sure to place the name and tag on the front of the gift so that it is delivered to the correct child. Bring in your gifts by December 12 so that they will be delivered to our families in time for Christmas.
Instructions:
*All presents should be gift wrapped.
*Attach two (2) tags - one with the child’s name and one that tells what’s inside (the second one will be removed before delivery)
*Return the presents to RCPC on/by December 12
WEST END CENTER COLLECTION OF SOCKS AND UNDERWEAR
You’ll sign up through a specific link in upcoming issues of This Week to provide a specific size of socks and underwear for a specific student. Gift drop off information below.
​
To drop off all gifts (wrapped Sudanese Refugee, West End Center socks and underwear, or your filled-in form and check for a Mission Partner gift), visit the church on Saturday, December 12, between 9:00 AM and 1:00 PM, where the Deacons will be available to collect your gifts!
ALTERNATIVE GIVING TREE 
Donate to Our Mission Partners in Honor of a Loved One. This year's partners are Family Promise, House of Bread, RAM, Hunger Mission Team, Haiti Mission Group, PCC, and West End Center. The link will take you to a Google Form to fill in information about your loved one and the specific GoFundMe for that organization to pay directly online. If you would like to pay by check, please visit our community Christmas Tree on Grandin Road near the prayer line to pick up a paper form. Forms and checks are due to the church in person or via mail by December 12. 
Sudanese Mission Update
Update from Rev. Dr. Margaret T. Kutz about the kitchen project that RCPC funded through the Endowment Fund:

"All schools in South Sudan were shut down last spring due to the virus. In November the Ministry of Education opened schools to 8th and 12th graders for the purpose of preparing them for the national exam to be administered in March, 2021. We have 95 senior students plus 20 needed staff. They are to meet Monday through Saturday 8 am to 5 pm. Normally our classes run 8 to 1 because we do not provide food. The government also informed us we were to provide food. Due to many factors, food (porridge) for just these 110 people 6 days would cost $2500+ per month. We determined we could raise half that amount. One of our donors had given $3,000 for food. We used $1,100 of that for utensils. There were rumors that World Food Organization might provide food for two secondary schools in Rumbek, Abukloi being one of them.

The kitchen has been used since its construction to serve tea to our teachers and students. They paid a small amount and we provided $400/month. The sugar added to the tea provided enough calories to get them to their evening meal. So the kitchen has been valuable but we always dreamt of a lunch program for our teachers and students.

WFO requires a kitchen and utensils before giving food. This week they gave us bags of sorghum and other food items. Local women were hired (providing them employment) to prepare the food and lunch was served!

This is truly a dream come true for everyone involved. Every time we inquired of the students, they reported lunch as a top priority. Lunch allows them to have classes later into the day reducing the number of students in each class. It also means more food for the rest of the family in the evening. So this lunch feeds families."
DECEMBER BIRTHDAYS
December 1-6
1 Skip Hastings
4 Milee Hoffman
Pikea Reynolds-Saint
5 Adria Fox
Thom McMahon
VIDEO BOARD IN THE GATHERING AREA
Have an upcoming event? Pictures from a recent event? Want to get information displayed on the video board in the Gathering Area? Please send the information to Carole Banks at pixiebowls@gmail.com
THE HERALD
The Herald is a monthly newsletter that comes in your mailbox the first of each month. The deadline for articles is the 10th of each month to appear in the next month's newsletter.
THIS WEEK
The This Week is published every Monday morning via email. This publication is for weekly activities at RCPC. If you would like to receive this email please contact Julie Satterwhite at julie@rcpres.org or call the church office at 540-343-5541 x 107.

The deadline for for the This Week is noon on Wednesday prior to the Monday publication.
PRAYER REQUESTS
Carole Banks, Dawn Blakeman Jason Burton, Mary Frances Donnelly, Chuck Foley, Bill Gordge, Liz Holsinger, Dick Kepley, Susan Lindstrom, Bruce Long, Helen Lovelace, Ann Moomaw, Susan Moore, Jennifer Owen-O'Quill, Daryl Poythress, Marion Raney, Bucky Thomas, Bryan Tims, Marcia Via, Betty Walker, and all caregivers.

Our sincere thoughts and prayers are extended to the family of Betty Walker on her passing on November 20.

(Prayers request as of Friday, November 20)
Names in bold indicate an addition to the prayer list this week.
Monday, November 30
9:00 AM - RCPC Preschool
10:00 AM - Monday Morning Prayer Group
1:00 PM - Small Group - Whaley

Tuesday, December 1
9:00 AM - RCPC Preschool
12:30 PM - Open Door Prayers
5:00 PM - Small Group - Dixon
6:30 PM - BSA Wolf & Bears
8:00 PM - Small Group - Bryant

Wednesday, December 2
8:00 AM - Hunger Mission Packing
9:00 AM - RCPC Preschool
3:45 PM - God Alive Pageant Rehearsal
5:00 PM - NO Youth Check in with Isabella
6:00 PM - Wednesday Dinner to Go Pick Up
7:00 PM - Small Group - Sackett
7:15 PM - Bell Choir
Thursday, December 3
9:00 AM - RCPC Preschool
10:00 AM - Centering Prayer
8:00 PM - Virtual Evening Prayer Service

Friday, December 4
9:00 AM - RCPC Preschool
10:00 AM - Small Group - Hansard

Sunday, December 6
9:00 AM - Worship in Sanctuary
11:00 AM - Worship in Sanctuary
4:00 PM -Youth Bells
5:00 PM - Youth Group - Middle School
6:00 PM - Youth Group - High School
1837 Grandin Road SW, Roanoke, Virginia 24015  540.343.5541