RCC Newsletter April 2021

April 2021

A NOTE FROM THE PREACHER

Dear Church Family,

As we prepare for Easter, ponder with me these words by Dennis Johnson in his great book on Revelation, The Triumph of the Lamb:

The victory belongs to God and to His Christ. Revelation is pervaded with worship songs and scenes because its pervasive theme – despite its gruesome portrait of evil’s powers – is the triumph of God through the Lamb. We read this book to hear God’s call to courage and to fall down in adoring worship before Him.

On this coming Easter Sunday, I pray that we will all hear God’s call to courage in the midst of a rapidly decaying society and a world that is growing increasingly hostile to what we believe and hold dear and what we know is true. And as we hear His call, may we worship Him with all that we are. No more “tipping of the hat” to God. No more cool or apathetic indifference to the things of the Lord. No more nonchalant adherence to a religious system that we think will make us more respectable or “a good person because I go to church or watch church on the internet.” But instead, may we all be filled with a heartfelt passion that courses through our spiritual bloodstream, that dominates our thinking, that drives the way we live and permeates everything we do.

But: there is a confession we must make. As we pray for God to purge us of any and all lukewarmness in our worship, we must confess that pure worship of Him on this planet will always be hindered to a degree. I like the way Scotty Smith expresses this dilemma of the regenerate human heart that resides inside a body of sinful flesh:

How can I even begin to adequately express the wonder, love, and praise I feel in response to what you’ve done for us on the cross?

It’s like wanting to paint the most magnificent spring landscape I’ve ever seen, but with a palate of three colors and both of my arms in a cast. It’s like having a passion to write a great symphony in honor of you but knowing I’m just a kazoo player who doesn’t read music. It’s like desiring to cook you a great banquet with my microwave oven, a loaf of white bread, and a can of processed cheese.

There’s simply no way I can possibly offer a response congruent to the magnificence of your mercy and the measure of your grace for us at Calvary. So like everything else I have to offer you, Lord Jesus, take my humble praise and purify it, magnify it, and cause it to be a sweet aroma to the heart of God.

May this be our prayer, not only at Easter, but every day of our lives.

He is risen!

Pressing on with you, with our eyes fixed on our resurrected King,

Pastor Butch

ELDER MEETING SUMMARY

On March 9, the elders met, joined by prospective elder Justin Hornsby. The highlights of that meeting are as follows:

We opened with a time of group prayer, praying for our church family and asking God for wisdom.

The current “Membership Matters” class has concluded, and we met with 5 of the attendees to hear their testimonies: Tim & Sheri Benton, Tim Mathews, Haleigh Cox, and Nathan Mathews. All five desire to join and 4 of them will be receiving baptism. Praise the Lord! [We received all of them, plus Megan Benton, into membership on March 21.]

We are eagerly anticipating the resumption of our Wednesday night gathering on Wednesday, March 17, at 6:15 pm. [The Wednesday meetings are going well and the attendance is encouraging.]

Justin’s elder examination, which will be open to the church family, is set for Sunday night, March 21, at 6:30 pm. [He did really well! Thanks so much to those who showed up to support him.]

We will hold our Good Friday service on April 2 at 7:00 pm.

We are so thankful for John Kommeth and his diligent oversight of the installation of the new modular unit for our youth. Thank you so much, John!

We continue to pray that people will not become comfortable with the online services, and will return to in-person worship as soon as staying home is not necessary for them. May the Lord give them wisdom as to when that will be.

We are so grateful to be elders of this precious body! Thank you to every member of the RCC family for praying for us.

Pressing on with you, with our eyes fixed on Jesus,

The Elders of RCC

April Memory Verse

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.

Romans 6:4

Monthly Catechism

Question: How do we know there is a God?

Answer: The light of nature in man, and the works of God, plainly declare that there is a God; but his word and Spirit only, do effectually reveal him unto us for our salvation.

Scripture: Romans 1:18-20; Psalm 19:1-2; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 Corinthians 1:21-24; Matthew 11:27

Book of the Month: Heaven, How I Got Here by Colin S. Smith

What if you woke up one morning knowing that it was your last day on earth? That’s what happened to the thief on the cross, who died a few feet from Jesus. Heaven, How I Got Here is his story, told in his own words, as he looks back from Heaven on the day that changed his eternity, and the faith that can change yours.

Click on the book image for more information and to order your copy today!

Take note: there will be no Wednesday night activities on April 7th due to Spring Break.

Conversations on the Culture is this month!

Our next Conversations on the Culture will be held on April 18. We will begin at around 1:30 in the sanctuary at RCC. We hope you’ll take time to grab a bite to eat with your family or a friend and come back for this event. This is for women only. We will be sending out an email soon with more information on the topic: “Controlling the Narrative: Language, Censorship, and the Media”

VBS Volunteer Registration is open!

This year, VBS will be held on June 21-25, 9:00 AM - 12:30 PM in person at RCC! Registration is open for volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering, click the link below to view the VBS webpage and sign up.

Click to sign up!

This Spring: Ladies' Bible Study

The theme of our Ladies' Wednesday Night Bible Study this spring is "Living by Faith During These Uncertain Days."

We hope you will join us on to hear from two of our own precious sisters-in-Christ, Karen Maloy and Verna Russ, as they share Biblical, practical and encouraging teaching on this topic.