This Sunday's Sermon

We'll finish up our series The Flood: A New Start with a sermon from Erik on Genesis 11:1-9. We invite you to read ahead as a way to prepare for Sunday's service.

(Need to get caught up? Listen to all of the sermons from this series here.)

Happening This Week

• Art for Advent: City Church is issuing a call to all artists to create and/or submit pieces for Art for Advent. Recognizing the important ways that art can help us experience God, we invite submissions on our Advent theme from the book of "Micah: Waiting for the Lord." This art will be featured during worship and at a reception in December. All pieces need to be received by Sunday, November 20th. Questions can be directed to Emily Osborne (eechildrensdesign@gmail.com).
• Race and the Church: The next installment of Race and the Church is scheduled for Saturday, November 19th at 9am at Sycamore Presbyterian Church in Midlothian (510 Coalfield Road). Dr. David Prince will lead a discussion on "The Elusive Dream: Pursuing Diversity in the Predominantly White Churches." Registration is free and can be completed on raceandthechurch.com.
• Men's Hike: Please join the men of City Church on a hiking trip to Crabtree Falls, just off the Blue Ridge Parkway, on Saturday, November 19th. We will meet at the Short Pump Whole Foods at 8:00 am and carpool/caravan up to the trail parking lot. The hike is 3.8 miles roundtrip with an easy/moderate difficulty level, that should take us no more than four hours to complete, including time to eat lunch at the halfway point. Our estimated time of return to Richmond is 4pm. Little men are invited as well, so feel free to bring your son, nephew, little brother, etc. If you plan on coming, fill out this form to give us a heads up.
• Bible & Sexuality: Bible & Sexuality: What does the Bible teach about the complex question of human sexuality? We all understand our lives in light of stories. The Bible offers us a four-chapter story for understanding what Jesus’ life, death and resurrection mean to our lives today. The seminar is in two parts: first we will cover how the first two chapters of that story inform the way we understand and practice sex. In part two, we look at the way the final two chapters—redemption and consummation—change what we expect of sex and revolutionize what we learn from it. If you have been part of City Church and are looking for an opportunity to learn more about the Bible and sexuality in a safe and thoughtful environment, this seminar is for you. This class will be led by Joshua Earman. We'll meet on Sunday, November 20th from 9am to 11:30am in Lingle Hall at Veritas School (4300 Brook Road). Please RSVP to joshua@citychurchrva.com
• Pageant Rehearsal & Dinner: This Sunday is our one and only Christmas Pageant rehearsal! All participants (and their parents) are invited to join us in the Fellowship Hall for a quick pizza dinner immediately following Sunday's service. After we eat, we'll rehearse. Please use this link to RSVP to Sunday's dinner by THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17TH (that's tomorrow!)--we need to have an accurate count to make sure everyone gets enough to eat.

Coming Up Soon

• Christmas Pageant, Part & Sing-Along: Our Christmas celebration will take place on Saturday, December 3rd here at Grace Covenant. We’ll kick things off with the pageant at 5:30, followed by dinner, and a fantastic Christmas carol sing-along. Please bring a dish to share and invite your friends to join us–this event is a wonderul way to introduce new people to our church community. Ornament invitations will be available at the front and back doors of church--please take a few and pass them along to friends and family.
• Caroling at Randolph: On Saturday (December 10th), we will spend time caroling and chatting with the residents of Randolph Place, an affordable housing community for seniors located in Richmond's Randolph neighborhood. Randolph Place is located at 300 S. Randolph Street, but the entrance we'll use faces Grayland Avenue (there's a big awning marking the spot). There's plenty of street parking around the facility. We'll meet at 10am for coffee, donuts, and snacks with the residents, and then we'll do some carolng and work on a simple craft. Please note that while this event usually has several kids in attendance, ALL are welcome. It's a great opportunity for all of us to love and care for those who might not have many loved ones to visit with during the holidays. If you've got questions--or if you're a musician interested in helping to lead music--please contact Jennifer Murphy at jennifer@citychurchrva.com.
• Women's Retreat--Registration Underway! Our annual Women's Retreat will take place on January 28th and 29th at Roslyn Retreat Center. Patricia Higgins Clarke–a native Richmonder with a deep heart for the Lord–will serve as our speaker. Patricia has spent years leading and teaching women and has a passion for seeing women come to faith in Christ and walk with Him through all of life's stages. We look forward to our time with her! Registration is now open! Early registration cost is $100; the price goes up to $130 on December 2nd. Stop by the City Church website for more information and to register.

Serving Our Community

• CARITAS: We are partnering again with Bethlehem Lutheran (1100 W. Grace Street) for a fulfilling week serving the homeless community in our church during the week of December 3rd through 10th. Last year, 30 City Church volunteers came out throughout the week. We are run 100 percent by volunteers, and we need your help! This is a great opportunity for City Groups or individuals alike. We need help with meal prep and overnight volunteers. If you're interested in volunteering, please use this link to sign up.
• Meals for the Barefoots: James Baker Barefoot was born on Tuesday, November 8th weighing in at 8 pounds, 12 ounces; he'll be going by Baker. We'll provide meals for Margaret and Josh for several weeks as they adjust to life at home with Baker. If you'd like to care for them in this way, visit takethemameal.com to sign up; the log-in and password are Barefoot.

On the Blog

• A Season of Waiting (Advent events & Children's Ministry update)
• Flashback: Art for Advent 2014
• Thinking About...Friendship