As a Christian community, called to peacemaking and reconciliation, we affirm that people of any race, ethnic identity, gender, who are gay or straight, of any ability, age, or economic status, are welcome to full participation in our congregation.
John 1:1-5 Leah Weaver continued our summer series of sharing a song or scripture that has been particularly meaningful. Like for many of us, she notes that for her congregational singing at RMC is a particularly important aspect of our life together. The song “God of the Bible” is one of many favorite songs and […]
Psalm 37 Rachel shared from this passage and her memories of hearing about it in the context of a seminary class on the role of the environment and land portrayed in the Old Testament, then juxtaposed immediately after through a campus rally about the suffering encountered by many in eastern North Carolina as a result […]
Psalm 88 Al Reberg shared how the song Lift Every Voice and Sing often referred to as The Black National Anthem has moved him over the years. In the 80s, Kirsten (his daughter) had learned Lift Every Voice and Sing while part of the Saint Cecilia Youth Chorale. She sang it for him and it […]
John 15:1-17 [Note: there were a few technical glitches during Duane and Lois’s sharing via Zoom. These were edited out and as a result there are a couple of places that don’t completely flow together.] Duane uses the passage from John to reflect on the way Jesus was pruned for ministry. He shares about the […]
Matthew 5:14-16 Kathy Boos continued our summer series of sharing about a song or scripture passage that has been impactful. Melissa provided the scripture background from these verses from the Sermon on the Mount before Kathy shared her thoughts on the song. Kathy reflected on the importance of all kinds of music in her life, […]
Lamentations 3:19-33 Debbie Bledsoe continues our summer series of sharing beloved songs and bible passages. Melissa introduces the passage from Lamentations, then Debbie shares from her experiences of God’s faithfulness in her life whether in the midst of hardships and change or joy and beauty. Morning by morning we can see new ways God loves […]
I Corinthians 15:1-6 In the continuing series of RMCers sharing a scripture or song that is particularly meaningful, Dave Cooper reflects on this passage from I Corinthians. Melissa introduces the passage before Dave shares and closes with the song When I Survey the Wondrous Cross. Christ has freed us to a life of right relationships–with […]
Psalm 139 During the summer months RMCers are sharing scripture passages that have been particularly meaningful to them. This Sunday Hannah Barg shared about her brother Erin and the special relationship they had through music. Rachel Taylor introduces the passage from Psalm 139, followed by Hannah providing the scripture in song. After Hannah shares her […]
by Jackie ParkerA blog entry in response to our “A Year at the Table” series. One Sunday, during the sharing portion of our worship, I revealed I was having a hard time—that the pandemic, fear for people’s health, and physical distancing were taking a toll—and with no end in sight, I was starting to feel […]
Zinith shares about how he came to Raleigh Mennonite. The recording starts with Loretta reading Ezekiel 34:11-16 and Melissa providing context…. Read More →
Acts 2:1-21 Just before Melissa’s message we watched a video portrayal of today’s scripture passage. The sermon ended with us listening to “Ella’s Song” sung by Sweet Honey in the Rock. This was a terrible week leading up to Pentecost Sunday, with a White woman making false accusations about a Black man, the police murdering […]
I Corinthians 8 As we continue our Zoom services online, Melissa continued her series talking about the church in Corinth. As we work at being church together at Raleigh Mennonite, we’re given this gift of seeing how this little church in Corinth worked out its conflicts, and how it might be good news for our […]
Sriprakash Mayasandra and Rachel Taylor provided our message this morning in the form of an interview. Sri, a former RMCer, has been studying in France before taking on his latest role with Mennonite Central Committee in Chad. He was able to join us via web conference and share some of his testimony and current work. […]
Acts 18:1-4 I Corinthians 1:10-18 In the scripture passages for today we see the early church is in disarray. There is division and tumult. But Paul urges the church in Corinth to keep their focal point on one place: on Jesus. For the message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but […]
Acts 17:1-9 In our city and in our country protests have been taking place that are tinged with “rights” language, including the right for churches to hold gatherings. But a few thousand years earlier a different scene played out that also concerned the state and religion. Paul and Silas and the other Christians have disrupted […]
By David and Rosene Rohrer, with photo by Karin Shank Having learned from each other about the variety of ways communion is celebrated around the world, we easily adjusted to observing this important practice from our homes during the novel coronavirus pandemic in 2020. One Sunday for our virtual service (via Zoom) we each chose […]
Acts 3:1-10 There’s something new in this familiar scene for Peter and John as they encounter a beggar in front of the temple gates. Unlike many times they have walked this way before, they stop and acknowledge this lame man. They really see him. With new eyes, through the Holy Spirit. It’s an invitation for […]
I Corinthians 15:1-26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. But death is roaring all around us these days in the midst of the pandemic. That makes “Holy Humor Sunday,” a tradition of RMC for the last few years, a lot more difficult right now. But in many ways, our times are much less […]
As we celebrated Easter Sunday together via Zoom, Melissa spoke from the Gospel of John’s account of Jesus’ resurrection. The disciples are huddled together, afraid the Roman soldiers will find them and they too will be killed as Jesus was. Every person in the story recounted in this gospel is alone, in the dark. Only […]
It’s Palm Sunday. Instead of processing around the outside of Hope School as we’ve done the past couple of years, we waved our branches from our homes, worshipping together via Zoom. (See raleighmennonite.org/2020/palm-sunday for a link to the video shared during the service of several RMCers waving branches in front of their homes.) Indeed, things […]
This Sunday was unique for RMC, just as it was for many others throughout the world during the pandemic we’re living through. But our worship service brought us together in ways we could not have otherwise been together. Each Sunday since holding our services via Zoom we’ve had the opportunity to be joined together with […]
Sojourners recently published an article, “Fasting from Food Waste in a Season of Hoarding,” that features a core group from Raleigh Mennonite Church who have made a commitment this Lenten season to reduce food waste as a spiritual practice. Little did the group know when Lent started that this season would land us in the […]
Melissa Florer-BixlerSermon from March 29, 2020 worship service, held via ZoomJohn 11The spoken version of the message, without notes, is also available on the podcast. One of the parts of our faith that is most important to me is the affirmation that God has something to do with the world. And if God has something […]
On our third online worship service during the COVID-19 pandemic, Melissa had some technical challenges so presented her message without notes. The scripture was from John 11, the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead. When Mary and Martha tell Jesus, “If you had been here, my brother would not have died,” Jesus doesn’t […]
