Dear SRPC Family,

Sometimes life is so very sad. Angie Royalty died last week – she was just forty-two. Angie bravely battled cancer for several years because each day she could extend her life was another day with her four precious daughters. Cards can be sent to John Royalty and his girls at 1526 N. Killebrew Pt., Hernando, FL 34442. Angie’s memorial service will be Saturday morning at SRPC with Brad Bresson officiating. This week, was the twenty fifth anniversary of my brother Steve’s death. Steve was my oldest brother and my childhood hero. He was so smart – math and science smart in a family that tilts toward English and history. Steve could figure out any puzzle or riddle; Rubik’s cube was no challenge. One of my cherished childhood memories was gathering in the yard on Saturday mornings to watch him launch sophisticated rockets that he built. He was an Eagle Scout, MVP of his high school football team, and the only one of my siblings to serve in the military. Steve was a hard worker – he went from being a busboy at Uncle John’s Pancake House in Miami to the manager in less than a year. (This may be an exaggeration but he was larger than life to me.) As an adult, he would destroy me in Trivial Pursuit and rise to my defense when someone mistreated me or spoke ill of me. At age thirty-five, in perfect health, he died suddenly in his sleep. A full autopsy and toxicology report could find no cause of death. God, in His wisdom, just took Steve. I’ll be in Tallahassee this week and try to slip by his grave. I miss my brother. Sometimes life is so very sad.

• The youth ministry had a great mission trip to New Orleans, Louisiana. You can read their excellent blog posts here. . Katie Bennett is serving Jesus in Japan this summer; her blog is delightful. A team of SRPC folks leaves for Japan tomorrow to serve the Japanese church – pray for them. Camp Seven Rivers has roared into its second week with over 100 campers. It’s an awesome camp! Did you know that twenty of our friends from New Horizons (formerly the Key Center) are also having a camp at SRPC every day this week? What a summer… What a great God.

• Our summer of goodbyes continues. Jamie Richard, after years of fruitful work at SRCS and at SRPC is moving to Kent, Washington to serve as an assistant pastor at First Evangelical Presbyterian Church. Jamie and Angel have contributed so much to our ministry and have invested fruitfully in so many of our lives. They and their boys are precious to us and we’ll miss them dearly. It has been a blast to watch these boys grow up. The Richards hope to move around July 15.

• Get the documentary, “Waiting For Superman” which casts a much needed spotlight on American education. This documentary is sobering, but also wildly hopeful as they demonstrate how children from the most blighted neighborhoods and with the worst family dysfunctions can be educational high achievers. Don’t miss renting this!

• On June 25 and 26, we’ll have a brief congregational meeting following our weekend services. The purpose of the meeting is the election of elders and deacons. The elder nominees for three-year terms are Stan Cooke and Glenn Loughridge. The deacon nominees are Johnnie Gregory and Jamey Gage. The following men have completed their three-year term as elders: Jim Busk, Rich Greete, and Jerry Pullen; and as deacons: Mark Blowers, Warren Conner, and Danny Woods.

• It is awesome to see God work in kids that grew up at SRPC. Karen Werling’s sons Nick and Nathan Edwards were converted in college and now produce a podcast aimed at reaching unbelievers with the gospel. When I wrote Nick and commended him he responded, “I’ll defer all the props to God. Nate and I are the poster children for lost causes. Next time you look down front and see some kids half-asleep, reeking of last night’s booze and catching the infuriated glances of their dejected parents, just think of us. And that was just the beginning… We both turned to hard-core atheism in college and I actually spent a good deal of time and energy doing whatever I could to talk people out of their faith. Sadly, I was very successful in most of those endeavors. But when my world came crashing down in October of 2000, what I was worshiping in the mirror could no longer sustain me. The only place I wanted to be was sitting in the front row at SRPC.” You can watch Nick’s testimony here.

• I’m loving getting to know God as we study his attributes this summer… This week in worship, we’ll focus on the God of Truth!

Love,

Ray