MEN’S GROUP:  
On Thursday, March 9^th at 6:30pm the men will gather for a potluck dinner. Jeff Zullo will speak on “Empowering and Engaging Students through Service-Learning.” He will share methods and stories about young adults connecting their academics to meaningful volunteer work. Jeff is director and social studies chair at North Olmsted High School where the SITES Program members have modeled and developed service-learning in the region and U.S. Everyone is invited to hear Jeff’s informative presentation.







SOUP AND LENTEN PRAYER/DEVOTION: 
Join us on Thursdays March 16 & 30th from 6-7:30pm for soup and prayer and devotional readings.  All are welcome. Please email the church or sign-up on the chapel hallway bulletin board.  God is good all the time. 







BOOK CLUB:  
Our next book discussion will be on Wednesday, April 19th @ 7:00pm here at church.  The book we will be reading is “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles. “In June, 1954, eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the juvenile work farm where he has just served fifteen months for involuntary manslaughter. With his mother long gone, his father recently deceased, and the family farm foreclosed upon by the bank, Emmett plans to pick up his eight-year-old brother Billy and head to California to start a new life. But when the warden drives away, Emmett discovers that two friends from the work farm have stowed away in the trunk of the warden’s car. They have a very different plan for Emmett’s future, one that will take the four of them on a fateful journey in the opposite direction – to New York City. Bursting with life, charm, richly imagined settings and unforgettable characters, The Lincoln Highway is an extraordinary journey through 1950s America from the pen of a master storyteller.” Hope to see everyone in April for fun, fellowship and discussion.
 

 
GOOGLE DRIVE REMINDER:
Rockport All Church Information, and Financial Reports can be found here or in the church office.  






REMINDER:
Office hours are Monday-Thursday 8:00 - 2:00pm and Fridays from 8:00 - 1:00pm.  
Rev. Don's office hours are Tuesday and Thursdays from 11:00 - 1:00pm



CONFERENCE AND DISTRICT NEWS:

Check out the conference and district websites:
 https://www.eocumc.com/
 http://www.eocumc.com/northcoast/
 

Beloved, as we begin this season of Lent, I invite you to join me on a journey of being stewards of God’s creation. The season of Lent is a time for reflection and introspection, a time to go deeper in our discipleship, in our walk with Christ, in our journey of faith. 

The 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter can be a season of transformation should we choose to embrace the invitation, to slow down, to reflect, to ponder and pray, to take a step back from the busyness and the regularity of our daily routines and intentionally create space for the inward work of examination. This Holy season can be a season of transformation if we allow God’s Spirit to heal the broken places in our lives, to expand our imaginations, and to give us renewed courage for our lives, for ministry, and for the future.

During this season of Lent, I am inviting us, together, to expand our imagination and to focus our attention, together, on the stewardship of God’s creation. I encourage us, yes, to do the spiritual work of healing and self-examination and I’m also encouraging us to look outside of ourselves, to look outside of our circumstances and get a better grasp on our relationship with God’s creation.

We are trustees of God’s creation. As Christians, we have a collective responsibility to be caretakers. What if all of us see the call to environmental stewardship as part of God’s calling in our lives, individually and collectively? What if we all were to begin by having conversations about the climate crisis?

Friends, we are on this journey together to be good stewards of God’s creation.

Church, Leadership Assisting
Community Impacted by
Train Derailment

By Rev. Ed Fashbaugh and Rick Wolcott*

Two weeks ago today, the eyes of the world focused on East Palestine as flames and smoke filled the sky of the 4,800-person town near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border following the derailment of nearly three dozen cars of a Norfolk Southern Railway train. The fire burned for days, and many businesses were forced to close because of chemicals that filled the air from the 11 derailed cars that were carrying hazardous materials.

Residents within a mile of the derailment were evacuated. Local, state, and national safety agencies converged on the town and set up a command center inside East Palestine Centenary UMC (Mahoning Valley District). The church was selected because of its long-time relationship addressing social concerns through its connection with Columbiana County’s The Way Station, a nonprofit staple within the community for individuals and families in need of emergency assistance, nutrition, clothing, household items, job training and emotional support. 

“Right now, everyone is doing as well as can be expected, but others are having struggles due to the enormous stress this is bringing,” shared Bill Sutherin, who, along with his wife Peggy, was evacuated from their home because of its proximity to the derailment. Used to assisting in times of need instead of being assisted, Sutherin still fulfilled his role of the Ohio Volunteers in Organizations Assisting in Disaster (VOAD) representative to the East Ohio Conference Disaster Response Committee.

“Centenary UMC has been a distribution point for air quality tests and Bill Sutherin has provided us with timely reports of the status of the situation there and he has been in regular contact with Mahoning Valley District Superintendent the Rev. Abby Auman,” said the Rev. Steve Court, East Ohio Conference disaster response coordinator.

“Thankfully no lives were lost and no buildings were damaged. At this point, air, water, and soil quality are the major concerns,” said Auman of the work being done by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). “The coordination and degree of response is not like anything I’ve ever seen.”

There is much work still to be done, and many people who want to help.

Remember the simple rules of disaster response found on the Conference website:

• Do No Harm right now:
  • Do Not “self-deploy” into a region until invited.
  • Do Not send supplies and clothes. Unwanted items sent into disaster zones become burdens on an already-overwhelmed area.
• Do Good right now:
  • Pray for the communities impacted by the disaster, the lives forever changed, and those responding.
  • Collect an offering or host a fundraiser in your local church. Because of the connectional network of The United Methodist Church, 100% of all funds will be delivered to persons directly involved in or responding to the disaster. 
  • Make a financial donation to Disaster Response in Ohio Fund 9200.

“East Ohio is preparing and planning for care after the initial disaster response subsides,” Court assures.

Learn more about East Ohio Conference Disaster Response.

*Rev. Ed Fashbaugh is executive director of Connectional Ministries and Rick Wolcott is executive director of Communications for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.