November 22, 2021
Fall 2021 Service Time:
9:00 AM - Chapel
10:00 AM - Sunday School
11:00 AM - Sanctuary & Livestream
Baby & Toddler Nursery available at both 9:00 AM and 11:00 AM services
Wednesday Communion Service - 7:00 AM.
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This morning’s devotional is a condensed version of Rev. Whaley’s remarks from our evening Thanksgiving service yesterday.
How precious is your steadfast love, O God!
All people may take refuge in the shadow of your wings.
They feast on the abundance of your house,
and you give them drink from the river of your delights.
-Psalm 36: 7-8
I love this verse of this psalm. I love it so much that we have it framed and hanging in our dining room in our home.
I love this image of the house of God being abundant. It reminds me of the Thanksgiving table my grandmother prepared each year, featuring a favorite dish of every member of the family- turkey and ham, sweet potato casserole for Marilyn, squash casserole for John, green bean casserole, dressing, spinach (Charlie’s favorite), macaroni and cheese, eggplant for Amanda, and on and on.
But the image of the abundant feast isn’t a one-time event, like the Thanksgiving table. The image in the psalm is that we feast on the abundance of God’s house continually. And the image that rises to me here is actually my other grandmother’s house- the one who lived in our town and cared for me on a more routine basis. I remember being dropped off in the early morning, and laying on the couch in the den, hearing the frying pan of bacon and eggs and toast. And the cookie jar was always full of Nutter Butters, the perfect treat after swimming in my grandparents’ pool on a hot summer afternoon. Even into college, when I would go visit my grandparents, she always sent me back to Memphis with a tin of peanut butter cookies, many of which were consumed on the long drive down interstate forty. A continuous feast on the abundance of her house.
There is evidence of God’s abundance around us in the life of the church too. We see it in the witness of the church member who discovers that the woman with Alzheimer’s loves strawberry milkshakes, and even though she doesn’t remember the visitor’s name, the woman faithfully comes each month with a milkshake and a prayer- a drink from the river of delights. It’s the kid at the church supper who runs to the lemonade dispenser and fills their cup to the very top lip, with twelve coffee stirrers in it and carefully carries back to the table, drips sliding down the sides the whole way.
It comes in pallets of food carried into closets and then packed into bags for kids to take home over the weekends. A daily lunch for teachers and students in a poverty-stricken nation. Meals in the parking lot on a Wednesday night or dinner around the campfire on a confirmation kickoff. It’s knowing who is alone for Thanksgiving and setting a place at your table for them too. Food drives and homeless assistance team collections and some jars of peanut butter on a cold late fall evening. They feast on the abundance of your house.
So feast on the abundance of God as we celebrate Thanksgiving. Drink from the River of Delights. And then keep overflowing with the love we know here, showing forth the thanksgiving we feel for God’s presence and power in our life and manifesting that power and presence as the Church who bears witness to abundance and delight. Amen.
PRAYER:
Even so, Lord, quickly come,
bring thy final harvest home;
gather thou thy people in,
free from sorrow, free from sin,
there, forever purified,
in thy presence to abide;
come, with all thine angels, come,
raise the glorious harvest home.
-The Rev. Andrew C. Whaley, Head of Staff
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Poinsettias for Advent
If you would like to dedicate a poinsettia in honor or memory of someone special, please complete this form below with name(s) for dedication along with a check. Please note in the memo of check "Poinsettia. Deadline to order is December 9. A list will be included in the bulletin on December 12. Cost per dedication is $12.
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Salvation Army Red Kettle Bell Ringers
NEEDED: Bell Ringer during the Advent Season to ring the bells for the Salvation Army Red Kettle station at Grandin Village
DATES: Saturdays November 18 through December 24 from 10:00 AM and to 6:00 PM.
It can be a challenge to get a group together to cover the whole day, shifts are 2-hours each. Sign-up sheet is in the Gathering Area. Please sign up today!
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Book Club
December book group will not have a book but will meet on December 8 at 12:30 PM in Fellowship Hall for pizza. Please let Nancy Ayling know if you are NOT coming.
January meeting will be at 10:30 AM on January 12 and our book is LILAC GIRLS by Martha Kelly.
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Amazon Smile to Benefit the Rent Assistance Funds Distributed by PCC and RAM
Already shopping on Amazon? Why not have your purchases support RCPC's support of the rent assistance funds distributed by PCC and RAM at the same time! AmazonSmile is a simple way for you to support your favorite charitable organization every time you shop, at no cost to you. AmazonSmile is available at smile.amazon.com on your web browser and can be activated in the Amazon Shopping app for iOS and Android phones. When you shop AmazonSmile, you’ll find the exact same low prices, vast selection, and convenient shopping experience as Amazon.com, with the added benefit that AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.
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Heaven's Whisper: A Meditative Service in Advent
December can be "the most wonderful time of the year." The temptation to rush and buy and over-schedule, however, can also distract us from the mystery and marvel of the incarnation of our God in Jesus Christ. And the emphasis on family gatherings can bring pain to folks who have suffered a loss or an estrangement from another. "Where do I fit into the holidays?" some might be asking. To help us find our center and to remember who we truly are, we invite you to our Advent Evening Prayer worship serving on Thursday, December 2 at 7:00 PM in the chapel. This will be a time for stillness, the hearing of scripture, a word of hope, special music, and anointing with oil. As we enter the Advent season, let us join our voices together in longing to call out for Emmanuel, God-with-us.
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Small Groups
Small Groups resumed last week. We have space for newcomers in several of our existing small groups, contact Leigh Sackett if you need more information! Being a part of a small group is an experience rich in personal connection and spiritual growth. In small groups we discuss what is shared in worship, therefore the experience of worship is more deeply ingrained into our minds and hearts. As we contemplate it all together the concepts take root and our faith grows! Weekly small group schedules:
Sunday: 10:00 AM-10:45 AM Sneak Peek (room 101)
Monday: 10:30 AM-12:00 PM Andrew Whaley (outside at Andrew’s house)
Tuesday: 4:30 PM-6:00 PM David Dixon (church parking lot)
8:00 PM Jennifer Bryant (rotating homes)
Wednesday: 6:30 PM-7:30 PM Leigh Sackett (library)
Friday: 10:00 AM Elise Hansard (parlor)
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Sudanese Mission Needs
Margaret needs a sofa.
Achol needs a set of queen sheets.
Esther needs a small-medium dining room table and chairs.
Please contact Sandra Whitt if you can provide any of these.
Obaid, who is on disability because of his hearing loss, needs an efficiency or small apartment. $400 a month is what he says that he can pay. Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority is not taking applications. Please contact Sandra Whitt, if you where he might find housing.
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RCPC Flower Guild
The RCPC Flower Guild offers to arrange flowers in memory or in honor of a loved one. If you would like to honor a birthday, anniversary or other special occasion on a specific Sunday, please contact Anne Currin at
anne@rcpres.org or call the church at 540 343-5541. The cost is $80, which is for two arrangements placed in the chancel of the sanctuary.
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November Birthdays
November 22-29
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22 Christy Rippel
24 Chris Hodges
25 Kathleen Boone
Phil Brundrett
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27 Eric Kessler
28 Beth Snead
29 Martin Trussell
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The Herald
The Herald is a monthly newsletter that comes in your mailbox the first of each month. The deadline for articles is the 15th of each month to appear in the next month's newsletter.
This Week @ RCPC
The This Week @ RCPC 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 the This Week is noon on Wednesday prior to the Monday publication. 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
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Prayer Requests
Dawn Blakeman, Donn Branch, Brendan Brown (Kathy and Les Brown's grandson), Marie Brown, Alice Cabaniss, David Dale, Pat Davis, Mary Frances Donnelly, Chris Eberhard, Nancy Farthing, Sue and Jerry Garrett, Macie Goode, Bill Gordge, Mary Hampton, Liz Holsinger, Lee Jewell, Susan Lindstrom, Helen Lovelace, Johnnie Maxie, Bill Nance, Barbara Neal, Hazel Newman, Robynn Onyett, June Paxton, Lois Pollash, Marion Raney, Bryan Tims, and all caregivers.
Our sincere thoughts and prayers are extended to Cassy Ammens on
passing of her brother John Ammens on November 14.
(Prayers request as of Friday, November 19. Names in bold indicate an addition to the prayer list this week.)
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Monday, November 22
9:00 AM - Preschool
10:00 AM - Monday Morning Prayer Group
6:30 PM - Cub Scouts
7:00 PM - BSA Troop 2
7:00 PM - Mill Mountain Ringers
7:00 PM - Session
Tuesday, November 23
9:00 AM - Preschool
10:30 AM - Primary Purpose: AA
12:30 PM - Open Door Prayers (Sanctuary)
1:00 PM - Worship & Music
5:30 PM - Tai Chi
Wednesday, November 24
NO Communion
NO Preschool
NO God Alive
NO Sanctuary Choir
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Thursday, November 25
Thanksgiving - Church Office Closed
NO Preschool
10:30 AM - Primary Purpose: AA
4:30 PM - Tai Chi
6:30 PM - Hip Sober Chicks
Friday, November 26
Church Office Closed
NO Preschool
11:45 AM - Al-Anon
Sunday, November 28
Advent 1
9:00 AM - Worship (Chapel)
10:00 AM - Sunday School
11:00 AM - Worship (Sanctuary)
NO Youth Choir and NO Youth Group
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1837 Grandin Road SW, Roanoke, Virginia 24015 540.343.5541 |
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