Best of Both Worlds

It's the best of both worlds. This past year has been difficult at so many levels. But the challenges that we have faced have pushed us to grow in ways that did not seem possible a year ago. The extended Covid shut down led our church to dramatically improve and update our online experience. It also gave us time to update our buildings, including the interior renovation our new space for our North Shore campus.

Certainly, 2020 did not go the way any of us expected. But looking back, I believe we not only made the best of a difficult situation, but we built the foundation from which we can more effectively do the work of Christ going forward. I am excited beyond words that we are back to offering in-person worship. But that doesn't mean we will now neglect our online worship. We've worked hard to develop a great online experience that has allowed us to reach people we could not have reached with in-person worship alone.

Pastor Beth leading at our Easter “sunrise” service

So going forward we are going to continue to offer both. In-person worship is awesome. It allows us to experience the presence of the Holy Spirit in a powerful way the comes from God's people being together in physical community. But online worship is also great. It allows us to worship together with people who are geographically distant or are simply not able to be with us in person. It also offers us an amazing tool for outreach. There are many unchurched people who are hesitant to step into a church building for the first time. The online service allows them to experience worship, and hear the good news, in a way they feel safe trying. It really is the best of both worlds.

So for those who are ready to return, in-person worship is on at all locations. And beginning this week, we are going to experiment with no online registration. Just walk into the location of your choice. Because we will not have a sign up, it is important that you do fill out your connection card. For the moment, masks will still be required. And I would ask us to leave space between groups.

If you are not able to return to in-person at this time, we are going to continue to offer outstanding online worship. We've expanded the schedule. Now we will have a 9:00 a.m. service with a live host and then rebroadcast services every hour for the remainder of the day on Sunday.

In the words of the prophet Isaiah “Behold I am doing a new thing…” Going forward Rock Church will continue to offer both great in-person worship and a great online experience. Both are effective ways that we can fulfill our mission to reach and disciple people for Christ. It is the best of both worlds.

I look forward to us being together in person or online this weekend as we begin our new series “Love One Another.”

God bless,

Pastor Steve

Nothing but Jesus

Shortly before Jesus was to lay down his life he shared these words his disciples. "Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds." With this metaphor Jesus was trying to help them understand that as hard as it would be for him to leave them, it was for the greater good.

This is Holy week. It is the time that we remember and reflect upon Christ's sacrifice at the cross. The events of this week were difficult and painful at both the physical and emotional level for Jesus and his disciples. But the cross was not inflicted upon Jesus. He chose it. In the garden when he was betrayed, his disciples wanted to fight for him. But Jesus knew that what was to come was for the greater good, that by his sacrifice a way of salvation would be provided for all people. “Unless a seed falls to the ground and dies...”

Jesus chose the cross. He accepted the scorn, the pain and the ultimate sacrifice out of love for us. This week we remember, and give thanks, that we have a God who loves us so much that he would pay so higher price to purchase our redemption. I'd like to make a suggestion, a request really. For the remainder of this week, let's all focus on nothing but Jesus. Let’s think about his sacrifice for us, meditate upon his love. Let’s take the time to remember all that took place this week for us, for you.

To do that I would encourage us to turn off the television news, stop scrolling Facebook and use that time to read our Bibles. A great place to start would be to read John chapters 17-20. Then go back and read the last few chapters of the other Gospels: Luke 22-24, Mark 14-16, Matthew 26-28. Take some extra time in prayer. Immerse yourself in the experience of Holy Week.

Then on Easter, come to worship, in person or online, prepared to truly celebrate the good news of the risen Savior. We cannot fully appreciate the joy of the resurrection without having walked the Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering, with Jesus.

I love you all and I want us to have a blessed and meaningful holy week.  So I would ask you to make this sacrifice. Turn off your screens, open your Bible and walk this journey with Jesus.

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Steve

Just a reminder that our Holy Week and Easter services are by registration. Here are the links to register:

Maundy Thursday is full

Good Friday

Easter

The Journey Leads here

This Sunday marks our returned in-person worship. To say I'm excited about that would be an understatement. I'm proud of what we are doing for online worship. Our team of musicians, techs and leaders have responded to the ever-changing conditions brought on by this pandemic in a way that has dramatically improved our digital ministry. And I believe our online worship experience is going to be an important part of our ministry going forward. But I also have to acknowledge that I have missed the in-person connection. So I am looking forward with great anticipation to us being able to add in-person worship back to our ministry opportunities.

We are back to in-person worship this Sunday. Sandown at 9:00 am. Plaistow at 9:00 & 10:30 am. North Shore at 10:30 am.

But I want to remind us that this Sunday is not just “back to in-person” Sunday. It is Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy week, the final week of Christ life on Earth. This is the week of the last supper, the garden of Gethsemane, the betrayal, the arrest, the trial and the crucifixion. In truth, the most important events in the history of the world happened during this week. Since the start of the year, we have been on this “Journey of a Lifetime.” We have been walking with John and the other disciples through many of the most powerful experiences they had with Christ. From the moment of their calling they walked side by side with Jesus as he taught, healed, prayed, performed miracles and more. And through this series, we have put ourselves into these experiences.

Now as we approach this Holy Week the journey reaches its culmination at the cross. This journey we have been on, all we have seen, heard and experienced, leads here to the foot of the cross. And so I want to encourage us to take time this coming week to fully embrace this final stage of the journey. To help make this Holy Week a meaningful and powerful experience, I would like to suggest a few things that I think would be helpful:

• Set aside some extra time for prayer. This might even mean getting up a few minutes earlier each day during Holy Week.

• Read John chapters 17-19 over the course of the week. (Perhaps half a chapter per day.) And as we've done in the series, try to put yourself in the story.

• Attend the Holy Week services on Thursday and Friday night. Maundy Thursday commemorates the last supper. Good Friday observes the crucifixion. Thursday's service will be in Sandown. Friday's will be at North Shore in Amesbury. Both will be at 7:00 p.m.

• Come to Easter worship, in person or online, prepared to truly celebrate the joy of the resurrection having experienced the struggle of Holy Week.

As those who are redeemed by Christ, having received new life by his sacrifice, this is the most important celebration of our faith. I pray that the Holy Spirit would help you prepare for it in a way that renews your faith and strengthens your resolve to live a life fully committed to him.

God Bless,

Pastor Steve

To register for Palm Sunday worship click this link.

To register for Maundy Thursday click this link.

To register for Good Friday click this link.

To register for Easter worship click this link.

Stuck in my Head

You know how you can get a song stuck in your head? A few years ago Chris Tomlin released a song entitled “God of this City.” The chorus proclaims “greater things are yet to come. Greater things are still to be done…” Lately I catch myself humming that song. It seems to be stuck in my head. I have a sense God is telling me something. I have always believed that God can take the bad circumstances of our lives and bring good from them. It is almost always the hard things in life from which we grow. And in every challenge there is an opportunity.

The past year has been challenging it's so many levels. Given my choice, I would never have chosen the loss, the struggle, the pain and the setbacks that Covid has brought. But I know that our God is a god of redemption. He can transform our circumstances to bring blessing from curse, beauty for ashes.

In my mind, I hear the chorus of that song over and over again. Greater things are yet to come. I believe that with my whole heart. I believe God is using this time to sharpen our focus and clarify our vision. As Rock Church, God has called us to proclaim the good news of Jesus to a world that is more lost and hurting than ever. He is calling us to help people grow deeper in faith and increasingly in the likeness of Christ. That is the very definition of discipleship, to become more and more like Jesus.

In a little over a week we will return to in-person worship just in time to celebrate Holy week together. I see this as a pivotal moment for our church. It is more than just a return to what was. It is a new beginning. And I believe God is leading us into a season of life-changing ministry. What Jesus said to his disciples centuries ago I believe he is saying to us today. “The fields are ripe for harvest.” I believe there are many who will come out of this season of Covid seeking spiritually. We have an amazing opportunity to share Jesus and to help people grow in him.

Of course Jesus also said we should pray that God would send workers into the harvest field. So I am praying that as we come back together, we would come with a passion and desire to share the hope of Christ with those around us. With our friends, our neighbors, our coworkers and families. I pray that we can bring the love of Christ into our divided and broken world.  And I pray that, by the power of the Holy Spirit, lives would be transformed and hope would be restored.  I absolutely believe that greater things are yet to come.

Have a blessed week. Share the love of Jesus. And know that greater things are yet to come.

God Bless,

Pastor Steve

BTW, just a reminder that our Easter Eggs-perience is coming up on Saturday March 27. This a a family outreach event we are hosting at our Sandown campus. We still need a few volunteers and donations of candy. See all the information at this link. Register for the event here.

I'm Ready!

This past year has been challenging at so many levels. Some of you contracted Covid or perhaps watched a friend or family member go through it. It has been a season of disagreement and division. But one of the things I think many of us have found most difficult has been the isolation. So I don't know about you, but I'm ready. I'm ready to get out of my house. I'm ready to spend time with people face to face. I'm ready to reengage and reconnect. So I'm just going to put this out there. If you want to get coffee, meet for breakfast or lunch, if you want to come to my house for dinner I'll even cook for us. Just let me know, I'm ready.

Easter Eggs-perience. March 27. Helpers need. Get more information at this link. Register to attend at this link.

I think church online has been great. I'm so proud of our team of musicians, techs and other servants who have pulled this together week after week. I'm so grateful for the time and energy that so many have invested in providing a great online worship for us and will continue to offer even after Covid wanes. But I also need to say “I'm ready.” I'm ready to get back to in person worship. I'm ready to be with people in community. I'm ready to hear the collective voices of God's people raised up in praise and worship. We will relaunch in-person worship on Palm Sunday, March 28th. While things are still fluid, our plan is to start with four services. 9:00 a.m. in Sandown. 9:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. in Plaistow. 10:30 a.m. at North Shore.

We will take a higher precaution approach (masks required) to start because we want people who may be in a position of having to be more cautious to feel that they can attend. But my hope is that as the numbers continue to decline, we can transition to a masks optional approach relatively soon. We will start with online registration as we have done in the past. The registration link for Holy Week will be posted in my Friday email. But my hope is also that we can transition out of having to register online fairly soon.

I also want to say that I believe God has great things prepared for us in the year ahead and I'm ready! I'm ready to see a movement of God in our church. I'm ready to see chains broken and prayers answered. I'm ready to see people commit their lives to Christ and grow deeply as followers of Jesus. I'm ready to see the mission of our church to reach and disciple people for Christ fulfilled in more powerful ways than ever.

I'm ready! How about you?

God bless,

Pastor Steve.

Hospitality training: we are still rebuilding our hospitality team. There will be an online training tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. If you're interested in learning more, please click this link.

Tech team: another area we are looking to grow and strengthen is our technology team. We need to expand the number of trained sound, video and computer team members. If you might be interested in helping I would like to know more, please click on this link.

New Beginnings

I've come to believe that life is a series of endings and beginnings. Winter ends and gives way to spring. High school ends and begins adult life. The dark of night always ends and we welcome a new day. There will be endings that we grieve and endings we are thankful for. But either way, I am certain that with each ending God brings a new beginning. These are opportunities to start again and to embrace the next season of life.

We will be doing a Covid safe “Resurrection” egg hunt at our Sandown campus. Donations welcome.

While I couldn't say the exact timing, I am certain that this pandemic will end and God will bring us to a place of new beginning. In truth, that is an ending and a new beginning I am looking forward to with great anticipation.  I know that things with Covid are still somewhat uncertain. But we are stepping out in faith to embrace this new beginning. Although we are still in the process of rebuilding our support teams, trusting that God will provide, we have made the decision that we will relaunch in-person worship on Palm Sunday, March 28th.

Recognizing that not everyone will be ready to return, we will continue to offer a great live stream worship. But for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter we will offer in-person indoor worship. And I, for one, could not be more excited! I feel as though God is giving us a new beginning and I believe he has great things in store for us. Many years ago the prophet Joel spoke these words from God to the Israelites.

“I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten.”

I believe God is speaking a similar promise over us today. Covid has disrupted ministry in many ways. But I sense that God is preparing to restore what has been lost, that He is preparing for us a new beginning with opportunities for ministry greater than we have ever seen!

Over the next few weeks I would ask you to help us prepare for this new beginning in a couple of different ways. The first is to find your place of service. To relaunch in-person worship we particularly need help in the areas of hospitality, technology and music. But even if God is not calling you to one of those areas, there are many other teams that you could connect to. You can find all the info and a reply form at this link.

The second thing I would ask of all of us is to pray. There will be challenges ahead of us. But every challenge is also an opportunity. So please pray that God would open great doors of opportunity for our mission. Pray for the workers to come forward that we need. Pray for our pastors and our leaders. And pray that when we come back together, God's Holy Spirit would fill those times of worship like never before!

I love you all and I can't wait for us to be back together in person.

God Bless,

Pastor Steve

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Coming this week: There is a new session of ROOTED beginning this Sunday evening. ROOTED is a powerful and amazing small group experience. This Spring session will be offered as Zoom group online. For those who cannot attend Sunday, there will also be a Tuesday group offered. To register or for more information, contact Karen at karenLSmclain@gmail.com

Easter Eggs-perience on Saturday March 27 at our Sandown campus. We need donations of plastic eggs and candy. They can be dropped off at any time at the DeClerck Gallery 92 Newton Road Plaistow (next door to the Rock church building). Just come in the glass door and drop them in the box. We will also need volunteers. For all the details or to sign up to help, check out this link.

Renewing our Mission. Part 3

Everyone needs Jesus. Everyone is meant to grow. These are the first two of our core value statements at Rock Church. The third is what actually makes the first two possible. Everyone is gifted to serve. The work of God's Church is built on the foundation of the gifts of the saints. Every one of us is created by God. By his Holy Spirit, God has placed in each one of us certain gifts, talents and abilities. These gifts and abilities were entrusted to us for the work of God's kingdom. We are God's hands and feet in this world. God works in and through each of us.

For the work of Christ, through His church, to be accomplished it takes the combined gifts of every member. The work of Christ in this world is like a great mosaic where every piece is needed for the picture to be complete. Likewise, every person's gifts matter. You have something important to contribute to the work of Christ. Without you, and the gifts and abilities you bring, the church cannot do the work God has called us to in the way that He intends it.

Everyone is Gifted to Serve

As we prepare to relaunch in-person worship and a full post-Covid ministry, one of the priorities will be to help every person find their place of service. Within Rock Church there are many diverse opportunities to serve. We have grouped those opportunities by team. Those teams include hospitality, tech, music and worship, discipleship, prayer, administration, children and youth and facilities. Some of these serving opportunities involve weekly commitments. Others are monthly or even periodic as needed. But they are all important because the work of the church could not happen without them.

With Covid many of our serving areas have been on break. But if we are going to rebuild our ministry, we need to rebuild our serving teams. Some of you had been serving in the past. Going forward, you may want to reconnect in the same area of ministry. Or perhaps God is calling you to serve in a new area. Some of you had not yet found your place of service. Now more than ever we need you. At this link you'll find a description of the various ministry teams followed by a simple form. There is a place on the form for those who have already been serving to let us know you are ready to reconnect. And for those who are just now getting connected, there is a place to let us know what team or teams you would like to know more about.

So much has changed in our world. But these three three things have not changed. Everyone needs Jesus. Everyone is meant to grow. Everyone is gifted to serve. Who will Rock Church be when we finally come through this pandemic? We will be a church that is serious about sharing Jesus. We will be a place where believers can grow deep in their likeness of Christ. And we will be a community of believers where every person’s gifts are treasured, celebrated and engaged in significant ministry.

Holy week is coming soon. We need all hands on deck as we prepare for the future that God has for Rock Church. I pray each of you will take a few minutes now to check out our serving page and consider how God may be calling you to use your gifts.

Have a blessed week. I look forward to us being together in online worship this Sunday.

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Steve

Renewing our Mission. Part 2

In this blog last week we began a three-part series. With the spread of Covid continuing to decline, we are now hard at work preparing for the relaunch of not only in-person worship, but our overall ministry. We are in the midst of rebuilding our serving teams. In fact it would be a great help if you could go out to this link as soon as you done reading to let us know what serving team you would like to be a part of. We are preparing our buildings to welcome people back to in-person worship. And we are making plans for what our ministry will look like as we move into a post-Covid existence.

Well there will certainly be some things that will change in our culture, and even in our church, as a result of this pandemic. There will also be things that are unchanged. The truth of the gospel does not change. Our mission to reach and disciple people does not change. And our key values do not change. I mentioned last week that we have three key value statements as a church.

The first, that we discussed last in last week's blog, is that “Everyone needs Jesus.” The second is that “Everyone is meant to grow.” It is a fundamental truth of our world that living things grow. That is also true of our faith. When we make the decision to become a Christ follower, we are born again. From that point forward, we have a living faith that is meant to grow. In the same way that children grows physically over time, believers are meant to grow spiritually.

As we come back together as a church, I believe it is more important than ever that we be a place where every person is growing spiritually. To grow spiritually is to grow in our knowledge of God's word. It is to grow stronger in our faith and trust of God. It is to grow deeper in our prayer life and other spiritual disciplines.  But perhaps most of all, it is to grow to be more like Jesus.

Here at Rock Church our primary pathway for spiritual growth is our life groups. Lifegroups provide ongoing opportunities to dig deeper into the Word of God and to apply it to our daily lives. Working hand in hand with our life groups are our men's and women's ministries. These offer special opportunities for both faith sharing and spiritual growth. For our children and students, we also offer Nextgen and youth group. These are areas that, as we redevelop our post-Covid ministry, we will pour significant time, energy and resources into. This will be an unchanged priority because this is the heart of spiritual growth, and everyone is meant to grow.

I realize we have not yet arrived. We are still working through Covid, and not everyone is able to be out yet. But we are offering both in-person and online opportunities for growth. So I pray that every one of us will find a way to connect and to grow. And to those of us who are parents, this is especially important for our children. As we reintroduce children's and youth ministry, I pray you would do all you can to help your kids get connected. Spiritual growth in these early years is essential to a lifetime of faith.

Everyone needs Jesus. Everyone is meant to grow. Join us next week for part three.

In Christ’s Love,

Pastor Steve

Renewing our Mission. Part 1

With the rate of new Covid cases on a gradual but steady decline, it is definitely time to begin preparing for the relaunch of not only in-person worship, but our ministry as a whole. While much has changed for our culture, and our church, during this time of Covid, there are also things that remain unchanged. There are significant aspects of who we are as Rock Church that continue to be true. In fact, in many ways, Covid has only served to clarify for me the importance of some of our key values and priorities.

A couple of years ago our Rock Church leadership team developed three core value statements. They are intended to be guiding principles that will shape how we will focus our time, energy and resources as a church. As we re-engage in ministry in a post-Covid world, I believe these three statements are more important than ever. So over the next three weeks I am going to focus my blog on these three statements.

This week we begin with core value number one: “Everyone needs Jesus.” I believe, with all that is within me, that Jesus really is who he said He is. He is the way, the truth and the life. He really is the savior of the world and the only hope for humankind. As such, everyone, every person in this world, needs Jesus. That means our friends and our relatives. It means our neighbors and co-workers. It means our kids and our grandkids. It even means those people we don't particularly like or agree with. Everyone needs Jesus.

Congratulations to Pastor Jake and Amanda on the birth of their second son Oliver!

As we relaunch our in-person worship, and our broader ministry, this must be central to all that we do. We must be a beacon to our community, to our region, to our world, that shines the light of Christ. This must be true for us as a church overall and it must be true for us as individuals. So my goal, as we come back together, will be to proclaim the gospel boldly when we are gathered and to equip all of us to share the gospel personally when we are apart.

This is not our only value statement, but it is where it all begins. Faith sharing is at the heart of who we are at Rock Church. It is the foundation that everything else is built upon. Over the next couple of weeks we will talk about two other key value statements. But for this week I would ask you to commit this one to memory: Everyone needs Jesus. And then, in your daily prayers, ask God to reveal to you how you can be a part of that work in your everyday life. And ask God to open doors of opportunity to share the hope of Christ with someone this week.

Have a blessed week. I look forward to us being together in online worship this Sunday. (And don’t miss the welcome. Pastor Jake and Amanda will be there with baby Oliver!)

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Steve

Time to rebuild

This past week, for the first time in months, we have actually begun to see a decrease in the spread of Covid in both New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Assuming this trend continues, our hope is that we can be back to our full in-person worship schedule by Holy Week, if not sooner. What an amazing blessing it will be to celebrate Easter together in person. Of course we know that not everyone will be able to rejoin in person worship at that time, so we will also continue to offer a great online worship experience.

Now begins the work to essentially “relaunch” our ministry. Our God is a God of resurrection. I believe He will not only restore life to our church, but will bring us back together better and stronger than ever. But for that to happen, for us to even return to in-person worship, we need to reclaim one of the foundational values of our church: Everyone is Gifted to Serve.

Going forward, we need to be a church where every person finds their place of service. You have God given gifts, talents and abilities that are meant for the work of Christ. We can't do this work without you! Now is the time when we need every member of this church family to pull together to help us fully restore the work God has called us to.

There are many ways to serve. Step by step, we will re-establish every service team in our church. But in order to relaunch in-person worship, the place we need to begin is in rebuilding our hospitality, tech and music teams. Initially, these three teams will be our areas of primary focus so we can get an excellent in-person worship reestablished. Our intention is to repopulate these teams in a way that allows us a rotation in all areas of service.  In this way, even those with limited time availability can serve on a periodic basis in a rotation.  We will also provide all necessary training to help every team member be fully equipped and to serve with excellence.

For any who may be unfamiliar with these areas of service, the hospitality team are those people who create a warm and loving welcome as people arrive for worship. The tech team includes serving opportunities for both online worship recording and in-person worship. These positions include sound techs, camera operators, video techs, computer operators, recording engineers and video editors. These positions require varying degrees of training, which we will provide.  They include serving opportunities on Wednesday evenings or Sunday mornings. The music and worship team is in need of additional skilled vocalists and instrumentalists for all locations. Our vision is to have full worship teams for all campuses. So there are many opportunities to serve in this area for those with musical abilities.

And so, let the preparations begin. Soon we will be back to offering both in-person and online worship.  But to make that happen, we need every person's help. In the coming week you'll be hearing more from me about how you can find your place to serve. Until then, I would invite you to be in prayer about how you can offer your gifts in the work of Christ through our church.

Have a blessed week. I look forward to us all being together this Sunday in online worship as we continue our series “Journey of a Lifetime.”

In Christ’s love,

Pastor Steve

Overwhelmed by love

Have you ever felt overwhelmed...in a good way. Normally when we think about being overwhelmed we envision a level of stress or pressure or struggle that is beyond what we can bear.  To be overwhelmed is often to get to that point where we don't even know what to do with what we are experiencing, how to process it. More often than not, we think of being overwhelmed as a bad thing. But I want to tell you today that it is possible to be overwhelmed in a good way.

Through all of Nicole's battle with cancer we felt the love and support of so many people. It was truly that love from people, and the love of God, that sustain us both through that difficult journey. But I have to say that in these past couple of weeks, I've literally felt overwhelmed by the expressions of love, caring and kindness.

I could not begin to tell you how many cards, calls, emails, texts, Facebook messages, flowers, meals, gifts and other expressions of love that we received. It has literally been overwhelming in the best possible way.

I honestly wish I could give everyone of you a big hug, look you in the eyes and say thank you. But the combination of Covid, and the sheer number of expressions, would make that nearly impossible.  So I want to say here and now “Thank you!” I have been blessed beyond words by your love and support. I am proud to be your pastor. And I am grateful for the gift of having you as a part of my life.

This experience has reminded me anew of the incredible power and blessing of being a part of a true church community, a family of faith, where the love of Christ guides us. I love you all and may God continue to bless you and your families.

In His love,

Pastor Steve

Always Faithful

When we are sitting on a beach on a beautiful day without a care in the world, we can't help but say “God is good!” When we land that dream job, get that college acceptance letter or even just snag a great parking space at the grocery store “Thank you Jesus” just rolls off the tongue. When your teen has been in an accident but you get the news that she's okay, you just want to shout “Praise you God!”

But what about in the hard times? What about those seasons of life when everything isn't perfect? When we've lost our job, when a friend or family member has relapsed, when the diagnosis confirms our worst fear. What role does our faith play on those days? Is God still there? In Psalm 34 King David wrote “I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. I will glory in the Lord;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the Lord with me; let us exalt his name together.” King David, who saw both blessing and hardship in his own life, reminds us that we can praise God even in affliction, even through the storms of life.

In case you had not heard, Nicole has been in significant decline these past few weeks. We began Hospice care for her last week. Please keep her in prayer.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not suggesting we ought to rejoice because of affliction (although Paul would say there can even be blessing in that). But I do believe we can give thanks that, in the midst of the storm, God is still faithful. He is still our rock, our refuge, our Redeemer. I believe even in the hardest of times we can still say “God is good.” And when our affliction, suffering or loss comes, we can still thank Jesus because he promises that he will never leave us or forsake us. He rejoices with us in the blessings of life and he comforts us in the struggles. Through it all he is always faithful.

I've never been under the illusion that being a Christ follower exempts us from hardship. Serving Christ does not guarantee an easy life (just ask the disciples or the apostle Paul). But what it does guarantee is that we won’t go through the hardest times of life alone. He surrounds us with a community of fellow believers to walk the journey with us. And by the presence of his Holy Spirit, he provides supernatural strength, help and hope to enable us to carry on. In good times or bad, I am grateful beyond words that we serve a God who is always faithful.

I hope you will join us this Sunday as we continue our new series “Journey of a Lifetime!” Online services at 9:00 am and 10:30 am at http://rockchurchnh.online.church

God Bless,

Pastor Steve

In season and out

Happy New year! I pray your new year is off to a great start and I pray for all of us that it will be a time of hope and promise. Some of you know I do a daily video devotion on Facebook that I call First 5. Last week we were in Paul's letters to Timothy. In II Timothy 4 Paul encourages Timothy to be faithful in sharing the Gospel “in season and out of season.”  During advent, as we are doing special things and getting ready to celebrate the birth of Christ, it feels like we are “in season,” a time when we think much about sharing the hope of Jesus with others. Then when we get into January, as things become quieter in the dead of winter, it sometimes feels like we are “out of season.”

But what Paul is reminding us here is that the work of sharing Jesus is an everyday work. It is something we do in season and out of season. We do it in the busiest times and in the quiet times. So even though we are coming into a quiet time of the year for the church, particularly with Covid, I want to encourage us to continue to find ways to share the good news of Jesus. God offers us opportunities to do that every day. One tool I would encourage you to use is the new sermon series we have just begun entitled A Journey of a Lifetime. This is going to be a very engaging series. And the start of a new year is a great time to invite people to join us for online worship. I want to invite us to make the most of this opportunity by extending the invitation whenever you can. If you don’t have it handy, the web address for our online service is http://rockchurchnh.online.church.

On a personal note, I want to let you all know that this week Nicole was transitioned to hospice care.  Of course only God knows what the future will bring. So we welcome your prayers for the days ahead as we continue this journey.

Love you all.

God bless,

Pastor Steve

One final thing. I know I said this last week, but in case anyone missed it, I want to say again how incredibly grateful Nicole and I have been for the many expressions of love that we have received this Christmas season. We have been flooded with cards, emails, texts, calls, gifts, goodies and more. And on Christmas Eve we received an absolutely incredible monetary gift that I know many of you contributed to. We are blessed beyond words for your generosity, your love and your prayers for us. Thank you all.

New Year Update

Here is a video update from Pastor Steve

Link to view the Christmas Eve service.

Link to the live stream this Sunday as we begin “A Journey of a Lifetime”

Year End giving link.

Merry Christmas to all

Christmas Greetings from Pastor Steve

Important Links

RSVP for Christmas Eve outdoor services

Link to Christmas Eve online services

Christmas Eve offering for Care Ministry

A Update from Pastor Steve December 16, 2020

Here is the latest update on in-person Sunday worship and Christmas Eve.

Executive Summary

We are pausing in-person Sunday worship until Covid numbers moderate. Join us online at rockchurchnh.online.church.

We will still do Christmas Eve in-person, but outdoors. Bring a lawn chair and a blanket. Because it will be outdoor, we have been able to open more spots. Here is the link to register. Covid precautions will be observed.

Christmas Caroling this Saturday from 2-4 pm. To RSVP click here. Song lyric downloads, click here. Covid precautions will be observed. Please wear a mask.

Video Update from Pastor Steve

We invite you to take a moment to hear this important update from Pastor Steve

Here are a few important links from today’s video update:

Women’s Ministry online Christmas brunch will be Saturday Dec. 12 at 10:00 am at www.facebook.com/achurch4all

Email address to send in women’s ministry Christmas pictures: women@rock-church.org

Register for Christmas Eve worship at this link.

RSVP for Sunday worship at this link.

I love this season . ..

I love the Christmas season! It can be stressful and a little messy at times, but I still love it. The lights and decorations, the food and family gatherings, the gift giving and tree trimming all make this such a joyful time. Of course, this year we are experiencing everything through the lens of Covid. So I'm sure there will be aspects of our Christmas celebrations that are different this year. But my prayer is that we would still see and experience the beauty and joy of this season.

I think my favorite part of the season is Christmas Eve candlelight worship. There's something so warm and comforting, so peaceful and serene, about that moment when the Christ candle is lit and then the light is shared from candle to candle, person to person. There is beautiful symbolism in the way the darkness is expelled as the light of Christ is shared.

I've already had a few people ask what we will be doing at Rock Church for Christmas. Although it is difficult to know the future in these uncertain times, our plan at this point is to offer both in-person and online worship. Our intention is to offer a variety of times to make services available to as many people as possible with varied schedules.  The schedule will include services at 3:00 p.m. (Plaistow), 4:00 p.m.(Sandown), 5:00 p.m.(Plaistow), and 6:00 p.m.(North Shore). These will all be higher precaution services. This means we will sanitize before every service, masks will be required throughout, seating will be limited and social distancing will be observed. Our goal is to create a beautiful and safe Christmas Eve experience for those who wish to join us in-person.

 Additionally, we will offer a matching schedule of online services on Christmas Eve. So whether it is in person or online, there will be services at 3, 4, 5 and 6 p.m. We have already set up the sign up for the in-person services. Because we have to limit attendance to maintain spacing, I would encourage you to sign up for a service right away at this link. Also, if for any reason your plans change, please be sure to update your sign up so we don't end up turning people away unnecessarily.

 I also want to say a word about our online giving tree. This year we particularly want to be able to bless families in need. But with Covid, it is a bit more challenging logistically. So we have set up an online giving tree at this link. I would invite you to check it out and share if you are able.

Covid or no Covid, I believe God has something special for us this Christmas. My prayer for us all is that we would fully experience the joy, hope and peace that Christ brings as we celebrate his birth together. I look forward to us all being together this weekend either in person or online for our advent service. Also, I want to remind us that this Sunday is a communion Sunday. For those of you worshiping online I would encourage you to have community elements ready so we can all share that together during the service.

Have a blessed week.

Pastor Steve

Anticipation, Preparation and Celebration

This Sunday marks the beginning of Advent. The word advent literally means “coming.” So Advent is that four weeks season of the church year when we focus on the coming of Christ. The season is meant to be a time of anticipation, preparation and celebration. I realized that for many of us, this season will be different from previous years. But I want you to know that your pastors and leadership team are working hard to make this a great Advent/Christmas season in spite of the strange and disruptive conditions under which we are living.

The anticipation of Advent is all about counting down the days leading up to Christmas. This year we have developed special family activity packs for Advent that will help you count down the days until Christmas in a fun and meaningful way. This packet is designed to be done with kids of all ages and include all members of the family. Each days’ bible reading is a link of the paper chain that is used to count down to Christmas and then each day there are a different activities for the family to do together. It won’t require any money or mom or dad doing all the work. Each day’s activity will promote conversation, fun and laughter and a prayer focus. You can reserve your family’s Christmas Countdown packet by emailing Lynette. Packets will be available at each campus on this Sunday.

We wish you and your family a blessed and joyful Thanksgiving!

The preparation of Advent is greatly about our spiritual practices. Through daily prayer and devotion, and weekly worship, we prepare ourselves spiritually for the coming of Christ. I would encourage us during this season of Advent to set aside some extra time for prayer and the Word of God. If you are not doing so already, you might consider following along with the first five daily video devotions They are published on our Rock Church Facebook page each weekday morning at 6:00 a.m. But I also send out a email reminder with a direct link to the daily video. If you would like to be added to the email reminder list, please send me your preferred email address.

And of course the celebration is greatly about Christmas Eve. With all that we have been through this year, here at Rock Church we are pouring ourselves fully into making this Christmas Eve a special celebration. We don't know for sure what the next month will bring, but our intention is to offer both in-person and online Christmas Eve services. Whether you participate online or in-person, we are preparing great Christmas Eve worship experiences for you and your family.

I pray that all of you will have a joyful and blessed Thanksgiving tomorrow. And then I look forward to us beginning the season of Advent together and worship. If you are joining us for in person worship, please be reminded that all services are now higher precaution (masks required throughout.) And please be sure to RSVP online at this link. If you will be joining us for online worship, the link as always is rockchurchnh.online.church.

Have a blessed day tomorrow and I look forward to us all being connected in worship on Sunday as we begin this joyful season of advent.

God bless,

Pastor Steve

Kindness Day

Did you know that last Friday, November 13th, was World Kindness Day? When I first heard it mentioned I thought it was something the radio station had made up. But I looked it up. Sure enough, since 1998 that day, November 13th, has been celebrated unofficially in countries all around the world. From Australia to Nigeria, Italy to India, Canada to Singapore, the day is meant to be an observed as a day of good deeds and random acts of kindness. There are apparently even “kindness cards.”

I have to admit, when I heard about World Kindness Day I was, at once, excited and dismayed. I was excited that people would celebrate such a positive event. The thought of an international movement that promotes and encourages such expressions of love and caring sounded wonderful. But I began to think. One day? Are we really to be intentionally kind to one another only one day a year? And have we, as human beings, gotten to the point where we need a movement and a designated day to remind us to be kind?

I can't speak for the whole world. But for those of us who claim the name of Christ, everyday should be kindness day. Every day we should be praying that God would open doors of opportunity for us to express the love and kindness of Jesus to friends and strangers alike. In Ephesians 4:32 the apostle Paul writes “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.”

I actually think it is great that there is a world kindness movement. But as Christ followers, we don't need an international organization to remind us to be kind. We have the Word of God to guide us and the spirit of God within us. And we definitely don't have to wait until next November 13th to express intentional acts of kindness.

Let's just agree that for those of us who profess Jesus Christ as the leader of our lives and the forgiveness of our sins, everyday is kindness day. Let every day be an opportunity to reflect the love of Christ. Let it become common knowledge in our communities, and throughout the world, that Christians seek (to the very best of our ability) to be kind 24/7/365. Let us set the standard for all the world to follow of what it is to be people of kindness. And in so doing, may we point many to Christ.

Have a blessed week. I look forward to us all being together in worship this Sunday either in-person or online.

In the kindness of Christ,

Pastor Steve