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 Rockport Updates: January 19, 2021

Dear Rockport Family and Friends,

As I write this update, the snow is falling softly outside and my daughter is running around the living room shouting "SNOW!" and taking her dolls to the window so they can see it too. I hope that you are staying warm and doing well this week. There is much going on at Rockport - from folks who are doing mission work, people reaching out in love and care to one another, and opportunities for spiritual growth, we give thanks to God for all the people who continue to keep Rockport active in the world, even while we are apart. Plans continue to be underway for my parental leave, which will begin whenever Baby Radzik decides it's time for him to be born - hopefully somewhere around mid-March.

Don't forget to participate in our Winter Mission Project. Beginning tomorrow (January 7, 2021) we will begin collecting new hats, mittens, gloves, scarves, packages of men's and women's socks, for our the Take What You Need Cabinet and the City Mission. All items donated must be new. Please plan to drop those items off during church office hours (between 9 and 1 on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursdays) from now through January 31. After that time, these items will be shared in the Take What You Need Cabinet and with our neighbors at the City Mission.

Rockport continues to be in Level 3 (red) online only status until further notice. Church sponsored activities are all meeting online or postponed until we can gather safely. We continue to lift our hearts in prayer as we invite you to worship with us at 10:00am on Sundays via Facebook, YouTube, or on our website. Remember that the church is not and has never been closed. We are worshipping, studying, and gathering online in order to care for one another and keep each other safe as well as to respect the hard and dedicated work of our essential workers and overwhelmed healthcare staff. Please join us for worship each week and invite someone else to join us by sending the links along. Your giving is also vital to the church community during this time - as we begin our process of strategic planning and participate in the work and prayer to reimagine our ministry at Rockport, we invite you to join us daily in prayer and to support the church with your prayers, presence, gifts, service, and witness.

We are beginning this new year with a process of strategic planning and reimagining our ministry together at Rockport. We invite you to join us in daily prayer as we seek to discern God's direction for our future, setting a mission and vision that will help us live more fully into God's call. Rev. Kelly Brown and Rev. Rick Oaks from Office of Congregational Vitality have begun their work with us here at Rockport and we commit to keeping you up to date as we go through this process. We also invite you to join us in daily prayer at 8am, 8pm, or both with our Rockport UMC 8:00 Discernment Prayer (it's in the photo above!)

Please don't forget that the Take What You Need Cabinet is always in need of donations. Check the list below for some ideas as you make your next shopping list!

2020 Giving Statements are now available upon request. If you would like an email or hard copy statement of your giving for the year 2020, please call or email the church office. Please note that if you gave on the Tithe.ly platform you should have received an email inviting you to download your giving statement. If you have difficulty accessing these statements and would like to request an email or hard copy, please let the church office know by emailing office@rockportumc.org or connecting with Sara by phone.

As always, you continue to be in my prayers. If you are in need of prayer or conversation, don't hesitate to reach out to me via phone (216) 264-6044 or email (pastor@rockportumc.org). Please leave a voicemail if I'm not immediately available and I'll get back to you as soon as I can.

Blessings for the year ahead,

Rev. Lorrin Radzik

As we enter into our time of discernment and strategic planning together at Rockport UMC, we invite you to participate in the process by joining us in daily prayer with our 8:00 Prayer. Join us in praying the prayer above at 8am, 8pm, or both, depending on how your schedule works. And if none of those times work, pick one that works for your schedule - the important thing is that we are joining together with one another as we pray for God's direction in our lives and our church.