Love Your Neighbor and Strive to be Agents of Transformation in Your Community
We are Christians called to love our neighbors, and United Methodists on a mission to make disciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world.
We invite you to be part of the Love Your Neighbor movement begun at Garfield Memorial Church. Join United Methodists across the State of Ohio in modeling the love of Christ and making a difference in your community. Show the world you love your neighbor by downloading these files to post to social media or print to display as a yard sign.
Download PDF file (for sign printing)
Download JPG image (for social media)
WHAT IS WORLD COMMUNION SUNDAY?
World Communion Sunday is a denomination-wide celebration emphasizing the value of education and training. We commemorate this day by giving generously to support young adults and make a global impact for Christ. Half of the offering benefits World Communion scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students from the U.S. and other countries. The remainder provides grants to support training for worldwide inclusion, diversity, equity, and access.
Your gift is a practical expression of care, equipping students to shape a hopeful future. Supporting United Methodist students offers both financial and spiritual encouragement, demonstrating the church's confidence in their potential. On World Communion Sunday, we join ecumenically in acknowledging our unity in Christ as we gather around His table.
This year, World Communion Sunday is October 6, 2024. Read the entire article from UMC.org.
CALLING ALL SINGERS:
Michael W Smith Benefit Christmas Concert on Sunday, December 15, at Strongsville United Methodist Church to benefit Fostering Future Ministries a mission supporting foster kids. This concert features the original Christmas music of Michael W Smith, who is the elder statesman of today’s “Contemporary Christian music”. Similar to a Michael W Smith concert at the Palace,
this concert has lots of audience participation. This includes the “Kid’s Choir” which will help lead the Christmas sing-along.
**We’re asking singers to:
1. Purchase the $15 Songbook w/sheet music (if you’re new)
2. Attend 5-6 of the 9 Sunday afternoon 4:00-6:00 rehearsals
3. Attend the “Concert Day” warm-up/sound check/meal
4. Invite friends and family to sing with us
5. Invite others to attend this extraordinary event (FACEBOOK & flyers)
5. FYI - The “free-will offering” collected will help support
The Out-reach Ministries of Strongsville UMC.
CHOIR REHEARSAL SCHEDULE @STRONGSVILLE UMC - 13500 Royalton Rd, Strongsville, OH
SUNDAY’s OCT 13, 20, 27 4:00-6:00
SUNDAY’s NOV 3, 10, 17, 24 4:00-6:00
SUNDAY DEC 1 ??? 4:00-6:00 ????
SUNDAY DEC 8 4:00-7:00 DRESS REHEARSAL
CONCERT- SUNDAY DECEMBER 15 - *6:30PM
4:00-5:30 RUN-THRU - 5:30 LIGHT MEAL
*ORCHESTRA REHEARSALS - TBA
**OPTIONAL REHEARSALS in Canton – TBA
If interested, please email Lee & Laurel at lbrennan001@neo.rr.com Questions, ask Katie Berardi
SPAGHETTI DINNER VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
Spaghetti Dinner will be Nov. 2nd from 4-8:00pm. We will need drivers to deliver meals to homebound, bakers, servers, set-up, clean-up, cashiers, to-go meal leader, marketing and kitchen help. Please sign-up if you are willing/able to help in any way. All proceeds from this event will go to Community Service Alliance which rebuilds, and fosters men’s lives through housing, jobs and personal and faith development.THE
ROCKPORT MEN’S GROUP
will meet on Thursday, October 10th at 6:30 pm at the church for a potluck dinner. There will be a great meal and time for fellowship. We will have a presentation by Patrick Meidenbauer on OneHope NEO. OneHope NEO connects organizations and people in Cleveland to try to reduce poverty and bring hope to families. It provides programming to meet immediate needs, build up leaders, improve community development, and walk alongside residents. Some of the programming includes:
- Food distributions
- Affordable housing
- Community leader programming
- High school leadership programming
- Partnerships with other organizations to bring programming (e.g., financial literacy, education, employment) to the area
- Refugee and immigration support
Everyone is invited to come and hear this informative presentation by Mr. Meidenbauer. Come and enjoy this special time together
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.!
FALL DATES:
October 21st
November 18th
December 16th
ROCKPORT CHANCEL CHOIR
is seeking returning members, new members and welcome all voices! Rehearsals are on TUESDAYS from 6-7:20pm in the choir room. Contact Susan Shick, Music Director/Organist, at ershick@prodigy.net or 440-331-9433 or come to any of our TUESDAY rehearsals if you are interested in joining our fellowship and music ministry!
CONFIRMATION!
If your child is in 7th or 8th grade this year, and you’d like for them to join our confirmation class, PLEASE let me know! If your child is in high school and did not get confirmed, they are completely welcome! We will begin our schedule this fall, and go through mid-May, with Confirmation Sunday being in May. THANK YOU!
DINNER AND VIEWING THE CHOSEN SEASON 3 and 4! MONDAYS FROM 5:30 – 8:30 PM.
The Chosen is a groundbreaking historical television drama based on the life of Jesus, seen through the eyes of those who knew him. Set against the backdrop of Roman oppression in first-century Israel, the seven-season show shares an authentic and intimate look at Jesus’ revolutionary life and teachings. The show teaches the human side of Jesus and his Chosen followers! With over 200 million viewers, The Chosen is one of the most watched shows in the world! The Chosen is a show that everyone can watch, and it does not need to be viewed consecutively. We are just finishing up viewing season 2 and have had between 25 – 35 people for each dinner and show! Please join us from 5:30 – 8:30 pm where we will have dinner, view back-to-back episodes of the Chosen Season 3 and 4 and pray. The date left of Season 3 – Monday, September 30 and Season 4 – Mondays, October 7,14,21 & 28.
BOOK CLUB:
Join us on Thursday, October 3rd at 7:00pm in the church parlor. We are reading “Blessings” by Anna Quindlen. “Late one night, a teenage couple drives up to the big white clapboard home on the Blessing estate and leaves a box. In that instant, the lives of those who live and work there are changed forever. Skip Cuddy, the caretaker, finds a baby girl asleep in that box and decides he wants to keep the child . . . while Lydia Blessing, the matriarch of the estate, for her own reasons, agrees to help him. Blessings explores how the secrets of the past affect decisions and lives in the present; what makes a person or a life legitimate or illegitimate and who decides; and the unique resources people find in themselves and in a community. This is a powerful novel of love, redemption, and personal change by the Pulitzer Prize–winning writer about whom The Washington Post Book World said, “Quindlen knows that all the things we ever will be can be found in some forgotten fragment of family.” Hope to see everyone on Oct. 3rd for food, fellowship and discussion.
TREE PLANTING CAMPAIGN:
The Trustees have proposed buying ten trees to fill in around the church property to help maintain and fill in our tree canopy, primarily around the outdoor chapel and playground area.
This will cost an average of $500 per tree. We thought this would be a great opportunity for members and friends of Rockport to donate the cost of a tree (or part of a tree) in memory of or to honor a loved one, or simply to help beautify our church property. Names of those who contribute $100 or more will be listed in Rockport’s Abiding Memorials book (in the narthex).
We would like to have the trees planted by the end of October, 2024, and thus would greatly appreciate receiving donations by October 31, 2024.
What do you say, Rockport family? Let’s plan(t) for the future and fill in our canopy! Any questions, please contact Mike Wilkenson or a Trustee.
INVITATION TO JOHN BIBLE STUDY:
The invitation from Christ is: "Come and see, Follow me". Experience the magnificent passages in John including the I am statements (I am the truth, the life and the way, I am the living water and more). Revisit stories only told in John's gospel including Nicodemus, Mary Magdalene and the raising of Lazarus.
This study is 11 weeks, every Wednesday, beginning on September 11th and ending on November 20th. Class will begin at 7:00 PM.
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
Installation Service for Bishop Hee-Soo Jung – October 19
Laity and clergy of the East Ohio Conference are invited and encouraged to attend The Service of Installation for Bishop Hee-Soo Jung on Saturday, October 19 at 11:00 a.m. at Wooster UMC, 243 N Market St., Wooster, OH 44691.
The service will be followed by a reception at the church. This is your opportunity to greet Bishop Jung and his wife Im-Hyon and welcome them to the East Ohio Conference and the new Ohio Episcopal Area.
CONFERENCE NEWS: https://www.eocumc.com
Storyboard Episode 44
Episode 44 is titled “Influence, Connection & Impact: Better Living Through Better Nutrition”. The food we eat impacts every part of our lives, including our connection with God. In This episode we feature a panel discussion with both UMC and community leaders who are involved in leading Dine & Discover, an outreach program designed to educate about the importance of making wise choices on what we eat so that we can live healthier lives.
Listen to archived episodes of Storyboard: Faith Witness Transformation.
