June 16, 2025

Worship Service Times

10:00 AM - Sanctuary & Livestream

Baby & Toddler Nursery is available during both services

Podcast June Raleigh Court Herald

Church Office Hours

Monday-Thursday 8:30 AM-4:30 PM

Friday 8:30 AM-1:00 PM

Weekly Devotional

Yet God my King is from of old,

working salvation in the earth.

You divided the sea by your might;

you broke the heads of the dragons in the waters.

You crushed the heads of Leviathan;

you gave him as food for the creatures of the wilderness.

You cut openings for springs and torrents;

you dried up ever-flowing streams.

Yours is the day, yours also the night;

you established the luminaries and the sun.

You have fixed all the bounds of the earth;

you made summer and winter.

-Psalm 74: 12-17

This week we will experience the summer solstice, the longest day of sunlight in the year. This is the moment when the earth’s axis is tilted most directly toward the sun in its annual revolution. In addition to delighting in the light of this long day, it is also a day to marvel that we live on a sphere that is revolving in space around a massive star. Nothing is static. All is motion.

I find it amazing that in this psalm the singer connects the formation of the seas, provision for animals, the rotation of the earth to give us day and night and the revolution of the earth to give us summer and winter as all part of God’s working of salvation. It isn’t just that these rhythms of creation are signs of God’s order or nature. They are an act of salvation.

It is important to note that this psalm comes from the time of the Israelites’ captivity in Babylon. The orders and structures and securities of their life have all collapsed. Much of their daily social, economic, family, devotional life is in upheaval. They live in fear of continued persecution. But in that lament, the psalmist notes that the one who controls the rhythms and seasons can restructure daily life in a way that brings newness, hope, and a future. If you’ve lost the Temple, the Passover, your family, your language- you still have summer and winter. The very presence of the solstice can serve as a reminder that God is working. Nothing is static.

So on this longest day of the year, in this summer season, I invite you to be honest about whatever is in disrepair in your life. Be truthful before the Lord with that hardship, struggle, pain, and failure. And then remember the seas, the fruit of the vine, the sun and the moon, winter and summer. They are from God. They are signposts to salvation. There is always hope.

PRAYER:

God give us the vision to see this world,

and to know your saving power.

You who can make life out of nothing,

you can restore our broken lives.

Remind us in the sun and the summer,

the moon and the winter,

that you are always at work to bring wholeness to us,

and wholeness ot your world.

Amen.

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

Fellowship & Community

Work Group Updates and Q&A Sessions

In the summer months, each of our four Work Groups of elders and deacons will offer a brief update on their planning processes for the strategic goals of RCPC. Each of these groups was birthed out of the conversations held last summer with many of you and a retreat of our church officers in November. They have been meeting over these months and presenting reports to the session that we hope can guide us in the coming years.

We would love your reflections and thoughts on these presentations. After worship on the Sundays listed below, there will be a time for questions in the Fellowship Hall with the members of that Work Group. They can clarify matters, answer questions about their process, and hear what helpful insights each person in our church has to offer. Below are the dates for each group. Plan to join us!

June 22: Volunteer Opportunities

July 20: Strategic Mission

August 3: Community Connection

All Church Orchestra

Summer 2025

This summer we are including a new "All Church Orchestra" opportunity on the fourth Sundays of July and August. This pick-up ensemble is for instrumentalists who are 7th graders through adults who play string, woodwind, or brass instruments.

Dates:

Sunday, July 27 (Rehearsal on Wednesday, July 23 at 6:00 PM)
Sunday, August 24 (Rehearsal on Wednesday, August 20 at 6:00 PM)

All Church Orchestra Registration

Flower Dedication

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 Julie Satterwhite at julie@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.

Grandin Road Summer Hymn Festival

Saturday, July 12 at 4:00 PM

The Grandin Road Summer Hymn Festival, hosted by RCPC, is a combined effort of the music ministries of churches on and around Grandin Road with a common goal of interdenominational song sharing and leading. Our hope for this event is that those gathered to sing will experience a breadth of hymnody and music from a variety of traditions and genres. Any singers from any church or choir in the Roanoke area are invited to join us in the festival choir or the assembly for the final program. If interested, please contact Dillon J. Swanson at dillon@rcpres.org for more information.

2025 Theme - " We Believe . . . " All of the hymn settings and anthems this year are arrangements by John Ferguson, a prolific church musician, composer, and teacher who passed away on January 5, 2025. He has composed many choral anthems and congregational hymn settings of varying difficulty levels, and our hymn festival will showcase the breadth of his work, and we hope that all participants will learn something they can take with them as they return to their home congregations and church choirs.

Our guest conductor this summer is Dr. Michael Pekel, director of choirs at Roanoke College. We will be joined by a brass quartet to support the hymn singing using Ferg's arrangements for organ and brass as well.

Christian Education & Worship

Summer Worship Schedule

Sunday worship services are at 10:00 AM only in the Sanctuary until Labor Day.

Nursery and Children's Worship is available.

No Sunday School.

Bible & Music Camp: Once Upon a Parable

July 28-31, 2025

Jesus was a storyteller! Jesus engaged the crowds with tales meant to teach, amuse, puzzle, inspire, and sometimes even irritate. Two thousand years later, his stories still captivate audiences and draw people close to God. Unlike fairy tales, where the king reigns over the people, Jesus our King, walks alongside us. He tells us stories of a man who cares for an injured stranger, a father who welcomes his wayward son home, a banquet where everyone is invited and welcomed, and a tiny seed of faith that grows and grows with God’s love!

Bible and Music Camp will celebrate these stories of God’s love through music, dance, storytelling, puppetry, and play! More Information, Fees, & Registration online at rcpres.org/biblemusiccamp

Bible & Music Camp Participant Registration

Bible & Music Camp Shepherds

The job of a Shepherd at Bible and Music Camp is to nurture the group you are shepherding by leading them to their different activities, assisting the leader of that activity, and helping and encouraging the children as they worship, sing, learn, create, and play. You are not alone as a shepherd! Each group has at least 3 shepherds. The beauty of this job is that your essential task is to engage with the wonderful young people of our church! You will be blessed by getting to know these children. We hope you will sign up to shepherd them along in their faith!

NOTE: If you have already communicated to Leigh or Dillon that you want to be a shepherd, you do not need to sign up on this form. They have you on the master list.

Bible & Music Camp Shepherds Sign Up

Summer Sermon Series - On the Way: A Covenantal God and a Troublesome Family

June 15 - August 24

In the summer months when people are on the road, we will be “on the way” with Abraham. The Abraham story marks a turning point in scripture, where God chooses to work through a specific family instead of through the creation as a whole (Garden, Flood, Babel, etc). This family, however, meets no standards of righteous behavior. What they do show us how struggling people can still live in trust, repent of wrongdoing, fail terribly, and yet still be precious to God. This journeying story is one of grace where we are reminded of God’s radical call, freedom, and mercy.

Opportunity for Generosity & Mission Updates

Mission Partner Support

Each month, we designate all cash and coin to one of our local mission partners. For the month of June, we are supporting the Presbyterian Community Center. You can place your money in the offering plate or make an online gift here , noting that it is for Mission, and making a note for PCC in the text box. As of June 8, we have collected $1,283.49 for the Presbyterian Community Center.

Pump-a-Pint Summer Blood Drive Results

Hurray to all those who participated in our blood drive on June 10! We collected 49 units, which translates to 147 lives saved. Heartfelt thanks to all who signed up, showed up or volunteered to help with this vital mission. WELL DONE!! Mark your calendars now for our fall drive on September 30. Contact Lillian Alexander at alexanderlj@yahoo.com or go to RedCrossBlood.org if you’d like to schedule an appointment. Thank you again for your continued support!

Together in Prayer

Prayer Requests

Susan Ard, Marvin & Roena Barbre, Sandy Barksdale (Bev Stroud’s sister), Dawn Blakeman, Jackie Blakeman, Collie Family (friends of Paul Kessel), Beverly Day and family (friend of Camilla and Johnsey Cabaniss), Donna Dorr (sister of Paula Mitchell), Cameron & Susie Hutto, Cheryl Gilliland, John Knaus (brother of Clare Arnold), Susan Lindstrom, Geraldine Loving (mother of Bruce Loving), Megan Mallare (friend of Kathy Grove), Melissa Martin (friend of Lisa Boylan), Rusty McCown, Louise Morris, Amy Starr Redwine, Robin Scott, Pat Wade, Niki Yost (daughter of Bill and Judy Snyder), and all caregivers.

Our sincere thoughts and prayers are with Vickie Haynie and family following the passing of her sister, Holly Reed Herrmann, on Monday, June 9.

(Prayers request as of Friday, June 13. Names in bold indicate an addition to the prayer list this week.)

This Week @ RCPC

Birthdays: June 16-21

6/16 Jessi Beckett, Marshall Chapman

6/17 Bill McGuirt, June Paxton, Rebekah Wellons

6/18 Jennifer Carignan, Sherry Frantz

6/19 Rachel Brockman

6/20 Harry Anderson, Helen Favor, Jonah Hanks

6/21 Connie Barker, Susan Kessler

Monday, June 16