“Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly; do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” – Romans 12:16, 21 (NRSV)

Jesus, we look to you for strength and hope as we walk into the unknown of a new day. We’ve been disappointed and hurt by what we have seen and heard in the leadup to this year’s national election.
 
You taught us to love each other as siblings but we struggle to embrace people who look, think, and act differently than us. Please heal the wounds we have inflicted on each other and help us to be more like you, treating others as we wish to be treated.
 
Fill our hearts with compassion for one another, and guide us in setting good examples that future generations will want to follow. Help us unite communities by living love and modeling encouragement, and by putting an end to finger-pointing, hatred and violence.
 
May we have the strength to be agents of peace, healing, and hope, in a country where many are choosing division instead of diversity. Allow your Church and its people to be the center of justice, love, and mercy – embracing, uniting, and transforming all through the power of the Holy Spirit.
 
Amen.









PASTORS TIME AWAY:  
Pastor Don will be away from November 4-14^th.  Any pastoral concerns, please call Rev. Barbara Davis at 440-774-1660.  Rev. Dan Bryant will be leading worship and giving the message on Nov. 10^th.  Thank you!





THANKS EVERYONE! 
Our November 2, 2024 Spaghetti Dinner raised approximately $2,300 for Community Service Alliance.  Many thanks to our diners, servers, bakers & kitchen crew. We served 168 meals, dine-in and take out combined, and sold 67 quarts. Don't forget to stock up on quarts of sauce, $10/each and 4 meatballs in sauce and 7 meatballs for $12/each. 





HANGING OF THE GREENS:  
Come and Decorate and prepare the Lord’s House for Christmas Guests on Saturday, November 30, 2024 from 10am to 2pm.  Rockport is rich in tradition, united in mission and blessed with love. As we serve together in ministry, mission, and a tradition rich with 200 + years of history, we come together in fellowship and service to God this Advent season.  We are a historical church family! All are welcome to this important Rockport Tradition!




CHRISTMAS GIFTS FOR GUIDESTONE’S KIDS:  
Ohio Guidestone has asked Rockport to help bring a smile to a child this Christmas.  In mid-December, Guidestone social workers shop for their clients from items donated by corporations and local churches. You can help by selecting a Gift Tag from the Christmas tree in the back of the sanctuary. Unwrapped gifts should be brought to church with the gift tag and placed under the tree any time before December 10^th. If you would like someone to shop for you, just note on your check “Guidestone Christmas Shopping”. All donated gifts will be delivered to Guidestone in time for their shopping day and will end up in the hands of a deserving child. Thanks for your help. Questions:  Diana Leitch, 440-749-5980.





BOOK CLUB:  
Join us on Monday, November 18^th at 7:00pm in the church parlor. Written by Luis Alberto Urrea in 2023, Good Night, Irene is a historical fiction novel that follows the experiences of Red Cross volunteers Irene Woodward and Dorothy Dunford, who operate a Clubmobile to provide coffee, doughnuts, and companionship to American troops on the front lines during World War II. Hope to see everyone on Nov. 18^th for food, fellowship and discussion. Also, December 4^th at 6:00pm come to Lisa Kay’s house, 2045 Salem Pkwy., Westlake, for a Christmas gathering.  Bring a dish to share and at our November book club, we will decide what organization we will collect money for during the December Book Club.  The quick read for Decembers gathering is “The Christmas Sweater” by Glenn Beck.  “Like the sweater that stars in this new holiday treat, Beck’s story will keep you warm even after you’ve closed the book.”  May want to reserve book now. All are welcome to come enjoy this Christmas gathering!





DINNER & CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHOSEN: HOLY NIGHT NOV. 11, 5:30-8:30PM. GOD IS SO GOOD ALL THE TIME!  ALL ARE WELCOME!  
Please join us on Nov. 11th, join us for dinner and Christmas with the Chosen: Holy Night.  “Weaving The Shepherd and The Messengers into one narrative, this DVD shares a gritty, yet tender, glimpse into that first Christmas night. Includes “Holy Night” by Andrea and Matteo Bocelli.  You won’t want to miss this! 




SAVE THE DATE:  
You are welcome for a one-night devotion and study about Advent on Wednesday, December 11^th from 6 to 8 p.m. Dinner (provided) fellowship, & devotions together as we prepare for Christ to be born! All are welcome! Childcare provided.





ROCKPORT MEN’S GROUP 
will meet on Thursday, November 14^th at 6:30 pm at the church for a potluck dinner. There will be a great meal, time for fellowship and a presentation by Philip Katsadouros, Faith Relations and Events Manager for Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity. Habitat for Humanity builds and fully rehabs simple, affordable homes with and for families, couples and individuals in need of housing. They build, rehab, and sell homes to families with an affordable mortgage while connecting them to the community through their neighborhood revitalization projects. Habitat for Humanity brings people together from all walks of life to build homes, communities and hope. Everyone is invited to come and hear this informative presentation by Philip. Come and enjoy this special time together! 





PLEASE JOIN US STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 24, AFTER WORSHIP 
for homemade buttermilk pancakes, sausage, eggs and fruit in Wesley Hall.  If you’d like to help serve, please let Diana Leitch know. There is no charge; however, donations will be accepted.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good!




CHAT & CHEW! Lunch & Chat Adult Discussion Group!  
Come and join us! Bring your lunch and enjoy your food AND a great discussion! We will explore various topics in the church and Bible. 12 to 2 p.m.! 
DATES:  November 18^th & December 16th 





Love Your Neighbor and Strive to be Agents of Transformation in Your Community 




BOTTLE CAPS!  
The Youth Group are collecting bottle caps for a mission project. The plastic kind - for example, 2 liter and 16/20/24 oz bottles. 
   During these past weeks we have been asking you, the congregation, to collect bottle caps, and we are providing the boxes to collect them with to make it easier. (courtesy of Dave Stephan! THANK YOU!) You can grab one on your way out of the church on the Christian Ed table in the hallway…   
   We have been asking to collect these caps in order to create our own bench, fully from the caps we have collected. This bench will signify how recycling can be seen and the process. This bench will be placed in a chosen location on the church grounds.  Along with these recycled caps, we will also accept donations to use towards the processing of the caps to the bench.
   Through our collective efforts we will eventually have a product that can be enjoyed by everyone. You can find the acceptable caps and lids list posted on the table with the boxes, and also will be sent out in the Rockport updates. We will be collecting until Thanksgiving! Thank you!  

The link for information…
 https://www.greentreeplastics.com/abc-program/





COFFEE HOUR:  
Please consider hosting coffee hour and sign-up on the bulletin board.  Fellowship is so important to the life of the church and why not have a little snack at the same time!




GOOGLE DRIVE REMINDER:
August 2024 Church financials can be found here.
Go to the Rockport All Church Information folder, Financial Reports folder, 2024 Financials folder, or get a hard copy 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




DISTRICT NEWS: www.eocumc.com/northernwaters

Join Bishop Hee-Soo Jung and Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote for 
A Day of Thanksgiving and Unity on Saturday, November 23

 Bishop Hee-Soo Jung invites you to a Day of Thanksgiving and Unity on Saturday, November 23 from 10:00 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. at Worthington UMC. The keynote speaker for the day is Rev. Dr. Paul Chilcote, a renowned scholar in Wesleyan theology and Christian discipleship.
“This day of thanksgiving and unity will be filled with moments of worship, reflection, and celebration of our unity in The United Methodist Church. Together we will focus on hope, endurance, and the transformative power of God’s love guided by Romans 5:1-5 and our theme “Hearts Strangely Warmed,” said Bishop Jung.
Monday, November 11 is the deadline to register for this day with laity and clergy from across the Ohio Episcopal Area of The United Methodist Church.
The East Ohio Conference has arranged for buses to transport laity and clergy to/from Worthington UMC. There is no cost to ride the bus, but you are asked to indicate during online registration that you plan to ride the bus. A bus will leave from:

• East Ohio Area Center @ 7:15 a.m.
• Garfield Memorial UMC @ 7:15 a.m.
• Old Washington UMC @ 7:45 a.m.

The day will include opportunities for worship and celebrating our unity in The UMC. The registration fee is $10 and includes lunch. The deadline to register is Monday, November 11.
Join Bishop Jung and fellow United Methodists from across Ohio for this transformative day of prayer and learning, as we seek to grow together in grace and reaffirm our commitment to #BeUMC.
Learn more and register.

CONFERENCE NEWS: https://www.eocumc.com

Peninsula UMC Continues Century-Old Tradition of Serving Meals on Election Day

By EOC News on November 7, 2024 By Brett Hetherington* Election day in Peninsula is a special day, and not just because citizens are given the opportunity to cast their votes for civil servants both local and national. For more than a century the people of Peninsula United Methodist Church (Northern Waters District) have made and served meals to the community on Election Day. “This tradition goes back years,” said Pastor Lea Mahan. “Somebody found a 1923 date, but I thought it was even earlier than that. They talked about their mothers and grandmothers baking the biscuits at home and drying the chickens. In fact, I heard that they at one point did oyster stew at noon when the farmers came into town to vote. So, this goes way back.” The tradition has grown into a fundraiser for the church, open to anyone in the community who would like to avoid the worry of cooking a meal on such a busy day. The menu has changed over the years but has settled into a turkey dinner with all the trimmings: mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, vegetables and even pie. Turkeys are prepared off-site by parishioners and the remaining menu is prepared in the church building. “This year we got new ovens and a new refrigerator to help us get everything ready,” Mahan said, sharing how important this dinner is to the church. Through war, depression, and recession the Election Day meals have only encountered one serious challenge – the pandemic that began in 2020. “We used to have people come into this room here,” shared Pat Simons, gesturing around the church fellowship hall. “We would sit 54 people in that room for all those years and then COVID came and so we’ve gone completely take-out, and it is so much easier.” “We started out with fewer people when we began takeout, because we weren’t sure what the response would be or how it would work logistically. But we have found it to be very smooth, very easy. It’s a more controlled environment, and we can plan ahead. That helps,” said Lynn Parmentier. The church offers two meal pick-up times. The first is during the lunch hour and the second in the evening to accommodate dinner, with the evening option generating a larger crowd. The change to a takeout model allowed the church to require individuals to order in advance and this year meals were sold out on the Wednesday prior to election day. Parmentier shared that there were 334 meals sold for the 2024 election day dinner. Planning for the dinner starts early, and preparation began in September when the church began with promotion. And as much as the dinner is a tradition for the church it has become a tradition for the people that are picking up the dinners. “If you put it in the newspaper, people are going to come,” said Parmentier. “A lot of our people are repeat people. We have one woman who comes up from Barberton, and this will be her third year coming!” The Election Day Dinner is a massive undertaking. But it also creates an opportunity for the church to provide a service for the community and to build a bond among themselves. The spirit of those cooking and packing meals was jovial even when things did not go smoothly. Everyone who comes in to pick up a meal is greeted with warm and friendly smiles. And as one gentleman by the name of Jack who was directing which door people should enter to pick up their meal shared, “A lot of hard work goes into the dinner, but there’s a lot of good camaraderie as well. They work hard but have a good time as well.” The Conference Communications team would like to share other stories that highlight ways that each of us is answering the call to reach out to our communities in creative ways. Please e-mail your ministry story to EOC Executive Director of Communications Rick Wolcott at wolcott@eocumc.com. * Brett Hetherington is the Communications specialist for the East Ohio Conference of The United Methodist Church.