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Dear Rockport Family and Friends, 
 
I am wishing you peace and health as we end this week. You have been in my prayers as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic and our continuing ministries at the church.  On Monday, July 6, Rockport Early Childcare Center resumed their ministry and are caring for over 30 children.  Please keep our children, families, and staff in your prayers!  

As you may be aware, last week, Governor DeWine unveiled a new alert system called the Ohio Public Health Advisory System. This system provides a county level update each week, classifying counties into one of four Public Health Emergency levels. According to the update provided at the 7/9/2020 Governor's Press Conference, Cuyahoga County is in Level 3 (Red) and is bordering on becoming Purple.  Please do your part to love your neighbor and slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing your hands, staying home, and practicing social distancing. 

On Wednesday evening, the Rockport Reopening Team met to discuss our survey results and our plans for safely resuming in-person activities at Rockport. Thank you to all who participated in our survey. We had 80 responses and a number of comments, suggestions, and ideas. In light of our survey results and the new county-level information being shared in the Ohio Public Health Advisory System, the Rockport Reopening Team has decided that there will be no in-person activity at Rockport UMC (excluding Rockport Early Childhood Center) while Cuyahoga County is classified as a Red or Purple County. At this time, all in-person activities have been suspended until further notice. Please know that we did not make this decision lightly, as we long to be back together in person, but out of love and care for our neighbors, and our community. Our goal is to do no harm, to do good, and to stay in love with God as we continue to care well for one another.  If your group has been meeting in person, you must move your meetings online (if you need help doing so, please contact Rev. Lorrin) or suspend your group's activity until we can safely meet in person again. Simon Peter Bible Study participants, please expect more communication from your leaders about next steps. 

Please remember that worship this weekend will be live on our new website (www.rockportumc.org) at its new time (10:00am!). And mark your calendars, because next week (July 19) we invite you to a Virtual Coffee Hour immediately following worship. We hope that Virtual Coffee Hour will help us connect with one another, even though we cannot be together in person at this time. Please check your weekly update email next week for details on how to join! 

We are also looking for people who are willing to participate in our online worship service as a lector (on video!) Please reach out to me for more details.

Dear friends, as we continue our life together (even while we are apart), please know that you are in my prayers. We invite you to continue giving to Rockport, supporting the Take What You Need Cabinet, and keep the staff, our childcare, and our church family in your prayers. If you are in need of pastoral care or conversation, please don’t hesitate to contact me by phone or by email (pastor@rockportumc.org).
 
Stay healthy,  



Rev. Lorrin Radzik
Pastor, Rockport UMC