Announcements, 3.9.16
PREPARE & CONNECT
This Week's Sermon: Erik will preach on Genesis 4:1-7 this week. We invite you to read ahead as a way to prepare for Sunday’s service.
Caring for the Vaughans: For continued updates on how Rosalie Vaughan is doing with her treatment–and for ways we can all help care for her and her family–make sure to visit her CaringBridge site: www.caringbridge.org/visit/rosalievaughan. You will need to register with the site to see updates. Thank you for your continued prayer and support for the Vaughans!
Session Meeting: The City Church session will meet on Sunday evening. If you have any questions, concerns, or prayer requests addressed, please contact Erik (erik@citychurchrva.com).
GATHER
Prayer Tomorrow: At City Church we strive to be a community of prayer dependent on God for His purpose, protection, and provision. Join us tomorrow, March 10th, at 7am to pray. Meet in the Church office, 3rd floor at Grace Covenant. Enter in the back entrance of building. We hope to see you there. (City Church prayer takes place the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month).
Race and the Church: Several churches in the Richmond area have come together to create “Race in the Church.” Throughout 2016 they will host a series of speakers/dialogues exploring where we can learn and reflect upon some of the important issues facing the church. Issues surrounding race and ethnicity, developing a fuller grasp of how the past affects the present, #blacklivesmatter, the pursuit of justice, and developing a framework through which we might pursue multi-ethnic and cross-cultural churches are some of the topics we will address. The seccond session is scheduled for Saturday, March 12th and will address the topic "Why Do We All Look the Same? A Cultural and Theological Analysis of Underlying Church Dynamics." For more information, please visit raceandthechurch.com.
Easter Event: On Saturday, March 26th, at 4pm, we’ll meet at Forest Hill Park to share a meal. The event will include kid-friendly activities and an Easter Egg Hunt. It’s a great opportunity for inviting friends and neighbors to learn more about why Christians celebrate Easter (here's a PDF invitation we encourage you to share). ALL ARE WELCOME! If you are able to sign up to bring a dish to share, please use this link to do so. Thank you!
Good Friday Service: Join us on March 25th, at 7pm, at Grace Covenant for a Good Friday Service. The Good Friday service is a somber service of Lessons and Songs to help us mark the Passion of Jesus Christ our Lord. This service will be held in partnership with Grace Community Presbyterian Church and the Northside Church of Richmond.
Toast 2 Life: The East End Pregnancy Test & Help Center (eastendpreg.org) is hosting its fifth annual Toast to Life on Saturday, April 16th at Veritas School (3400 Brook Road, RVA 23227) from 6pm-10pm. The Center, which serves families in Richmond’s East End, offers life-promoting services including free pregnancy tests, optional counseling, and pre- and post-natal spiritual and material support. The Toast to Life will feature drinks, live music, tasty treats and delicious eats. Tickets and sponsorships are available at Toast2Life.org. If you have questions, please contact George or Julie Davis (davis.g@law.wlu.edu or juliedavis1013@gmail.com).
Elijah House Academy (EHA) Banquet: EHA is a Christ-centered K through 12 urban school community that cultivates the hearts, minds, and bodies of our city’s children for God’s glory and Richmond’s flourishing. City Church partners with EHA and is hosting a table at their annual outdoor banquet on Thursday, May19th from 6pm to 8pm. Please email Barrett Clark (bclark@ivyventures.com) or Joshua Earman (joshua@citychurchrva.com) if you would like to attend.
SERVE
Painting Day: We are in the process of renovating room 303 (the space where we hold most meetings and Bible studies). Painting day is the morning of March 19th, and we need some volunteers! If you're able to help out, please email David Boyce at davidboyce11@gmail.com.
Good Friday Blood Drive: City Church will partner with Grace Covenant and other churches in Stuart Circle to host a blood drive on Good Friday (March 25th) from 9:30am to 3:30pm. The blood drive will take place in the Fellowship Hall of Grace Covenant. To sign up to donate, please visit redcrossblood.org and search for “goodfriday”. We are also in need of volunteers to manage the registration table; volunteers will serve in two-hour windows: 9:30-11:30, 11:30-1:30, and 1:30-3:30. If you are interested in/able to volunteer, please contact Mary Conkright at mary.conkright@gmail.com.
Stewards of Children Training: City Church will host Stewards of Children Training, a nationally recognized sexual abuse prevention training that educates adults to prevent, recognize, and react responsibly to child sexual abuse. Typically, our mentality toward the idea of sexual abuse is, “it won’t happen to my child, or anyone I know.” We hope and pray that this is true, but, based on the statistic that 1 in 10 children will be sexually abused before they are 18, the reality is you will most likely know someone who was sexually abused at some point in their life, if you don’t already. This course will take place on Sunday, April 17th from 1pm-3:30pm in room 311 at Grace Covenant. Representatives from Greater Richmond SCAN (Stop Child Abuse Now) will conduct the course. All are welcome to attend–feel free to invite others outside of City Church. As April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month, Greater Richmond SCAN is offering this training free of charge.If you’re planning to attend, please RSVP to Jennifer Murphy (jennifer@citychurchrva.com) by April 13th. Childcare will be provided if needed.
Meals for City Church Families: We are currently providing meals for a few other City Church families as well: Grant, Tracye, and Ethan Woodfin; Jane and Mabel Marshall; Blake, Lindsey, and Calum Stack; Annet and Jake Lyell; and Katie and Jeff Palmore. If you’re interested in providing meals for these families, please visit takethemameal.com and use the family’s last name as the log-in and password.