Worship Service Times

9:00 AM - Chapel

10:00 AM - Sunday School

11:00 AM - Sanctuary & Livestream

Baby & Toddler Nursery is available

Podcast March Herald

Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise;

    his greatness no one can fathom.

One generation commends your works to another;

    they tell of your mighty acts.

They speak of the glorious splendor of your majesty—

    and I will meditate on your wonderful works.[b]

They tell of the power of your awesome works—

    and I will proclaim your great deeds.

They celebrate your abundant goodness

    and joyfully sing of your righteousness.

-Psalm 145: 3-7

Churches begin and end all the time.  Especially in a post-denominational world, a charismatic leader and a few faithful people can meet in a home or a storefront or a school or a movie theater.  These churches are light on overhead and nimble to adjust to whatever situation arises.  They have a strong model in the New Testament beginnings of Christianity.  But the nimble nature also leads to a feeling that is fleeting, transitory, temporary.  The Church exists for the moment, without great concern for the past or long vision for the future.

The opposite of that form is a church with a graveyard, or in our case a columbarium.  Nothing says “permanence” like the burying ground of the dead.  There is an expectation that this community, this location, will continue to be the holy site that it is now.  Nobody wants to imagine the columbarium garden as a beer garden outside of the latest pizza joint in Grandin Village.  The Church and her people are to be lasting.  The dead declare their hope when they are buried in it.

This is one way that “one generation commends your works to another.”  These saints who have seen God’s hand at work in their lives and in the world are calling to us from eternity, their names etched on those plaques, reminding us who God is and our charge to tell the story of Jesus’ love and grace and live it day by day.

There are funny and beautiful stories from the columbarium.  Suzanne Mitchell never wanted anyone to know her age, so on her plaque, neither she nor her husband have their birth years engraved, only the death year.

Chuck Foley asked that his dog (named Tupper by the way), have his ashes added to his niche once he (Tupper the dog) dies.

At Jeanne Pritchard’s graveside service we drank port wine and danced on the grass.

There are parents and children next to one another.  Spouses side by side.  Some of those represent loving and strong relationships, and others more circuitous with plenty of pain and forgiveness offered or withheld.  

I sometimes walk with people in the columbarium as they are selecting their niche.  Do they want to be high (closer to heaven they sometimes say) or low (closer to the children hunting Easter eggs)?  They rub their hands along the names and sometimes want to be next to someone in the church they were close to or admired.  Some pick spots in the farthest reaches because they don’t want to be too close to anyone else.  

As we continue preparing to celebrate our centennial this year, consider how the psalm this morning remembers the lives of previous generations and what the living generation does.  The psalmist tells us, “They speak,” “They tell,” and “They celebrate.”  The living generation, then, is to meditate, proclaim, and joyfully sing.  So let us do just that as those who have been blessed by the ones before us.

PRAYER:

Oh God, teach us to meditate on your Word, a word of life and goodness.

Fill our lungs and move our lips to proclaim what you have done and are doing in our lives.

Tune our hearts and our voices to sing of the ways you have carried us through the wilderness.

Make us faithful to the ministry given to us by previous generations and so continue your mission of love to the world.

Amen.

-The Rev. Andrew C. Whaley, Head of Staff

RCPC Bible and Music Camp: July 29 - August 1, 2024

Registration is open!

What a gift to learn and sing about creation! From our earliest years we are all fascinated by the world around us and enjoy learning the names of different animals, imitating their sounds, or drawing pictures. In the Bible we learn how God’s creative work, including us, is very good (Genesis 1-2), how the birds lift their voices and the lions roar (Psalm 104), and how creation sings praise to God even before we do (Revelation 5).

“All Creation Sings!” is our theme for Bible and Music Camp 2024 at Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church. During the week we will explore the following themes through story, song, and fun:

• God’s creative activity
• The delight, variety, and goodness of creation
• The example creation sets for us to follow
• The urgent need to take care of the planet

The structure of Bible and Music Camp contains half-day & full-day programming schedules to allow for the participation of a variety of age groups.

• Rising Pre-K: half-day camp experience (9 am - 12 pm) *must be potty trained*
• Rising Kindergarten through 5th grade: full-day camp experience (9 am – 4 pm), bring a sack lunch
• Rising 6th through 8th grade: half-day camp (12:30 pm - 4 pm). Youth campers are also able to volunteer for the morning half-day camp if they wish. For more specific information about the activities, visit rcpres.org/BibleMusicCamp
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Cost (fees cover cost of supplies, snacks, & a t-shirt):

• Rising Pre-K: $25/week
• Rising Kindergarten - 5th Grade: $50/week for 1st child - $35/week for 2nd child - $30/week for 3rd+ child
• Rising 6th - 8th Grade: $25/week - youth campers may also volunteer for the morning half-day camp and the their fee is waived

Capital Campaign & Renovation Project Update

The renovation project highlight video outlines the renovations to our building that have taken place since 2022 . Below is a link to a document about the overall building project and financial picture for the church. Please review all of the materials and consider how God is calling you to respond.

Overall Building Project: http://tinyurl.com/RCPCRenovationSummary

Our Response:

https://forms.gle/UkQzgEWRsC43ukqz7

Job Opportunities - RCPC Preschool

Raleigh Court Presbyterian Preschool is in search of enthusiastic, patient, and kind people to join our team of teachers and assistants for the 2024-25 school year.  Hours are from 8:45 AM -12:15 PM and tuition discounts are available. (2, 3 and 5-day options are available) If you love children and are looking for part-time work, call Betsy Prillaman at (540) 343-5541- ext 109 or email at betsy@rcpres.org.

Adult Small Groups

The Small Group lessons are based on the Sunday sermons and scripture. Being part of a Small Group is an experience rich in personal connection and spiritual growth. Small Groups discuss what is shared in worship, therefore the experience of worship is more deeply ingrained in our minds and hearts. As we contemplate it all together the concepts take root and our faith grows!

Monday 10:30 AM-12:00 PM - Andrew Whaley, Room 102

Tuesday 4:00 PM-5:30 PM - David Dixon, Room 201

Tuesday 8:00 PM-9:30 PM - Emilie Biddle, The Parlor

Wednesday 7:00 PM-8:30 PM - Leigh Sackett, Room 102

Thursday 10:30 AM-12:00 PM - Elise Hansard, Room 101

Adult Sunday School: April 7 - May 12, 2024

The Seekers: Book Study

Falling Upward by Richard Rohr

In Falling Upward, Richard Rohr seeks to help readers understand the tasks of the two halves of life and to show them that those who have fallen, failed, or "gone down" are the only ones who understand "up." Most of us tend to think of the second half of life as largely about getting old, dealing with health issues, and letting go of life, but the whole thesis of this book is exactly the opposite. What looks like falling down can largely be experienced as "falling upward." In fact, it is not a loss but somehow actually a gain, as we have all seen with elders who have come to their fullness. The Seekers will study this book together as they contemplate how growth and transformation is for all of God’s people, no matter where they are in life. Led by Nancy Ayling & David Dixon | Room 201

Discover RCPC

Discover RCPC is a way to learn more about our life together as followers of Jesus. In these gatherings, we will get to know one another better. We will learn about how and why we worship and what is distinctive about being a Reformed Church. We will learn about how Presbyterians practice their life in covenant with each other, and we will learn the story specifically of the Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church: The Church of the Open Door.

Teacher: Andrew Whaley / Room: 202. April 14 - May 5

Parent is a Verb

The Parent is a Verb class will continue throughout the spring! Led by Leigh Sackett, Wade Whitehead, & others | Room 102

Mission Partner Support 

Each month, we are designating all cash and coin to one of our local mission partners. For the month of April, we are supporting the work of Habitat for Humanity. In 2023, Habitat for Humanity received $3,000 in support from our church. Your generosity will encourage us to meet that amount in 2024. You can place your money in the offering plate or make an online gift at rcpres.org, noting that it is for Mission and making a note for Habitat for Humanity in the text box. As of April 21, we have collected $1,674.66 for Habitat for Humanity.

CarePortal

RCPC has joined 32 other churches locally to serve at-risk children through CarePortal. We established CarePortal with a core team late last year and are responding to needs to support children in our community. These are very small acts of kindness, but they make a huge difference in the lives of our neighbors who are struggling with day-to-day survival. If you have ever wanted to help, but thought “how do I know I am helping the right people?”, be assured that all of these needs are first vetted by a sponsoring organization, such as DSS. Then we choose the needs we feel led to support with our tithe, talent, and/or time.

Please prayerfully consider signing up to our RCPC CarePortal Response Team using the link below:

https://system.careportal.org/church/100598/kiosk/sQ2sT5Yw8mFSWOAazABqN7dSd

There is no obligation by signing up. You’ll simply get access to CarePortal and be on our email list to be aware of opportunities to serve when you are able. If you want to learn more or have any questions, please contact Chris DeFalco at chris.a.defalco@gmail.com.

House of Bread

House of Bread will make an appearance tomorrow afternoon, April 30, at LEAP's West End Market from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, selling Maple Coconut Granola and Fudge Brownies. Please come say hi and meet a few of our students.

Family Promise—Alexa House

The Family Promise Mission Group invites you to a community-wide Service of Dedication for Alexa House on Sunday, May 12 at 5:00 PM in the sanctuary of Second Presbyterian Church. This service will remember and honor Dan Yardley, Alexa Cannon and Rita Magnus, while focusing on the future use of the house in providing hope and hospitality to families dealing with housing insecurity. If you are interested in serving as an overnight host during one of our Family Promise weeks this will give you a chance to view Alexa House both before and after the worship service.

As a reminder, we are looking for individuals or groups within the church to provide a meal during our week and to stay overnight with the families June 2-9. If you're interested in this, you can contact Vickie Haynie at 540-580-2587

Earth Care - Plastic Recycling

The RCPC Earth Care mission group has begun a project to encourage plastic recycling within our congregation through the company TREX. The company accepts a wider variety recycling of products (see graphic below) than what is accepted by Roanoke City and County. Drop-off locations are listed below. (notice that you can get your extended family to be part of this effort) We will have a chance to win a TREX bench if we can recycle 1000 lbs of plastics during a year beginning May 1. Documentation of that 1000 lbs requires a picture of each contribution that shows the weight of the material and is emailed to earthcare@rcpres.org. A kitchen or luggage scale are convenient items to help with that step. Accumulating several items will help weighing the contributions and reducing the number of pictures submitted. Use clear or transparent outer bags to make it easy for the store to know that the contents are valid. Send your questions to earthcare@rcpres.org or see Fred Hoffman or Abby Pierson.

Virginia Drop Off locations: Food City, Food Lion, Giant, Harris Teeter, Kohl’s, Kroger, Martins, Shop ‘n Save, Safeway, Wegmans, Weis. Full US list here.

Prayer Requests

Tom Alcoke, Dawn Blakeman, Jackie Blakeman, Brendan Brown (Kathy and Les Brown’s grandson), Beverly Day and family (friend of Camilla and Johnsey Cabaniss), Susan Lindstrom, Megan Mallare (friend of Kathy Grove), Melissa Martin (friend of Lisa Boylan), Billie Murphree (Dawn Long's mother), Dave Owen-O’Quill, Garland Parry, Hugh Wellons, and all caregivers.

(Prayers request as of Friday, April 26. Names in bold indicate an addition to the prayer list this week.)

The Herald - Deadline for Articles: 10th of each month

This Week @ RCPC - Deadline for Articles: Wednesday of each week

Send submissions for The Herald and This Week @ RCPC to Julie Satterwhite 

Video Board in the Gathering Area - Send Information to Carole Banks