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Worship Service Times
9:00 AM - Chapel | 11:00 AM - Sanctuary & Livestream
10:00 AM - Sunday school
Baby & Toddler Nursery is available
7:00 AM Wednesday Communion Service
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Saul clothed David with his armor; he put a bronze helmet on his head and clothed him with a coat of mail. David strapped Saul’s sword over the armor, and he tried in vain to walk, for he was not used to them. Then David said to Saul, “I cannot walk with these, for I am not used to them.” So David removed them. Then he took his staff in his hand and chose five smooth stones from the wadi and put them in his shepherd’s bag, in the pouch; his sling was in his hand, and he drew near to the Philistine. -1 Samuel 17:38-40
Doesn’t this scripture passage remind you of the movie the Christmas Story, when Ralphie’s little brother Randy is buddled up by their mother in too many snow clothes to move!? Saul is piling the armor on poor David; it feels like overkill for when he goes out for the kill. David immediately becomes inhibited by all this garb, unable to be himself, weighed down and separated from what is familiar to him.
I remember when my kids were little, and we would take them on a hike. We would overstuff the backpack with everything in it but the kitchen sink. Scot had knee problems, so I would carry the backpack. I remember just wanting to shed off that big thing, so I could be light and quick upon the rocks. The child just needs to play in the snow and be able to move his limbs. The hiker just needs some water and goldfish crackers for the kids. David just needs the sling and the rocks he relies on every single day as he watches over his sheep.
The story of David and Goliath is a story about trust in God’s protection and it is also a story about trusting that God puts what we need right before us. Yet we look everywhere else! We build an arsenal, we put on so many layers that we can’t even touch the snow, we buy every gadget for the hike or kayak excursion, including portable speakers, that drown out the sound of God within the silent waters. We look everywhere else at everything else and fail to taste and see, to touch and hear what is familiar and right before us each and every day!
I can picture David holding the smooth rock in his hand, he has held it there so many times that it fits perfectly within his palm. I imagine his other hand calloused from years of gripping the sling. Maybe David and the other shepherds compete to see who can grab a rock quickest from their shepherd bag and sling it at the nearby familiar tree used for target practice. We can debate and come up with many reasons why David was able to defeat Goliath, but maybe the most obvious reason is that David embraced the things God put before him.
What are you familiar with that God has put before you? Is it the flower garden you and your husband planted and tend year after year? Is it the route you walk each morning around your neighborhood? Is it the beach you visit each passing summer with your family? Is it every little and big cove upon Carvins Cove? Is it the golf club that fits perfectly in your hands, the grips smoothing out with the impression of your palms? Is it the length of the pool and each stroke it takes to cross it or the feel of the ballet slippers upon your pointed toes or the pair of skates dancing across the ice? Is it the saxophone and the breath and fingers bringing it to life or the brush across the canvas? Is it the right amount of seasoning making the perfect sauce or the feel of wood as the sandpaper runs across the surface?
May you be like David and trust the gift of the people, places, and things that God intends you to become intimately familiar with, may those things bring you peace and joy, sustaining you through life’s battles. Amen.
Leigh Sackett, Director of Christian Education
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Fellowship & Community Happenings | |
Fellowship Dinner - September 21
The Fellowship Committee is excited to host meals for our church family again! Fellowship Dinners this fall will happen each Wednesday from September 21-November 9 at 6:15 PM. Our amazing chef, Heather, has a delicious lineup of meals planned, and each week offers a vegetarian option as well. Meals are a suggested donation of $7 for an individual 12 years and up, $5 for children ages 4-11, and free for 3 and younger, with a max of $20 for a family. Please register by noon the Tuesday before each meal online at recpres.org/dinner.
Menu for September 21: Baked Spaghetti, Italian Green Beans, Salad Bar, Garlic Bread, & Vegan Veggie Spaghetti.
Menu for September 28: Chicken Divan, Rice Pilaf, Broccoli, Bread, Roasted Cauliflower Entree, Cupcakes
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Fellowship Dinners - Volunteers
Our Wednesday Night Fellowship Dinners will be back as usual in 2022! These dinners happen because of our wonderful volunteers. Thank you so much for considering helping out. It's always a fun night! Please review the available slots below and click on the button to sign up. If you can serve in more than one slot each week, that's great. (Ex: Set up and Serve or Clean Up) If you sign up then realize you can't make it, please try to switch with someone. If that doesn't work, contact Dawn at 540 312-8505. Note that the time is one hour earlier than usual on December 14 and that our Thanksgiving Meal will be on Sunday, November 20. Thank you!
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Young Adults
Young Adult friends are invited to have DECK CONVERSATIONS about where you believe you may find joy in young adult ministries at RCPC We will share, listen, and collaborate and ultimately form a plan that recognizes your place in life (as people in their 20s and early 30s) and strives to meet your needs as participants in a Christian community. Come join us for the conversation!
When: Friday, September 23 at 6:30 PM
Where: Leigh Sackett's Deck, 2728 Tillet Rd. Drinks, Dinner and rounds of Nine Square in the Air will be provided.
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Presbytery of the Peaks Events | |
Presbytery Earth Care Summit
Peaks Presbytery now has a Presbytery Earth Care Workgroup. We are made up of members of several congregations in the Presbytery which have Earth Care programs, and our goal is to encourage congregations in the Presbytery to strengthen their ministries of creation care! Toward that purpose, we want to let you know about a Presbytery Earth Care Summit that we are holding on Saturday, October 1 from 11:00 AM to 2:00 PM. There are 3 locations for the summit including one in Roanoke at Covenant Presbyterian Church. If you are interested in more information or to attend, contact Abigail Pierson at [email protected].
Wild Goose Christian Community - Fall Festival
Wild Goose Christian Community, a ministry of the Presbytery, is hosting their Fall Festival on Sunday, September 25th, starting at 4:00. Come Hungry! We will have dinner provided with burgers and hot dogs off the grill. Feel free to bring a favorite cookout side dish with you or just bring yourself. We will be joined by the musical talents of the Gospel/Bluegrass band Route 11! More details about the event can be found on Wild Goose's Facebook page. The event will be at Wild Goose, 5646 Cloverdale Rd, Roanoke, VA 24019. Make sure to drive all the way up the hill to find us!
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Stones play an important part in the Bible, locations of divine revelation. We are in a building season at RCPC. Each person is in a building season of a life, needing foundation work, renovation, additions, etc. Here we mean scoundrels who use rocks for pillows, disciples who are solid as a rock but also dense as a rock, a tomb hewn from rock and covered by a stone at Jesus’ death, and a stone that was rejected that becomes the cornerstone of our lives. How do we meet God in the rocks? What rock will be the structure for our life?
September 18 - Partial View - Exodus 33:12-34:4 and Psalm 62:1-8
September 25 - Blockhead - Matthew 16:13-20 and Psalm 81
October 2 - Foundation - Luke 6:46-49
October 9 - Cavemen - Matthew 27:57-61 and Isaiah 32:1-8
October 16 - Stones Alive - 1 Peter 2:1-10 and Psalm 118:19-25
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World Communion Sunday
World Communion Sunday is October 2 and we need your help. We will come to the Lord’s Supper with a visual arrangement of breads from around the world. We are asking for world globes to use at this service as well as different types of natural fabrics such as silk, linen, batik, Indian cotton, and the link. Please bring your fabric and globes to the church by Wednesday, September 28 labeled with your name so that you can reclaim your items. Please plan on picking up your items after worship on October 2.
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Adult Sunday School: September 18-23
Continental Connections: Themes from the Life and Writings of Karl Barth and Eugene Peterson and What We Can Learn From Them
From May through July, Andrew and family traveled through Switzerland and Montana. Andrew's study for his sabbatical was to walk through the life of Swiss theologian Karl Barth and then to see the influences of Barth upon the Presbyterian minister and Montana native Eugene Peterson. Over these six weeks, Andrew will present stories from the lives of both men, tales of his journeys into their homelands and even their homes, and draw out lessons that might generate faithful living in us in the direction of the God we meet in Jesus Christ. Teacher: Andrew Whaley / Room: Fellowship Hall
Adult Small Groups
Our Adult Small Group lessons are based on the Sunday sermons and scripture. 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. Small Groups resume the week of September 12. Be thinking about what small group you are interested in joining. All are welcome!
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Monday 10:30 AM– 12:00 PM – Facilitator: Andrew Whaley, room 201 or Pastor’s Porch
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Tuesday 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM – Facilitator: David Dixon, parking lot
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Tuesday 8:00 PM – 9:30 PM (women’s group) – Facilitator: Jennifer Bryant and Anne Moore, in various homes (Contact Anne or Jennifer if you are interested in joining)
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Wednesday 7:00 PM – 8:30 PM – Facilitator: Leigh Sackett, room 102
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Opportunity for Generosity & Mission Updates | |
Pump-A-Pint Fall Blood Drive - Tuesday, October 4 from 1:30 PM-6:00 PM
Many thanks to those who have already scheduled an appointment! If you have any questions or want to schedule an appointment please call Lillian Alexander at 540-632-8921 or email at [email protected]. You may also schedule online at REDCROSSBLOOD.ORG or by calling 1-800-RED-CROS (733-2767). Your continued support of this vital mission is appreciated!
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Prayer Requests
Dawn Blakeman, Donn Branch, Brendan Brown (Kathy and Les Brown's grandson), The Cook Family, Courtney and Ken Cronin, Billy Grove, Norma Hall, Skip Hastings, Dick Kepley, Susan Lindstrom, Tweetie Lyon, Joe McCrobie, Nancy Smith (Alan Smith’s mother), Beth Snead, Roger Tims, Jill Wood, and all caregivers.
(Prayers request as of Friday, September 16. Names in bold indicate an addition to the prayer list this week.)
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Birthdays: September 19-25
9/19 Megan Brown
9/20 Cecilia Hanslik
9/21 Carter Naff, Colton Naff, Frank Plecity, Isabella Swanner
9/22 David Hollingsworth
9/23 Sara Catherine Knappe
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Monday, September 19
9:00 AM - Preschool
10:00 AM - Monday Morning Prayer Group
10:30 AM - Small Group: "The Pastor's Porch" - Whaley
1:00 PM - Construction Committee
5:30 PM - Stewardship & Finance
5:30 PM - Preschool Ice Cream Social
6:30 PM - Cub Scouts
7:00 PM - BSA Troop 2
7:00 PM - Personnel & Administration
Tuesday, September 20
9:00 AM - Preschool
10:30 AM - Primary Purpose: AA
4:00 PM - Small Group: "The Parking Lot Fools" - Dixon
4:15 PM - Worship & Music
5:30 PM - Endowment Board
6:00 PM - Tai Chi
7:15 PM - Raleigh Court Ringers
8:00 PM - Small Group: "Soul Sisters" - Biddle
Wednesday, September 21
7:00 AM - Communion
9:00 AM - Preschool
12:15 PM - Preschool Staff Meeting/Planning
4:00 PM - God Alive
6:45 PM - Tenor Sectional
7:00 PM - Preschool Committee
7:00 PM - Small Group: "The After-Dinner Crowd" - Sackett
7:15 PM - Christmas Music Rehearsal
8:00 PM - Sanctuary Choir Rehearsal
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Thursday, September 22
9:00 AM - Preschool
9:00 AM - Hunger Mission Packing
10:00 AM - Centering Prayer (St. Elizabeth’s Episcopal Church)
10:30 AM - Primary Purpose: AA
4:30 PM - Tai Chi
6:30 PM - Hip Sober Chicks
7:00 PM - Raleigh Court Neighborhood Association
Friday, September 23
9:00 AM - Preschool
11:45 AM - Al-Anon
5:00 PM - Girl Scout Troop 170
6:30 PM - Young Adult Dinner at Leigh's
Sunday, September 25
9:00 AM - Worship – Chapel
10:00 AM - Sunday School
11:00 AM - Worship – Sanctuary
12:15 Pm - Discover RCPC
6:00 PM - Youth Group
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