2nd Grade Bible Presentation

We are so proud of our 2nd graders, Holden Blanton and Bradley Caldwell, who had great fun studying the Bible in our "God's Gift of the Word" class. Holden and Bradley have reached a wonderful stepping stone in their faith and have received their Bibles from our church! We pray that the Holy Word will be a comfort and guide to them throughout their lives.

A Seminarians Update: Richard Aylor

I just wanted to give you an update on Seminary.  It is going great so far.  It was tough adjusting back to the academic work, but now that I have made it through my first week, things are going smoothly.  I am taking Hebrew, which is going to be my toughest course, but I am beginning to see the reward in all the studying.  I am also taking Old Testament, Early Church History, Systematic Theology, Speech, and Choir.  This afternoon, I found out that I have secured a job in the Seminary Relations office working about 10 hours a week, which is great because they are very flexable with hours, and I have my weekend to catch up on my work, and of course to explore different churches on Sundays. 

I have met some wonderful people here so far from all over the country.  I have never experienced that type of diversity before being from and going to college in Southwest Virgina. 

I certainly miss Raleigh Court and I hope the year has started off well.  I really missed being at Rally Day this year.  If you get the chance, tell everyone at Youth Group that I miss them and I am thinking about them. 

I cannot tell you enough how much I appreciated this last year at Raleigh Court.  It truly was a blessing.  I cannot thank you enough for giving me this opportunity.  My thinking is so much different at Seminary than it would have been 1 year ago without that experience. 

Yours in Christ,

Richard

With Great Joy and Excitement...

It is with great joy and excitement to announce to you that Leigh Sackett and Anne Travers have been called to serve as our next co-Directors of Christian Education!  Leigh’s primary responsibilities will be for all things infant through middle school, and Anne’s will be high school through adult.  The DCE Search Committee is confident in Leigh and Anne’s unique qualifications, experience and innovative thinking, and the committee looks forward to their gifts shared with the Christian education department at our church.  We celebrate the work of the Holy Spirit and the faithful discernment process of the DCE Transition and Search Teams. 

If you would like to send them a welcome note, you may reach them at:

• Leigh – leigh@rcpres.org
• Anne – anne@rcpres.org

Kate Garden, Getting Set to Serve Christ

The Young Adult Volunteer (YAV) program offers opportunities in Christian service and learning for young adults between the ages of 19 and 30.  YAVs serve in eleven sites within the United States and five sites around the world.  The job descriptions for the volunteers depend both on the needs of the partner and the skills of the YAV In each placement, the volunteer works with a church or organization, develops Christian community, and meets for prayer and Bible study with other YAVs.

Kate has been selected to be a YAV in Guatemala for the 2012-2013 year!  Her Guatemala group is a small group of all women, who will be living with host families in nearby towns, and will be able to do service ranging from hunger programs, to teaching English, to working for international non-profit CEDEPCA, which benefits Central America.  She departs on August 27th from orientation in New York, and will return in July/August 2013.  Kate is excited about the coming YAV year and is excited to share her ministry with Raleigh Court Presbyterian Church (RCPC). 

International YAV years can cost between $20,000 and $30,000, but the Presbyterian Church (USA) shares a large part of the cost, and she is responsible for raising $8,000.  If you would like to support her mission and this ministry, contributions are being collected through the “Kate Garden Guatemala Fund” at RCPC.  Regardless of whether you can give financial support or not, your prayers for her endeavor would be invaluable!  Thank you for your support!

!! MOVIE NIGHT !!  The RCPC Board of Deacons are having a special, free showing of the “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe” on Thursday, July 12 at 7 pm as an effort to help raise funds for Kate.  They will be selling popcorn and soda, and collecting contributions for her ministry, and KATE will be on hand to give free hugs!!!