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Raleigh Mennonite Church

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.

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Lent

Confession and Sin – March 12, 2023

March 14, 2023

Melissa preaching at RMC on March 12, 2023 in front of a quilted wall hanging.

On this third Sunday of Lent, Melissa spoke from Romans 5:1-11. Most of our sins aren’t interesting or dangerous. They’re mostly petty and boring and cruel. We short change both the chasm of our failings and the grace of God when we limit the scope of our sins to doing bad things. Our sins are […]

Confession and Sin – March 12, 2023

Tagged With: confession, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, Romans, Sin

Questions of Identity – March 5, 2023

March 5, 2023

Melissa preaching at Raleigh Mennonite in front of a quilted wall hanging.

On this second Sunday of Lent Melissa preached from Romans 4:1-5, 13-17, weaving in basketball with the ongoing theme of confession, along with talking about community and identity. What if our identity isn’t a story about heroics or world-changing? What if the only way to tell each other apart is that we forgive each other?

Questions of Identity – March 5, 2023

Tagged With: community, confession, Identity, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, Romans

Making God into Something Else – Feb. 26, 2023

February 27, 2023

Melissa preaching at RMC on Feb. 26, 2023 in front of a quilted wall hanging.

On this first Sunday of Lent, Melissa preached from Genesis 2:15-17 & 3:1-7 and Romans 5:12-19. During this season we are focusing our time and attention toward “confession.” We have varied experiences with confessions. Confession is when we come clean, when we tell the truth about who we are. We are not God!

Making God into Something Else – Feb. 26, 2023

Tagged With: Genesis, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, Romans

Pouring out Scarcity – April 3, 2022

April 3, 2022

Melissa preaching at RMC on April 3, 2022

In this continuing series during Lent, today’s story is about Mary pouring out expensive perfume, washing Jesus’ feet with it and drying his feet with her hair. Rather than agreeing with Judas’ chastisement for wasting money on such extravagance, Jesus says, “She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my […]

Pouring out Scarcity – April 3, 2022

Tagged With: Gospel of John, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, Pouring out, scarcity, trust

The Angry son – March 26, 2022

March 28, 2022

The parable is The Prodigal Son but Melissa’s sermon focused on the older brother. The brother that stayed behind, served his father, tended the fields and flock and waited for his inheritance. He’s working in the field when his brother returns having squandered the inheritance he demanded while his father was still alive. Facing starvation […]

The Angry son – March 26, 2022

Tagged With: Gospel of Luke, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, Pouring out, prodigal son, sermon

Pouring out Despair – March 20, 2022

March 21, 2022

Continuing the series during Lent, Melissa preached from Luke 13:1-9. Despair is that intractable boulder that won’t move. Despair is the feeling of weariness after prying and pushing and pulling with all your might. From the passage, Jesus doesn’t provide pat answers when folks come to him in despair. “No, I tell you, but unless […]

Pouring out Despair – March 20, 2022

Tagged With: compost, despair, Gospel of Luke, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, new life, Pouring out, resurrection

Pouring out Expectations – March 13, 2022

March 13, 2022

Brian Recker preaching at Raleigh Mennonite on March 13, 2022

On this second Sunday of Lent, Brian Recker provided our sermon based on the passage from Luke 9:28-36. The last two years have been tough. During that time we’ve had lots of expectations that have been thwarted. Whether they were expectations in our personal lives or in the world around us, the last few years […]

Pouring out Expectations – March 13, 2022

Tagged With: Brian Recker, Expectations, Gospel of Luke, hope, Lent, Pouring out, transfiguration

Pouring out Control – March 6, 2022

March 6, 2022

Melissa preaching at RMC on March 6, 2022

On this first Sunday of Lent, Melissa preached from Luke 4:1-13, the story of Jesus’ temptation. The last two years of the pandemic have held untold losses. We are entering Lent brimming with trauma and fear of these past two years. We each have been holding in so much. It’s hard to know what the […]

Pouring out Control – March 6, 2022

Tagged With: Control, Gospel of Luke, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, pandeminc, Pouring out

Fasting from Food Waste – Article in Sojourners

April 3, 2020

Produce rescued from a dumpster.

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 […]

Fasting from Food Waste – Article in Sojourners

Filed Under: Table Tagged With: COVID-19, food rescue, Food waste, Lent, social justice, Sojourners

Temptations – March 1, 2020

March 1, 2020

Ryan Paige preaching at RMC on March 1, 2020

Matthew 4:1-11 The temptations Jesus encountered shows Jesus was the Messiah. The most god-like thing to do in that moment was to not be godlike and while Jesus had the power to be godlike he chose not to. What would you do in the moment of temptation if you were in Jesus’ position and had […]

Temptations – March 1, 2020

Tagged With: Gospel of Matthew, Lent, power, Ryan Paige, temptation

A Conversation about Jesus’ Death – March 18, 2018

March 18, 2018

Melissa Florer-Bixler preaching at Raleigh Mennonite Feb. 18, 2018

Melissa changed up the format a little this Sunday for her sermon. Speaking from John 19:1-16a about Jesus’ trial and condemnation to death, she provided an introduction then invited the congregation to help answer the age-old question, “Why did Jesus die?”  There have been multiple perspectives or understandings of why Jesus was crucified. We interpret scripture together […]

A Conversation about Jesus’ Death – March 18, 2018

Tagged With: Gospel of John, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, message

The Banality of Evil – March 11, 2018

March 11, 2018

Melissa Florer-Bixler preaching at Raleigh Mennonite Feb. 18, 2018

Before Melissa’s sermon, we listened to Billie Holiday’s rendition of the haunting song “Strange Fruit.”  The sermon was based on John 18:28-40, about Jesus’ trial before Pontius Pilate. Crucifixions were a common thing during Roman rule. They served not so much as death penalties as they were a form of social control.  Bodies on crosses […]

The Banality of Evil – March 11, 2018

Tagged With: cross, Gospel of John, Lent, lynchings, Melissa Florer-Bixler, Pilate, Strange Fruit, trial

The Fire of God’s Love – March 4, 2018

March 4, 2018

Rachel Taylor speaking at Raleigh Mennonite Jan. 1, 2017

Rachel brought the sermon based on John 18:17-27, reflecting on the oft-told story of Peter denying he knew Jesus, his teacher.  Peter was later able to take the experience of his failure, look at it with God’s eyes, and use it to imagine something new.  She links the charcoal fire they were gathered around in […]

The Fire of God’s Love – March 4, 2018

Tagged With: charcoal, fire, Gospel of John, Lent, Peter, Rachel Taylor

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” – Feb. 18, 2018

February 22, 2018

Melissa Florer-Bixler preaching at Raleigh Mennonite Feb. 18, 2018

John 11:1-44 – The Death of Lazarus Ash Wednesday, the start of Lent, a time for prayer as we anticipate with sorrow Jesus’ death. This year Ash Wednesday was marked by the death of 17 students and teachers at the High School in Parkland, Fl. The Ash Wednesday cross contains ashes representing death. Melissa reminds […]

“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” – Feb. 18, 2018

Tagged With: Ash Wednesday, Gospel of John, gun violence, Lent, Melissa Florer-Bixler, resurrection

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121 Hillsborough St.
Raleigh, NC 27603

Phone: 919-831-2969

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COVID-19 Update

We are worshipping in person at our downtown Raleigh location at Church of the Good Shepherd. While masks are not required, we ask everyone to be considerate of others’ COVID-related boundaries. We are continuing to provide the service via Zoom for those who are not able to join us in person. Please contact us if you'd like the Zoom connection information.

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