"The following guidelines are based upon the most current best practices as communicated by the World Health Organization, the Centers for Disease Control, and the Ohio Department of Health. These guidelines are provided so that the covenant community of United Methodists in East Ohio may continue to minimize risk, stamp out disease, and step into God’s new thing – a truly post-COVID-19 pandemic world – with confidence and hope.

Attendance at Worship, Study and Fellowship

Persons who are not feeling well or are exhibiting symptoms of the coronavirus should remain at home.

Congregations are encouraged to continue to offer alternate options for engagement – ie. livestreaming, Zoom access, video recordings, all-call phone access, etc.  

Rockport will continue to offer live streaming for our 10am Worship service and offer Zoom access to all meetings.

Face Masks

Face masks are no longer required for those persons who have been fully vaccinated. 

Fully vaccinated = two weeks past the date of a person’s final COVID-19 vaccine shot.

The wearing of face masks is encouraged for those who are not fully vaccinated and/or have health vulnerabilities.

In the same way that the safety of our elders has been honored throughout this global crisis let us demonstrate the same concern for our children who have yet to be vaccinated as well as persons who are immunocompromised.

Please honor the safety and preference of those persons who, for personal reasons, choose to continue to wear face masks.

Social Distancing

We recognize the need for honoring personal space in all times and spaces. Appropriate social distancing is encouraged.

Greet one another in the joy of Christ and with mutual agreement as to the method.

Offertory

We celebrate the returning of God’s gifts to God’s work as an act of worship.

Continue to explore and employ “touchless” methods of sharing tithes and offerings.

Rockport will continue online giving through Tithe.ly on our website, mail in offerings, and our treasure chest is available at all in person Worship services.

Holy Communion

To keep the Lord’s Table safe and accessible to all persons, continue to employ the use of single serving (pre-packaged) elements, which Rockport will use once a month and at every EMS service.

Singing

John Wesley encouraged believers, “Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing. Aim at pleasing God more than yourself…” (John Wesley’s Select Hymns, 1761)

In all our worship let us aim to “please God more than ourselves.” 

Rockport encourages those who are comfortable to sing, to do so, and those who are not, be respected not to.”