Worship Archive

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Declaration & Prayer of Commitment: Donate It Forward, Make A Difference

October 27, 2019 (Sunday Morning) | Martha Day Dumas, Buddy Sumner, Marnie Fisher-Ingram

 

 

Leader: Today we recommit ourselves to learning, serving, and worshiping together as River Road Church. Today we renew our promises with God and with one another, including our promise to give generously to God’s work in and through our church.

Congregation: In that spirit, with thanksgiving we lift up our giving pledges for next year. We do so not to boast in our material blessings, but to express gratitude to our loving and generous God.

Leader: We know that today is not simply about pledges, for we celebrate the numerous ways we seek to commit ourselves to God.

Congregation: We recommit ourselves to walking together as the beloved people of God.

Leader: We recommit ourselves to God’s work of justice in a deeply divided world. We are called to know and love God, nurture each other, and welcome all people in the name of Jesus Christ.

Congregation: Today we reaffirm our hope for our church—a home for the weary traveler, a place of welcome for the poor, a comfort for the distressed, a place of salvation for the sinner, a loving family for young and old—for the good of all and the glory of God.

Leader: As individuals, we make these promises to River Road Church as a whole:

Congregation: I commit to participate regularly, because my presence here matters. I promise to share in service to our community and our world, because the world needs a sign of God’s hope. I promise to support the congregation through my gifts of time and money, because my gifts make a difference. I promise to love my neighbors, even when we don’t agree, because we all have a place at the table.

Leader: Together as a congregation, we make promises to each individual member:

Congregation: We promise to be a church where all are welcome. We promise to use our gifts wisely. We promise to create safe spaces where we can wrestle with the hard questions of life. We promise to provide opportunities to worship, learn, and serve. We promise to bear witness to God’s love for this world.

Leader: Together with the prophet Jeremiah we proclaim with one voice:

Congregation: The Lord will be our God, and we will be God’s people!

 

Donate It Forward

There is a Balm in Gilead

September 22, 2019 (Sunday Morning)

Bible Verses: Jeremiah 8:18-9:1; 1 Timothy 2:1-7 | Daniel Glaze

Jeremiah asks that haunting question, “Is there no balm in Gilead?” In other words, “Is God with us? Does God even care?” I don’t mean to gloss over the question, for it’s a good one. But the answer, I believe, is a resounding yes. Yes, there is a balm in Gilead. This balm gives us a promise. It’s not a promise that protects us from tragedy and heartache, but it is a promise that we will never face life alone.

Worship Bulletin – September 22, 2019

 

 

 

Donate It Forward

Sheep and Sweep

September 15, 2019 (Sunday Morning)

Bible Verses: 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-10 | Daniel Glaze

Sometimes in life we feel alone and forgotten. Jesus tells us that God the Good Shepherd has not forgotten about you. With shepherd’s crook in hand, he wants to bring you home. God the Good Sweeper has taken up her broom and she will sweep until every last one of us is found.

Worship Bulletin – September 15, 2019

 

Bland Mission Trip Commissioning

 

TFC-Adults: A Time of Remembering 9/11 with Jim Slatton

September 11, 2019 (Wednesday Night) | Dr. Jim Slatton and Dr. C. Michael Hawn

Where were you on September 11, 2001? It is a day so many remember in great detail with deep sadness. Hard to believe, is the fact that high school students today were not alive then. Following this horrific event and the days of questions, concerns, and prayers, churches gathered to worship and find community in which to share emotions and thoughts, and seek a way forward. River Road Church was filled to the brim, with standing room only the following Sunday. Rev. Dr. Jim Slatton had the arduous task of offering a word from the Lord; of acknowledging the reality of evil and the compassion of Christ, holding out hope for a future in a world forever changed. Dr. Slatton recalled that Sunday and offered highlights from his message, which is preserved in writing in our archives.

Click here to read Dr. Slatton’s September 16, 2001 Sermon: “For Such a Time as This”

 

Jesus Follows the Rules

September 1, 2019 (Sunday Morning)

Bible Verses: Proverbs 25:6-7; Luke 14:1, 7-14

Last week we talked about Jesus breaking the rules and when it might be okay for us to do the same. This week we’ll look at when Jesus followed the rules—his own rules. I suspect Jesus has many rules for us to follow, especially at the table (which is the context for today’s scripture), but the most important one is this: when Jesus hosts the banquest, everyone is invited.

Worship Bulletin – September 1, 2019