Looking Toward Sunday

Dear Rumple Family,

As I look toward Sunday I look forward to sharing more about my sabbatical.  This Sunday the focus will be on what it means to be beloved, to be God’s precious child.  This was a wonderful and unexpected lesson from my three months of rest and renewal.  This message came to me over and over again throughout my time away and I was so grateful for it.  I realized, of course, that this message was not just mine but is one that God shares with each and every one of us.  God loves us not for what we do but for who we are.  This is beautiful and it is profound.  We’ll look at Scripture texts from Isaiah 43 and 1 John 4 that remind us of God’s love for us and constant presence with us.

Sunday is also our final outdoor summer worship service at 8:45.  And, it is also our final 8:45 service of the season.  We’ll have fun activities for children at this service as we have all summer and, of course, folks of all ages are welcome to attend.  Don’t forget your lawn chair if you plan to attend this service.

In other good news, the handicapped accessible entrance, at the back of the Education Building will be open again this Sunday morning.  It will only be open on Sundays because construction will be happening in that area during the week.  But, you no longer need to walk around the building or park on Main St. to have handicapped access to the sanctuary.  The walkway between Rumple House and the Sanctuary is now blocked off.  The ground is uneven and the gas line has created some issues.  Please take the new walkway around the far side of the Rumple House to get to Main St. or enter the church campus through the Keys Music Building.  Thank you for your patience as we navigate continual changes on the church campus due to construction.  

I also want to say thank you to my Rumple family for all of your words, texts, calls, emails, and cards since my father’s death last week.  It was a hard summer watching him decline so rapidly but I am glad that I was able to see him as much as I did and that Ryan and I made it just hours before he died.  For a variety of reasons, the funeral will not be until October 12.  Lance, the kids and I will be traveling back to Quebec for that weekend.  So, I am home now.  While I am trying to do all of the normal things, anyone who has been through grief knows how hard that is to do.  So, I ask for your patience as I navigate my second re-entry in less than a month.  Thank you for all of the support. 

I look forward to seeing you in the sanctuary or online this Sunday.

Enjoy this holiday weekend.  How can it be Labor Day Weekend already?



Grace and Peace,

Kathy

Please keep in your prayers:

Kathy Beach's family on the death of her father, Richard, on August 21; Pete Groothuis, recovering from heart transplant surgery on August 24; Mike Capristo; Martha Broeker; Billy Grimes; David Hardage beginning treatment for prostate cancer; Pat Coley; Mark, friend to many at Rumple; Margaret Headrick; Cullie Tarleton; Teresa Lentz; Rene Cuthill; Jim Ruff; Leslie Novilla’s brother, Denny; Sam Reep; Mary Ann Baggstrom’s sister, Connie; Sarah Settlemyer’s friend, Theresa; Bill Hall; Barbara Leon’s former pastor, Jackie; Jean, Sherry Wilson’s mom; Walt Baggstrom’s brother, Bob; Charles Coley; Betty Coffey; Sylvia Kiker; Lucy Aldridge; Linda Jerger.

Read Richard Beach's obituary here. A celebration of Richard's life will be held in Quebec on October 12.

A special "thank you" to Margaret Headrick for taking over the email prayer list. If you would like to be added to the prayer chain email list or add a prayer to that list, please click here for her email.

The rear accessible entrance to the Education building will be open on Sundays only starting this week! You can park in the marked handicap spaces and enter the building down the ramp to access the elevator to the sanctuary level. Please use this entrance or the Choir Room entrance for safety. We have blocked off the walkway between the Choir Room entrance and the Sanctuary entrance because multiple people have fallen there over the past week. If you are going into the Rumple House, you can use the front door entrance.

No Pastor on the Porch September 2

Kathy will resume Pastor on the Porch on Monday, September 9.

Buy Boone Lunch

September 10, FARM Cafe

On Tuesday, September 10, Rumple will buy Boone lunch at FARM (Feed All Regardless of Means) Cafe. We need volunteers to help serve lunch. Even if you are unable to volunteer, we hope you'll consider dining at FARM Cafe that day. To sign up for a one-hour shift, please contact Paul Horton.

Volunteer Chefs Needed for PECM's Tuesday Gatherings!

The Presbyterian Episcopal Campus Ministry (PECM) relies on volunteers to provide meals for its Tuesday gatherings.

There are a number of dates throughout the academic year that we need meals.

Please contact Stephanie Hankins to volunteer or with any questions.

Blowing Rock Cares Food Pantry

With schools starting again, Blowing Rock Cares will be donating healthy snacks to all Watauga County schools.

If you are interested in helping us, please drop off the snacks in the large tub on the ramp by the back door. If you leave a food donation, please make sure to secure the lid to the tub.

Wednesday After-School Program Registration

On Wednesdays throughout the school year, Rumple offers K-5 students the opportunity to attend our after-school program. A typical day in after-school runs from 2:30-4:30 p.m. and is filled with fun activities including music and art. Our program begins on September 4. Please register through Breeze by Sunday, September 1.

Book Discussion: The Rebirthing of God by John Philip Newell

September 4, 11, 18, and 25 at 1:30 pm

Choir Room

Every Wednesday in September from 1:30 to 2:30 pm, Dave McCollum will lead a discussion of John Philip Newell's The Rebirthing of God. Inspired by Celtic spirituality, the book explores both new and ancient ways of living into our Christianity, including: our sacred Earth, compassion, nonviolence, and God as Light and Love.

We will discuss the introduction to the book on September 4, but we encourage you to come whether you've read the introduction or not. Please register using this Breeze form.

Care Giver Conversations: Active Listening Skills for Helping Others in Their Time of Need

Sunday, September 8 from 12:15 - 2:30 pm

Rumple and St. Mary of the Hills are partnering with AppFaithHealth to offer a program on Sunday, September 8, at Rumple. Reverend Larry Lawhon, Connector for AppFaithHealth and Chaplain, will facilitate the event and will provide insights into the value of good listening skills in caregiving situations. The event includes a free lunch. Learn more and register through Breeze or by contacting Annie Tarbutton at 770-301-4127. Please register by September 1.

Learn about the 2024

Visiting Scholar!

Jason Byassee is the senior pastor at Timothy Eaton Memorial Church in Toronto, Ontario. He previously taught preaching at the Vancouver School of Theology in British Columbia, where

he held the Butler Chair in Homiletics and Biblical Hermeneutics. His primary vocation is to reinvigorate today’s church with the best of ancient and contemporary wisdom for creatively faithful living.

He is a contributing editor at Christian Century magazine and has written widely on church and culture in such places as Sojourners, Christianity Today, and the Vancouver Sun. He is a native

of North Carolina, where he pastored Boone United Methodist Church during a period of growth from 2011-2015.

Stay tuned for more info about Jason and about the Visiting Scholar weekend.

Backpack Blessing Bags

Did you miss the blessing of the backpacks during worship last Sunday? If your child or youth was not at church on August 18, we have extra blessing bags we'd like for you to have. Please pick them up in the Rumple House workroom.

Join Rumple for Sunday morning worship, September 1 at 8:45 and 11 am.

Both services will be in the sanctuary, or you may watch live at 11 am on our webpage or YouTube channel. Childcare is available at the 11 am service only. Bulletins are available on the church website.

Each Sunday our worship service is livestreamed. Covid is on the rise again, and if you are feeling under the weather, we encourage you to stay home and worship online for the health and safety of others. Find all previous online worship services on YouTube.

This will be the last week of two summer worship services. Beginning September 8, we will hold one service at 11 am.

Parking is at a premium in Blowing Rock in the summer months--especially this Labor Day Weekend! In order to be sure there is plenty of space for visitors and guests, and while construction is going on, please consider attending the 8:45 service this Sunday and only driving one vehicle per household to Rumple each Sunday. Thank you!

Rumple Youth

The Youth & Kids Fall Kickoff was a blast this past Sunday! Food, fellowship and fun was shared by all!

The Rumple Youth meet each Sunday evening at 5pm in the Fellowship Hall

beginning September 8.

See the entire Youth Fall Schedule here.

Would you be willing to prepare a meal for these 12-15 hungry teens one week this fall? Please sign up through the SignUpGenius link.