Worship Service Times - Summer Schedule

10:00 AM - Sanctuary & Livestream

Baby & Toddler Nursery is available

Podcast July Raleigh Court Herald

Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your

house. -Proverbs 24:27

Are you like Isabella and me? Have you been waiting and waiting and waiting? The sermon

series on the Olympics is in its 4th week and FINALLY THE OLYMPICS HAVE BEGUN! I kept

googling “when do the Olympics start?” because I was sure all the hype and inspiration I felt at

RCPC must mean the games are starting soon!

Are you a fan of the Olympics? Which do you like better, the summer games or the winter

games? I bet you can guess which Isabella likes best … yes … the winter games. But do you

know my favorite? It is the opposite … the summer games! In case you did not know (although

many of you do) … I was a swimmer.

Prepare, prepare, prepare! I spent my mornings and afternoons in the pool preparing … honing,

toning, and finessing my body, mind, and heart to be ready for the big day, the big event, the

qualifying moment, the race of a lifetime!

I was a competitive year-round swimmer from age 7 to 17. And really the years where I was

very serious about swimming were ages 10 to 16, just 6 years of great intensity. But all that

practice preparing, preparing, and preparing has carried over into the other years of my life. My

fins and flippers have turned back into hands and feet, BUT LIFE IS STILL FULL OF

PREPARING!

We all spend a lot of time preparing for something! That certainly holds true here at the church.

We have a staff retreat and prepare for the year ahead, we harvest the God Alive Garden,

preparing to feed the hungry, we distribute the West End school supplies to prepare young

people for the school year, Hometown Mission youth prepare to reach out into our community,

we prepare to welcome 53 kids into our church for a week of praising God at Bible and Music

Camp.

But what happens next is up to God. Children will grow up and remember the God Alive

Garden, what will God do with that? The youth made connections in our community, what will

God do with that? Children, youth, and adults will sing, play, and learn this week at Bible and

Music Camp, what will God do with that? We may not know what all that preparing and building

leads to … but God does!

I am no longer a swimmer. I try to show off once in a while when I am in a body of water, but it

hurts way more than it used to! And all my trophies, medals, and ribbons are long gone. But

what remains is what God built from that part of my life. What lasted was the joy of loving a

beautiful sport and a determination, fostered in the pool, which appears in other parts of my life.

So when I see those swimmers on the block in Paris or the kids in the pews at Bible and Music

Camp, I wonder what God might be building. We are hard at work, those athletes are hard at

work, Bible and Music Campers are hard at work (and play) and so is God!

God of all that is good, take what we do, achieve, learn, prepare, and hone, and build it into

something bigger than we ever expected. May the house we build become your house and may

the garden we prepare with you spread far and wide. Amen!

-Leigh Sackett, Director of Christian Education

PW August Event

Friday, August 23 at 5:00 PM

Munchies at the Maridor—Join PW for fellowship and to go over the 2024-2025 monthly schedule of events. Contact Ellen Austin at ebaustin11@gmail.com to RSVP or fill out the signup sheet in the Gathering Area.

Church Receptionists

We are the "Church of the Open Door" and we need you to help us be hospitable to our guests. We are always looking to expand our list of volunteer receptionists, please see if your schedule would allow you to serve in this ministry. The morning shift is 8:30 AM to 12:30 PM and the afternoon shift is 12:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Please consider serving RCPC through this ministry, please contact Julie Satterwhite at julie@rcpres.org for more information.

Worship & Potluck Brunch at Mill Mountain

Sunday, August 25 at 10:00 AM

Worship service on Mill Mountain will be at 10:00 AM on Sunday, August 25, our meal following the service will be a brunch. The Fellowship Committee will provide coffee, juice, and biscuit sandwiches from Scratch Biscuit. We are asking the congregation to bring fruit, breads, breakfast casseroles or other brunch items. Don’t forget to bring a chair! We look forward to seeing everyone on Mill Mountain. If you are unable to join us on Mill Mountain, a shortened service will be available at 8:00 AM in the Chapel.

We would like to use a 1000 to 2000 w battery power supply for the music and sound that morning. If you have one that you would allow us to use, please contact Fred Hoffman 540-353-1637 or fred@hoffdad.net.

Bible & Music Camp Performance

Thursday, August 1 at 4:00 PM

At the conclusion of Bible and Music Camp, the children and youth will present a program titled “All Creation Sings!” sharing music and skills they learned during the week at camp. The program will feature singing, hymn leading, Orff instruments, handbells and so much more!

Sanctuary Choir

Sanctuary Choir Rehearsals will kick off Wednesday, August 7 at 7:00 PM in the Choir Commons. Come for a fun evening of singing and fellowship as we begin the fall season. Returning choir members should return any checked-out music and clean out their cubbies before this date. Singers interested in joining the choir this fall, should contact Dillon and join us that evening as well!

New Ensemble! Genesis Ringers

Rehearsals: Tuesdays (6:30 PM - 7:15 PM)

4^th Grade – Adult

This ensemble, as the name implies, is for beginning and early advancing handbell ringers all ages 4th grade and up. The Genesis Ringers offer music in worship 4 Sundays a year at the 11:00 AM sanctuary service. In this ensemble of children, youth, and adults, we will learn the basics of handbell ringing and music reading. Parents (or other adult family members) and students can enjoy this choir together. While the basics of music gained from piano lessons or participation in a school orchestra, band, or choir are helpful, music reading is not required and can be learned while participating in this ensemble. If you are interested in this opportunity, please contact Dillon J. Swanson as soon as possible, so plans for the structure of the ensemble can begin. The goal for this ensemble is to be 9-12 ringers. If you would like more information, don't hesitate to reach out with questions by emailing dillon@rcpres.org! Our first rehearsal will be Tuesday, September 10 at 6:30 PM in the music room.

Mission Partner Support 

Each month, we are designating all cash and coin to one of our local mission partners. For the month of July, we are supporting West End Center for Youth. In 2023, West End Center received $6,000 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 each Sunday or make an online gift at rcpres.org, noting that it is for Mission and making a note for West End Center in the text box. As of July 21, we have collected $1,427 for West End Center.

Family Promise

The Family Promise Mission Team invites you to join us in serving the families in Family Promises' care from August 11 to August 14. Four times a year RCPC partners with Christ Lutheran Church to serve the families who are homeless by providing them a safe haven to rest in for the evening offering a hot dinner, fellowship, one or two overnight hosts, and a grab-and-go breakfast. How does this work? As an Overnight Host, you bring a sleeping bag, pillow, and a toothbrush and arrive at the Alexa House (across the street from Second Presbyterian Church) around 8:30 PM. You get to sleep in a private room with two twin beds and a private bathroom. The next morning, families leave for school and job interviews, and you tidy up the kitchen, turn off the coffee pot, and lock up by around 7:15 AM. Consider partnering up with your spouse, or church friend, or even a neighbor. Maybe a Parent and their teenage child can serve in this way together. We encourage you to get creative. We also need people to provide dinner so if that is an easier way to join in, we welcome that too. Let Vickie Haynie (vicksbic@aol.com) know if you would like to serve with Family Promise. 

Sudanese Mission Group

Maria has outgrown her bike in the great bike riding time of the year. She’s 7 and about 4’3” tall. If your girl has moved up to a bigger bike and you have one that would fit Maria, please let me know. Thanks! Sandra (sandrarcpc@yahoo.com; or text 540-330-3451)

House of Bread

House of Bread has an immediate need for a financial officer. The responsibilities include minimal check writing, recording transactions and providing a financial summary to the board monthly, paying payroll and sales taxes quarterly, filling out a 990N postcard annually, and providing financial reports as needed for grant applications. House of Bread's financial data is set up in Quickbooks so a basic knowledge of that software will be helpful; the prior financial officer is available and willing to train her replacement. This is a two year volunteer board position; if you have financial skills of this nature and a willingness to be part of House of Bread's mission, please reach out to Lisa Goad (lisa.goad@houseofbreadroanoke.com).

Presbyterian Community Center

The Presbyterian Community Center is collecting gently worn and used sneakers for recycling and as a fundraiser. This “runs" from July 15 to September 30. Bring your sneakers to 1228 Jamison Ave, SE between 12:00 PM and 3:00 PM Monday through Thursday or 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Fridays. Our EarthCare Mission Group may try to coordinate a local drop-off - details later.

Prayer Requests

Meggie Austin, Marvin & Roena Barbre, Dawn Blakeman, Jackie Blakeman, Brendan Brown (Kathy and Les Brown’s grandson), Mayuen Chice, Beverly Day and family (friend of Camilla and Johnsey Cabaniss), Nancy Farthing, Betty Garner, Stephen Hampton (Mary Hampton’s brother), Paul & Betsy Keister, Susan Lindstrom, Megan Mallare (friend of Kathy Grove), Melissa Martin (friend of Lisa Boylan), Rusty McCown, Jenny McKenzie, Billie Murphree (Dawn Long's mother), Garland Parry, Bob Snead, Hugh Wellons, and all caregivers.

(Prayers request as of Friday, July 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