Raleigh Court Writers Guild

is made up of people who simply like to write.    Our mission is to find out ways we can use the gifts God has given us in His service here at RCPC, and we welcome any and all who share this interest.  We meet on the third Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m. in "Tupper's old office" just off the chapel. Our next meeting will be September 21, 2010.

After the success of our Advent monologues performed by the Raleigh Court Players in December, we have been working on a series about other characters and stories in the Bible. Two of these have been performed during worship services this summer, when the texts on which they were based were being used.

Mark Derbyshire brought to life MaryJo Shannon’s portrait of the man seeking to be cured at the pool of Bethesda on July 18, when Josh preached on the text from John 5.  August 15, Ann Travers portrayed the Syrophoenician woman, in a monologue also written by MaryJo,  before Tupper’s sermon based on Mark 7:25-30.. 

Vickie Haynie and the Raleigh Court Players will be presenting more of these “Bible portraits” in the future.

We do not confine ourselves to writing about Biblical subjects and if you have a writing project you would like to share with the group, please join us!

Our Advent project from last year was adapted into a series of monologues that were presented on December 10 by the Raleigh Court Players. There is video of the performance HERE.

The original pieces that were adapted for this performance may be found here:

The Wise Ones
Elizabeth
Joseph
Mary
The Innkeeper
The Shepherd

We have provided cards to go with the quilts given at baptism and shawls for terminally ill which are sent by the Wrapped in Love Mission Group.  We've written some Haiku,  and we’ve composed modern Psalms for the website. 

We have been working in cooperation with the Sudanese Mission Group, interviewing the Sudanese refugees and writing their stories to be posted on our website. In 2001 our church, under the leadership of Sandra Whitt, began a program of tutoring for Roanoke’s “Lost Boys of Sudan” who moved into apartments on Grandin Road. The program expanded as other refugees arrived.

Daniel Akur offered to let us use his account of his “journey” as a resource, and it was so compelling we decided, with his permission, to post it in advance of our story. Here it is, just as he wrote it in--years after arriving in Roanoke.  A second account has been added, this one by John Kon Garang Kuot. Writers Guild members are interviewing these young men and writing accounts as well.  Here is Mary Jo Shannon's story.  

Our Convener is Mary Jo Shannon. Our Publicist is Kay Koehler.  Our Shepherd is Jeanne Pritchard.

Elizabeth Jones, Lori Earls, Mary Jo Shannon and Jeanne Pritchard are just part of the group that uses literary talents to serve the church and community. Most of them use computers, but they are still upright in their purpose and keyed in to their calling.