Pastor Ray's Blog


Dear Friends,

As I write this I am in the mountains of North Carolina studying and reading and thinking about sermons for the rest of this year and next. I am in comfortable surroundings. I sit and read and pray in a comfortable chair on a front porch that looks out toward a series of mountains.  From where I sit I can actually see Grandfather Mountain. The view is nothing less than spectacular. I brought plenty of food with me and can easily fix a simple meal with little effort. I have a comfortable bed in which to sleep at night. Distractions are minimal. There is no TV, but I do have internet service and my cell phone actually has a signal. But since my hosts left me after my arrival on Monday, I have been alone. If not for the occasional car that passes on the gravel road outside the house and an occasional phone call, I might think I was the only person on earth right now. I know there is a town not far from where I am staying, but I have not ventured down the mountain since I made my way up the mountain on Monday. I don’t anticipate that will change until I descend on Friday and make my way back to Durham.

Why am I telling you all of this? Because I have been reminded in this solitary retreat of the importance of community. I admit that I love this time that I have to be away to think and pray and study with few distractions. I have read books that have been on my “to read” list for some time. I have worked through some Biblical texts and with the help of the writing of some great scholars have stumbled upon truths that have been missed even though I’ve read those texts time and time again. It has been a rich experience. But deep within I realize that I was not created to dwell in isolation. In my heart and I believe in yours is a yearning for community, a place to belong, a place to love and to be loved. I believe God created us with such a longing.  And I believe God responded to this longing by creating a community of faith called the church.  When Jesus began his ministry, he began by calling people to be together. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit we continue to live out what it means to be a community of faith.

Throughout the summer we have offered opportunities for our community to worship and fellowship together. With our normal pattern of having two services it is often hard to connect with those in our community which may go to a different service than the one we usually attend.  By having a single service once a month I hope you have been able to reconnect with some of your brothers and sisters in Christ who you may not see very often.

On August 16th we will have another wonderful opportunity to worship and fellowship together as one body.  On that day we will have a single service of worship at 10:30 am. After worship we will head out to New Hope Camp & Conference Center on Hwy. 86 just north of Chapel Hill to enjoy a potluck lunch followed by an afternoon of fellowship.

On that day I want you to come to church dressed for a picnic. Shorts, t-shirts and flip flops will be fine. Make a covered dish or two (enough to feed your family and a few others) and bring them in a cooler to church with you. As soon as the service is over we will caravan to the camp, set up, and enjoy lunch together. Our fellowship ministry team will provide tea, lemonade and water to drink. The church will also provide plates, cups and utensils.

After we eat we will have opportunity for some games and the camp pool will be open for business. There is a fee for our use of the camp which the church will cover, however, we will ask you to contribute the nominal fee for swimming if you decide you want to take advantage of the pool ($2.50/person).

It is going to be a great day of “community” for TPC. Remember the community will not be complete unless you are there.

Together with you in Christ’s service,