The Goodness of God

It’s been a tough few weeks. Shortly after Christmas, Jeff and Kassandra called me to share the devastating news that Noah, their beautiful three month old baby, who had been born with significant health concerns, had passed away. A few weeks earlier I had held Noah in worship as we celebrated his baptism. That same week I received news that a friend from our Plaistow campus, Matt, had contracted Covid and was not doing well. After an extended and valiant battle, Matt passed away last week. I'm heartbroken beyond words for Jeff and Kassandra, for Matt's wife Daryl and their young daughter Brooklyn.

This Friday is also the first anniversary of Nicole's passing. So I think it would be true to say that I have been in a “season of grief” as of late. But I want to tell you that through it all I have seen God's goodness. As these precious families have walked this difficult journey I have observed all the ways that God has been at work. God has brought inner healing of the Holy Spirit, and has surrounded them with people who have loved and supported them. It has brought joy to my heart to watch as God has cared for these families and to observe the way our church family has responded in such love and compassion.

Even for myself, as our family approaches this first anniversary of our own loss, I have seen God at work in such wonderful ways. I too have felt the love of this incredible community we call Rock Church. And have seen God working supernaturally in ways that have brought such joy to my heart. For example, yesterday, in a set of circumstances that could only be God, I had the opportunity to lead a man to Christ at Panera! Yup, we prayed together out loud right in the middle of Panera as he opened his heart to Jesus. God knows that there is nothing that brings me more joy than seeing someone give their life to Christ.

So, in the midst of grief, in the midst of struggle, God is still good. Psalm 34 says “the Lord is near to the brokenhearted.” I'm still heartbroken for these families that I love so much. But in the midst of it all, I have experienced the goodness of God. His comfort, His love, His help are so very present in our times of greatest need. Yesterday we held a celebration of life for Baby Noah. It was a beautiful, hope filled time of healing. This Sunday there will be a celebration of life for Matt Martin at our Plaistow campus. There will be visitation time with the family from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m., with service beginning at 2:00 p.m.

There will be hard times in life. We will all have our seasons of grief, our setbacks, our hardships. But through it all, if we are observant, we can still see the goodness of God. I learned a long time ago that being a Christ follower doesn’t mean we won’t have struggles. But it does mean that, even in our hardest times, God is faithful.

This Sunday we will continue our series “New Beginning.” I hope you can all be with us, in person or online, as we continue this important exploration of how God is calling us to fulfill his mission in the days ahead.

I love you all,

Pastor Steve

The blessing of community

I've had several experiences recently that have reminded me of the blessing of community. One was a conversation with a family that has recently been through a terrible loss. As we talked, they shared with me how incredibly blessed they have been by the community that God has placed around them. They have felt loved and supported beyond words by their family, their work community and their Rock Church community. I was honestly overwhelmed with emotion as they shared the stories of how they have been sustained by these communities as they have walked this difficult path.

The second experience was at my Sunday night life group. This is a group of young adults that we just formed less than six months ago. But at our Christmas gathering, as we went around and talked about the blessings in our lives, many in the group shared what a blessing it has been to have this place community. As we went through the evening, I realized that even though this group is much (much) younger than me, this has also become a place of community for me. And I was reminded that evening of what a blessing that has already become in my life.

The third experience happened recently in worship when I had the opportunity to connect with a friend that I had not really seen in quite a while. It brought me so much joy to see this person that it made me realize how much I have missed being together in person with the people I love. As wonderful a tool as the live stream is, and it really has been a great blessing during Covid, there is still something special about being together in person, in community.

It also struck me recently that in a little over a week it will have been a year since Nicole passed. As I look back on this first year without her I realize that the reason I have been able to carry on is because of the incredible community that God has blessed me with. I'm so thankful for all of you and so grateful for the blessing of community.

Community, particularly the community that comes from sharing life with brothers and sisters in Christ, is a gift and a blessing. I pray that we never take it for granted. In many ways, that community has been disrupted over the past two years. Over time, it has begun to be restored. But I look forward to the day when we can be restored to the blessing of community that is experienced when the body of Christ comes together fully.

I love you all,

Pastor Steve

You may have seen on the prayer chain that Jeff and Kassandra Tibbetts 3 month old baby Noah passed away last week. There will be calling hours for the family at Brookside Chapel in Plaistow this Saturday (Jan. 8) from 2 to 5 pm. There will be a Celebration of Life at the Rock Church in Plaistow on Tuesday (Jan. 11) at 5:00 pm. There will be a mercy meal at the church immediately after the service. If you would like to help with the meal, or donate any food items, please go to this sign-up sheet and let us know how you would like to help. This is a wonderful way for us to “be community.”

I'm ready. . .

I'm totally ready! On Sunday I talked about how Mary and Joseph experienced a new beginning after being in exile in Egypt for several years. I'm so ready for a new beginning. In a few days it will be New Years. I've always liked New Years, not so much for the silly hats and the noisemakers (although those can be fun) but for the sense of new beginning. To me there is just something hopeful and optimistic about New Year's Day.

This weekend we will begin the new year with a new message series entitled “New Beginning.” Covid has been such a strange time. While we have done some new initiatives over the past two years (such as Mastering Motherhood) to a great extent it has felt like we have been on pause. But it's time. Time to break out of this perpetual holding pattern. Time to re-engage in the full work of Christ. Time for new beginning.

In this new series we will introduce our “renewed” mission statement and talk about some of the initiatives that we will be working on over the next two to three years. This is going to be a very important and very exciting series, so you won't want to miss a single week. I would love for you to join us in person if you are able. But if not, please do tune in for the livestream. You may know that the service is on every hour from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays on our livestream page and then is available on-demand on the front page of our Rock Church website for the rest of the week.

I've been accused of being a perpetual optimist. But I just can't help it. I really believe that God is for us. And if He is for us, who can be against us. I believe God carries us through our hard times to a better day. And as good as God has been in the past, I believe the best is yet to come. So even though it would appear that Covid is still a force to be reckoned with, I believe God is at work in new and exciting ways and he is calling us to do the same.

I'm ready! I'm ready to see our church enter a new season of ministry. I'm ready for God to work in us, and through us, in new and exciting ways. Even in the midst of all of the challenges we are facing, I am ready to move forward into the future that God has for us. So I hope you will be with us, in person or online, as we launch this new series on Sunday “New Beginning.”

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

Time to celebrate!

Is anyone else a little blown away by the fact that it is already Christmas week? Over these past weeks of Advent, that seemed to fly by so quickly, we focused on the idea of Emmanuel. God with us. And now, after weeks of anticipation, the time has come to celebrate the birth of Christ. Emmanuel. I have no doubt that this will be a busy week for you. But my earnest prayer for all of us is that we would not miss the beauty, power and importance of what we celebrate this week.

Please continue to keep in prayer those devastated by the tornadoes. For every connection card completed on Christmas Eve we will donate $1 to the relief efforts. (Photo by Chris Tammany, on-site)

Jesus was born into our world as a visible expression of God's great love for us. And I pray that this week we have the opportunity, take the time, to express our love to Him. On Christmas Eve we will have the opportunity to praise God and give thanks for the greatest gift this world has ever known. Last Christmas we were not able to gather indoors, so I am particularly excited that this year we will offer real, full, traditional Christmas Eve candlelight services at all locations. At our Plaistow campus we will have services at 3 and 5 pm. In Sandown, the service will be at 4 pm. And at our North Shore campus the service will be at 5 pm.

If you are not able to join us for one of our in-person services, I would invite you to worship with us online. We've significantly expanded our online Christmas Eve schedule. We will pre-record the online service so that we can offer it all day on Christmas Eve and on Christmas Day. The service will be offered on the hour, every hour, from 7 a.m. until midnight at our online platform at this link. The service will include the same beautiful Christmas music we will share at our in-person service and the same hope-filled message. If you are worshiping with us online, I would encourage you to have a candle ready for the lighting of the Christ Candle and individual candles for each person who is with you for the online service.

Traditionally, Christmas Eve is one of our best opportunities for invitation. It is a wonderful way to connect our unchurch friends and neighbors to the true meaning of Christmas and introduce them to our church family. I would still encourage you to invite guests to one of our in-person Christmas Eve services. But if they are unable to attend, or simply uncomfortable doing so in light of Covid, I would certainly encourage you to invite them to participate online. It could be a great first step.

After this very difficult year that we have all been through, I pray that you and your family would have a wonderful, blessed and joy-filled Christmas!

I love you all.

Pastor Steve

The Spirit of Giving

There are so many things about the Christmas season to love. First and foremost, it is the celebration of the coming of our savior. It is a time of family gatherings and special meals. It is a season of beautifully decorated homes, of tree trimming and outdoor lights. It is a time of giving and receiving gifts as an expression of our love for one another and as a reminder of the greatest gift, the coming of Christ. It is caroling and candlelight services. But one of my favorite things about this season is the spirit of giving. There's something about the Christmas season that seems to bring out kindness, love and generosity.

Reminder: Gifts for the Giving Tree are due back by this Sunday.

This year, as we have for so many years, our Rock Church family will provide hundreds of gifts for needy children in our area. We will gather up and distribute various forms of assistance (fuel, food, medicine and more) for the elderly and the needy in our region. And then, separate from what we do together as a church, I know that many of you will additionally support many worthwhile missions and charitable organizations. And every year I hear wonderful and heartwarming stories of the ways that some of you will reach out directly to neighbors in need. I love that spirit of giving and generosity that permeates Christmas.

Certainly we see this happen in many areas of our culture. But as the Church of Jesus Christ, we want to lead the way. I want our communities know, to see, that Christians are among the most generous people in the world. Not to draw attention to ourselves, but to lift up the name of Jesus. Some of you may have heard that we just launched a new initiative integrating our For Our Community work and our Connection Cards. If you haven't heard, for every Connection Card that comes in each week (paper or online) Rock Church will donate a dollar to a missional outreach. Through December 19th, the money will go to gifts for needy children through our Giving Tree program. Beginning on Christmas Eve throughout all of January, the proceeds will go to disaster relief for those impacted by the recent devastating tornadoes.

We are doing this because as a church we want to be generous. God has given us so much, blessed us in so many ways, that we want to be generous in his name. The good news is you don't have to wait until Christmas Eve to begin supporting this important work. If you would like to make a donation, to be added to what will come in through the connection cards, you can go directly to our online giving page and make a donation right now. If you're using the E-giving link, make your donation on the line designated for missions with the word “tornadoes” in the memo box.

The Apostle Paul wrote “the Lord loves a cheerful giver.” There's something beautiful about being joyfully generous to those in need and to the work of the kingdom of God, particularly in this season of giving. Have a blessed week.

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

It's still possible . . .

I had the most amazing experience last night. I had the privilege of attending the closing session of Rock Church’s Mastering Motherhood. Mastering Motherhood was a new program that we introduced this fall for the first time. I don't mind telling you that we had some apprehension about trying to launch this new initiative in the middle of Covid. But the leadership team and the steering committee for the program felt that this outreach was so needed that we just couldn't wait.

As part of the closing session, before the moms broke up to go to their individual book groups, they were given the opportunity to share a few words about how the program had impacted their lives. As the microphone was passed around from mom to mom, these ladies shared some of the most beautiful and moving stories of how their hearts have been touched and their lives transformed by being part of such a loving and supportive Christian community

What was particularly moving to me was the diversity of the group. They were ladies of different ages and stages of life, and from different backgrounds. But more importantly, there were moms from within our church and there were unchurched moms from the community who had heard about it by invitation or on Facebook. As they shared in their testimonies, being a part of this program allow them to experience the love of Christ in real and tangible ways. It was beautiful to hear the stories shared.

And all the while, as the moms shared how they had found in Mastering Motherhood a place of community, support, friendship and love, I couldn't help but “think this is what the church is meant to be.” Women who, a few months earlier had never met, now used words like “sister” and “family” to describe their relationships with other moms in the group. Women who had been previously isolated, stressed, overwhelmed or discouraged had now experience the hope of Christ in true Christian community.

I share all this for several reasons. First to thank the amazing team of women who made this program possible. Kristen, Christine, Pastor Beth, the steering committee and the rest of the leadership team invested countless hours to make this program possible. I also share this as a plug for the next session which begins January 25th. But thirdly, I share all this to remind us that even in the midst of Covid it is still possible to do great, life-changing ministry. In many ways, the work of the church is more challenging than ever. But it is also more needed than ever. Covid or no Covid, the work of the church of Jesus Christ can, and must, go on! It may take extra effort and a little creativity. But with God, nothing is impossible.

I want to invite you to join us Sunday for worship as we continue our Advent series “God with us.” Then Sunday night we are hosting a fun program, our first-ever outdoor bonfire and carol sing. Join us at 5 p.m. at Rock Church Plaistow and bring some cookies or other goodies to share. The lyrics can be found www.rock-church.org/songs. Men, I want to remind you that we are having our Christmas breakfast this Saturday at 8:30 a.m. at our North Shore campus. God has put a message on my heart that I am eager to share with you. And finally, I want to encourage you to be thinking about who you can invite as your guest for our Christmas Eve candlelight service.

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

Generous

I believe God calls us to be generous, generous as individuals and generous as a church. One of the ways that we are generous as a church is through our For Our Community initiative. Over the years, through that For Our Community effort, we have served and blessed our communities in dozens of ways. We have provided volunteer service and financial support to schools, parks, the Boys & Girls Club, senior centers, group homes, food pantries and many other community efforts and organizations. Even through Covid we have been able to keep up some of this work, but not as completely as we would like.

As we continue to return to a full expression of our work as a church, one of the areas we want to expand upon is this For Our Community effort. As a part of that, we are going to launch a new component that I am super excited about. Beginning this Sunday, for every completed connection card that is dropped in the offering basket, or filled out online, we are going to donate $1 towards a specific For Our Community project. And for any first time guess who complete a card, we are going to donate $5. This includes any connection cards filled out by those worshiping with us online. Each month we will announce a different recipient. So while a dollar doesn't sound like a lot, when we multiply it by the hundreds of folks in attendance every week, times 4 or 5 Sundays a month, it will really add up.

The reason we are tying this to our connection cards is twofold. First it allows each of us to be an intentional part of the effort. Secondly, it supports an additional important element of our ministry; congregational care. Connection cards are an important piece of how we care within our congregation. Connection cards help us to have complete and accurate contact information so we can reach out to people in times of need. And by completing the card each week, it helps us to know how people are doing and keep track of attendance.

With the combination of the busyness of life, and concerns over Covid, it is not unusual for a person or family to miss a week of worship from time to time. But if a person misses several weeks in a row, we want to be able to reach out and be sure they are okay. Often these “congregational care check-ins” have helped us to become aware of illness, hospitalizations, loss or other struggles. This allows our pastors and our care team to better support, pray for and assist members of our congregation in times of need. And by having guests complete a card, it makes it possible for us to reach out to them, express appreciation for worshiping with us and answer any questions they may have. Even a simple text or email follow-up can make a big difference in the likelihood that a guest will return.

So our For Our Community effort for December will be The Giving Trees. For every completed connection card Rock Church will donate $1 (or $5 for first time guests) towards gifts for needy children that either didn't get claimed from The Giving Tree or we became aware of too close to Christmas to get tags out. So this Sunday, I would encourage you to do good by filling out your connection card. And wait until you see how it adds up by the end of the month!

Have a blessed week. I look forward to us all being together this Sunday as we continue the celebration of Advent.

Love you all,

Pastor Steve.

In all things

Holidays are different now. Not bad, just different. For me, this will be the first Thanksgiving and Christmas since Nicole passed. So it will definitely feel different this year. For some of you, because of covid, your gatherings will be smaller, different. I want to remind us that different is not necessarily bad. It's just…different.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica “Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances.” Rejoice, pray, thank are all important words in that verse. But there is one tiny word I do not want us to miss. ALL. Paul says give thanks in all circumstances.

If you are reading this on the day I posted it, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. There are seasons in our lives when we feel so abundantly blessed that we almost can't help but rejoice. We can't help but gift thanks. Then there are other times in life that are different. Perhaps we are in a season of life where there has been loss, when we are separated or divorced, when our lives have been completely upended by a pandemic or a diagnosis.

What I'm discovering is that even in those times, there is much to be thankful for. Even in the more difficult seasons of life, God's blessings are abundant if we will allow ourselves to see them. In the midst of our setbacks there are new opportunities. As some doors close others open. Old experiences give way to new. I don't know what your Thanksgiving will be like. For some it will be very much like it has always been. For others, it may be different. But I want to remind us to see the blessing in at all. Paul would encourage us to give thanks in all circumstances.

So, while some things may be different this year, I hope we can see the blessings in spite of the change. I want to encourage us, as Paul did, to give thanks in all things.

I also want to take this opportunity to say how very grateful I am for all of you. I give thanks for each and everyone of you for the blessing that you are in my life. I wish you and your families a wonderful, joyful, blessed Thanksgiving.

I love you all.

Pastor Steve

Also, I want to let you know that the Giving Trees are available at all campuses with various gift tags from partners (i.e. Lions club, food pantry, town welfare). If you are unable to get to a campus to select a tag off the tree, there are also tags available online at signupgenius.com/go/904084aa5ae29a46-christmas

Teamwork

On Saturday we needed to restack a rather large pile of trusses at our Plaistow campus to get them out of direct contact with the ground. The trusses will eventually form the roof of our pavilion. But due to several setbacks (none of our doing) the construction has been delayed. I put out a couple of announcements, hoping we might get a few folks to help. I had heard back from several, so I knew we would have at least some help. I walked out to the pile around 8:50 am. There were already half a dozen people ready to help. By the time 9 a.m. rolled around we were up to almost 20.

Everyone dug right in and at exactly 9:24 a.m. we were all done. What might have taken several hours for a few of us to do was all knocked out in less than half an hour by this amazing group of servants. That is the power of teamwork. Honestly, it was a thing of beauty. There were men and women. There were people there of all ages. There were folks from all three campuses. As all these folks came out to work together on this big task, I couldn't help but see a picture of what the body of Christ is capable of when we pool our time, effort and strength.

I think we have been living through one of the most difficult times the Christian church has seen in decades. But I also believe we are emerging into what could be a time of unparalleled opportunity for the church. The world needs the hope and love of the Gospel more than ever. And I believe God is opening opportunities for us to share Jesus in more effective ways than ever. To be honest, I think I am more excited about the future than I have ever been. (And that's saying something because I am a notoriously optimistic person.) I believe Rock Church has the opportunity to have the greatest impact for the kingdom of God that we have ever had.

But, that will not happen by itself. It is going to take clarity of vision and an uncompromising focus on our mission. It is going to take courage and boldness. But perhaps most of all, it is going to take teamwork. With our combined strength and our faith in Christ, we have the potential within this church family to move mountains. But t fulfill our mission at the highest level, it is going to take a team effort. We need every person's gifts, talents and strengths.

Watching tons of trusses be moved almost effortlessly by this team of people reminded me of the great things we are capable of when we all work together. Are you ready for what God has next? Are you willing to offer your time, talents, gifts and strengths? Are you excited about the great work that God is calling us to? Because I sure am. Let’s go!

I look forward to us all being together this Sunday as we wrap up this powerful series the temple.

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

We get to choose

I was reflecting today on the past year-and-a-half that we have been through with covid. The struggle, the sickness, the loss. The rancor, divisiveness and stress. The setback and disruption it has been to our lives and our ministry are something I never would have imagined. And I think it goes without saying that none of us would have chosen this. But what I was thinking about today is that while I did not choose to go through this, I can choose how I respond. That is true in so many areas of life, isn't it? We sometimes find ourselves in situations or circumstances that we never would have chosen, but we still get to choose how we will respond.

Whether it is covid or some other difficult situation that we go through, we can respond with hurt or anger or bitterness. We can respond with discouragement, despair or concession. We can withdraw or we can take our pain out on others. Or we could choose an entirely different path. We can choose to treat others with love and compassion, knowing that they are going through their own struggles, just like we are. We can respond with hope and optimism, believing that our God is still greater than any struggle we face and that He will bring us through this. We can choose to respond by being a voice of peace and reconciliation in the midst of division. We can choose to be light in the darkness of a very difficult season.

The bad news is that we are living through one of the most difficult seasons in recent memory. The good news is that we get to choose how we will respond to it. Personally, I choose to respond, to the very best of my ability, with love, kindness, patience, compassion, peace and hope. As Christ followers, my prayer is that we would set the example for the rest of the world by responding, as best we can, in a way that reflects the Christ within us and shares his love in this hurting world.

Before I sign off, I want to lift up a couple of other things. First, we could use as many hands as possible for a project on Saturday morning. You may know, that we've had some setbacks with the town on the construction of our Pavilion in Plaistow. So, for the time being, we need to restack the trusses to get them off the ground. They are not terribly heavy, but it takes many hands to move him. If you are free on Saturday morning we could use your help. We will start at 9 a.m. and I anticipate it will take us no more than 30 minutes. If you can help, please email me.

Also, this Sunday is Veterans Day weekend and we will be taking time at all services to express appreciation to all who have served and to pray for those on active duty. We will also be continuing our teaching series “The Temple” with my favorite message of the entire series. So you will not want to miss this service.

  I look forward to us being together this weekend. If you are not able to join us in person, I would certainly invite you to join us on the live stream.

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

The Temple

Over the past few weeks we've been working our way through this teaching series entitled “The Temple.” The deeper we've gotten into it, the more important I believe this is. I will confess that there were a number of years in my life when I was not nearly as focused on being a good steward of the temple of God. And I’m still not where I would like to me, but I’m getting better.

As I have grown a little older, and perhaps a little wiser, I've come to see what are the important spiritual issue this really is. Our bodies are a gift from God. It is through this physical body that we do the work of Christ. And if we are to do it well we must be good caretakers of the Temple.

Regardless of what stage of life we are at, I believe God has important and purposeful work for us. I believe that we all have something to contribute to the work of the kingdom of God at every stage of life. And I know that in my own life, when I have taken better care of myself, I am stronger, more capable of, and have more energy for, the important work to which Christ has called us.

Over the course of the series we will have talked about a numbers areas that, quite honestly, can be uncomfortable. Like the dreaded “E-word” (if you are not sure what that is, you can see that message at this link) there parts of this that we don't necessarily like to think about. But my hope is that, as we go through these messages, it will help us to prayerfully consider the importance of some of these things we do not always think of as spiritual matters. The stewardship of God's gifts is always a spiritual matter. And keeping ourselves healthy and well enough to serve Christ through our entire lifetime is also a spiritual matter.

I hope you all know that the goal is not to add guilt, but encouragement, to this this important area of life. And I hope that you, like me, desire to be used of God in the best ways possible, in as many ways as possible, for as long as possible. So I invite us to move more, stress less and join us this Sunday as we take on the next important subject.

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

Some things never change

Last week I had the privilege of officiating a celebration of life for my uncle Sonny. He was 97 years old when he passed. He and my Aunt Rogene have been married 76 years. As we celebrate his life I began to reflect on the things that he had seen and experienced in his lifetime. He lived through the depression, World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He watched radio transition to television transition to personal computers. He went from a phone system where you talked to a live operator who would manually connect you to your party, to carrying a phone in his pocket that had more computing power than what was available to NASA when they put the first man into space.

We live in a world that is marked by continuous change. Culture changes. Technology changes. Styles change (thank God for that but we'd all still be wearing bell bottoms and corduroy.) Even the way we do church changes. In my lifetime there have been significant changes in worship style, music, church architecture and church programs. What was once very effective is no longer reaching the lost. What made sense a generation or two ago no longer seems to fit today.

The simple reality is that change is all around us. But there are a few things that do not change. First, God does not change. Scripture says that he is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still on the throne. He still loves us unconditionally. And He still desires a relationship with us.

The second thing that has not changed is the need. With all that has changed around us, with all the advancements of the last 100 years, our world is still filled with broken and hurting people in need of hope.  We are all still sinners in need of a savior. Jesus said two thousand years ago “the fields are ripe for the harvest.” There were, and still are, people all around us in need of the forgiveness and grace that comes through Christ.

And the third thing that has not changed is the mission of the church. Because God still loves people, and because people are still hurting and lost, the mission of the church remains the same. It is to share the hope of Christ in a world of lost people. Methodology may change. Technology may change. But the underlying mission always remains the same. We are called to share Jesus in whatever ways we can to each new generation.

I thank God for the mission He has given us and I look forward to us fulfilling it together in every way possible. Have a great week.

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

Grateful and excited

Do you ever look around your house and think “I really have to get rid of some stuff?” I'm not sure how it happens, but over time I find I have a way of accumulating lots of “stuff.” Honestly, sometimes I'm not sure where it all comes from. I’m beginning to wonder if it is multiplying at night while I'm sleeping. Or maybe someone is sneaking in to leave more stuff when I'm not looking.

However it happens, I've come to the realization that I simply have too much stuff.  So, step by step, area by area, I have been sorting and reducing. Some of the things are honestly not worth keeping, so I've been putting out a lot of trash. Other items have value, but I just don't need them. But since I'm not really a yard sale kind of guy, I often try to give those things away. The tough part has been sorting through the items that have sentimental value. Every item seems to be tied to a memory.

It is actually hard work sorting through the things we have accumulated over time. But I'm learning to let go. I've always saved things believing I might need them someday. But eventually there comes a point where this glorious collection of accumulated goodies becomes more of a hindrance than a help. Even if I could use it, with so much to sort through, I can never find what I need when I need it . And if I'm honest, things that are nostalgic are nothing I would ever use. I save them because they remind me of the people who have been part of my life and the events that have helped to shape me. So the temptation is to hold on to, even live in, the past. But I think there is a balance to be found. A balance of being grateful for the past and being excited for the future. 

As a church, in many ways, we are at a similar point. As we slowly emerge from Covid, it is a time of remembering and giving thanks for what God has done in the past and yet embracing with joy what He has for us in the future. And yes, there may be things that we will want to let go of in order to make room for the new. That does not diminish the gift that they have been to us in the past. It's simply opens up space for what God has for us in the future.  

I would encourage us to live our lives both grateful and excited. Grateful for all God has done in the past and excited about what God is preparing to do in the future.

Before I sign off, I just want to remind everyone that one of our big outreach events “Trunk or Treat” is coming up soon. We are in need of folks to do trunks as well as volunteers for other aspects of the event. For more info, contact Kristen.

Have a great rest of the week. I look forward to us continuing our series “The Temple” this Sunday.

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

The greatest Gift

I've been thinking a lot lately about the gift of community. I think I've always placed a high value on the community of friends, family and relationships. And for all of my life, the church family has been a central part of that gift of community. But in recent years I've come to appreciate that more and more deeply. I'm blessed to have many nice things in my life, but I am more convinced than ever that the greatest gift, the greatest “possession” if you will, is the gift of relationships.

Of course, first and foremost is my relationship with Christ. I am certain that there is no greater gift that I, or any of us, can receive than a life-changing, hope-filled, eternity shaping relationship with Jesus. But I am also certain that, after my relationship with Christ, the most precious thing I have is the relationships with the people in my life. Covid has been devastating at so many levels. But I think one of the greatest losses has been the loss of connection. Fear and isolation have robbed us of one of God's greatest gifts; face to face, person to person, life on life relationships with others who have been such an important part of our lives.

I certainly encourage us to be wise and take whatever precautions we believe are right for us. Each of us lives in unique circumstances in terms of our own health and the health of others with whom we have regular contact. But as Hebrews 10:25 says, “we should not forsake the gathering.” There is something important and powerful that takes place when the family of God comes together for worship. It is a precious gift that I believe God desires for us. Certainly there is a place for online ministry and I'm grateful we have that resource to help us keep connected when we are not able to be together in person. But there is still something special about gathering in person.

This Sunday would be a great week to get reconnected with the family of God. We are launching a brand new series entitled “The Temple.” I think this is an incredibly important series that applies to every one of us. This Sunday will also be our kickoff Sunday for Sandown and North Shore. We have some surprises planned, a great worship service prepared and we will be launching our new children's programs.

So, if you can, I hope you will join us in person this Sunday. I believe God has something great prepared for us. Of course, if you are not able to join us in person, we will have a great live stream worship every hour on the hour starting at 9:00 a.m. 

Have a blessed week. Love you all.

Pastor Steve

Retreat

Retreat is an interesting word. It can be used in two very different ways. In battle, to retreat is to pull back from engaging the enemy in an attempt to escape to a safer position. When a retreat is signaled in a military battle it is viewed as a sign of defeat. But retreat can also be understood as a time to step aside from the busyness of the world. A time for rest, renewal, prayer and worship. When understood from the spiritual perspective, retreat is a gift. It is a blessing to be able to get away from the chaos, pressures, and stress of the “rat race.” And often it is an opportunity to be immersed in a time of community with other believers and with God.

This weekend I will join a number of men from our church, and surrounding churches, for our men's retreat. I can't tell you how excited I am to spend this time away in Christian fellowship with other brothers in Christ. We will worship and pray. We will enjoy time to renew existing friendships and build new. There will be down time to rest or hike or play a game. And there will be significant time spent in the presence of God.  

So retreat can be a good word. But what's interesting is that a couple of years back we changed the title of this event to the Men's Summit. There's another word that can have more than one meaning. Of course summit can be a gathering of people. But summit is also the word we use for the mountaintop. I have no doubt that this weekend's event will be not only a wonderful gathering of great people, but also a mountaintop experience.

I think it's important for us, from time to time, to get away from the busyness of our everyday life to spend a little extra intentional time with God. Jesus set the example for us. He would often retreat from the crowds, the teaching and the healing to just be with God in a quiet place. I would encourage us to do the same from time to time when we are able. Often these retreat times will indeed be our summits, our mountain top moments with God. And that is a precious gift.

I look forward to us all being together this weekend as we wrap up our current sermon series the “Book of Hope.” This has been a great series and I know you'll want to be here for this final message.

Love you all,

   Pastor Steve

Blue Skies

Yesterday was such a gray and drizzly day. And the weather app said today would be mostly cloudy. But when the sun came up this morning, the light of day revealed the most beautiful blue sky. And I don't mind telling you, it brought joy to my heart! Of course, I realize there will be other gray days. Rain is a necessary part of life. But right now I'm enjoying the blessing of a new day and blue skies.

It struck me this morning that this is probably a good metaphor for life. I think we all have our share of gray days. They may come in the form of a difficult moment or they may be a longer season of life that seems dark. But I think we all have them. I was spending time with a friend recently who has been through a very "gray skies" season. Yesterday I stood at a graveside with a family as they celebrated the life of a brother they loved dearly. Even for me, the past couple of years have certainly been among the more difficult of my life. And I believe for most of us, this extended season of Covid has felt like one long gray day.

But centuries ago King David (who had been through his share of gray days) reminded us in Psalm 30 that “weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes in the morning.” Or, carrying on our metaphor, there will be gray days, but they will give way to sunny days with beautiful blue skies. And so I think my encouragement to us would be to embrace the rainy days, recognizing that they are necessary part of life. In the same way that rain brings growth on the earth, God can use our difficult or challenging seasons to help us to grow, grow stronger as individuals and grow deeper in him.

Then, when the sunny days come, receive them as a gift, giving thanks to God for the blessings of a new day, a new beginning. And on those beautiful days, soak in the sun and celebrate the beauty of the clear blue skies. If for you today is a gray day, I just want to remind you that even though you can't see the sun, it is still there. God is still with you. He will walk with you through the rain. And He still has in store for you many “blue sky days” that are yet to come. On the other hand, if you are having one of those great sunny days, enjoy every minute of it! And give thanks to God.

Love you all.

Pastor Steve

Let the Children Come

Over the past couple of months we have been hard at work redeveloping our children's and youth ministries at Rock Church. We've expanded our teams at all locations. We've created welcoming environments for our kids. We've prayed diligently for this ministry to effectively reach young people with the hope and good news of Christ. We are now in the midst of launching our Sunday morning children's program at all locations. Plaistow began this past Sunday. Sandown begins this Sunday and North Shore launches their program on October 3rd. I can't tell you how excited I am to see us have a full children's program across all locations.

Where we need your help now is inviting the children. I imagine it is very possible that you have a neighbor, co-worker or friend who has school age children. I would ask you to pray for them and to extend an invitation to any of our campuses. We have a great team of folks ready to welcome them, love on them and share with them the love of Jesus in a way that is fun and engaging. As Jesus said “let the children come to me.” Your invitation can help make that happen.

The next step is to get our youth ministry up and running again. 18 months of Covid has definitely taken a toll on our youth program. But we are committed to rebuild it better than ever. My goal is for us to re-envision what youth ministry can look like in our church and develop a new model that helps us really connect to our young people at this critical age and help them to fully connect to Christ.

If you think you might be interested in being a part of helping move this important area of ministry forward, or if you are a parent with a child of middle school or high school age, we will be holding a zoom meeting to begin to work on this. It will be held next Monday September 27. If you would like the link, please email me at Steve@rock-church.org.

Our young people, children and youth, are dealing with so much today. More than ever they need a solid foundation in Christ to help them navigate the stresses, challenges and choices that they will face. It is more important than ever that the Word of God, the hope of the gospel and the support of a loving Christian community be available to our children and youth. As a church, we are being called to make that possible. “Let the children come to me, do not hinder them. For to such belongs the kingdom of God.”

Have a blessed week. I look forward to us all being together on Sunday. Don't forget that this week is our fall kickoff in Sandown and next week at North Shore. Love you all.

God bless,

Pastor Steve

Crazy days

Wow, have we hit the ground running at Rock Church this fall. Of course I know the calendar doesn't say fall yet, but it sure does feel like it. A few weeks ago I started to pull together a new young adult group for people age 18 to 25 that is now off to a great start. If you know anyone in that age group that might be interested, please let me know. Then Sunday night we launched a new season of rooted with an amazing group of people from all three campuses. You could just feel the excitement in the room.

Last night we had our inaugural gathering of a brand new outreach program called Mastering Motherhood. We had around 30 people at the very first gathering! Women from both our church and the community coming together to love and support one another through the challenging journey of being a mom. Registration is still open if there are others who would like to join. Then Thursday night, after a year and a half off, our Rock Choir is coming back together! If you are interested, or would like to know more, email Pastor Beth.

This Saturday we are holding a new Men's Breakfast. This will be at our North Shore campus at 58 Macy Street in Amesbury MA. Great food, live music, powerful speaker, all beginning at 8:30 a.m. This is open to men, and young men, from all campuses and our community. Guys, I definitely hope you will join us for this morning together and feel free to invite a friend.

Also on Saturday we'll be setting up to give away water and getting to know our neighbors at the Newton Old Home Day. If anyone is free around 10:00 a.m. and wants to help me set up the booth, I could use help for about half an hour. This Sunday is our fall kickoff at our Plaistow campus. We will be doing three of these on successive weekends. Sandown’s kick off will be September 26th and North Shore’s will be October 3rd. These are great times to invite a guest.

Saturday September 25th is our ALIVE one day women's retreat. We have a great speaker lined up and I just know this is going to be a joy filled, spirit led day of worship, fellowship, learning and growth. I also imagine there's going to be some great food! October 8-10 will be the return of our annual Men's Summit. This is always an awesome time for the guys to get away for some rest, renewal, worship and growth. This spiritual retreat is held at camp Brookwoods in Alton New Hampshire. You can get all the info at this link.

So with our fall kickoff, special events, outreach opportunities and new programs it's a little crazy around here, but in a good way! Crazy busy and crazy exciting! In many ways, it feels like resurrection to me. In so many areas our mission and ministry has been restored and we are moving full speed ahead! I can't wait to see what God has for us next.

Have a blessed week. Love you all.

Pastor Steve

So many choices!

I have to tell you that I am just blown away by some of the exciting opportunities that are coming up in the next 6 weeks or so at Rock Church. So this week I thought I would just take a few minutes to review it all. Honestly, there are so many choices, I just wouldn’t want you to miss out on something great! So buckle your seat belts because here we go.

·ROOTED BEGINS this Sunday, Sept 12. Rooted is more than a Bible Study. It is a discipleship experience. If you are looking for a place to grow deeper in your faith, you will want to check this out.  You can get all the info at this link.

·MASTERING MOTHERHOOD begins Tuesday, Sept 14. This is a brand new program we are launching that provides a place of community, support and personal growth for women at any stage of motherhood. It is also intentionally invitational and open to women in the church and community.  You can get all the info and sign up at the Mastering Motherhood website at this link.

·ROCK CHOIR. After more than a year apart, Rock Church Choir returns with a potluck on Thursday, Sept 16 at our Plaistow Location. If you are interested in participating or would just like more information, please email Pastor Beth at beth@rock-church.org.

·MEN'S BREAKFAST at our North Shore location Saturday, Sept 18 beginning at 8:30 am. This is a brand new event open to men from all campuses and guests. There will be a great meal, music and a speaker. 

· ALIVE women’s one day retreat will be held Saturday, Sept 25. Ladies, we have a great speaker lined up this year that you are not going to want to miss. You can get more info at this link.

· MEN’S SUMMIT will be Oct. 8-10 at Camp Brookwoods in Alton, NH. Guys this is always a great time of community and spiritual growth. You won’t want to miss it. More info at this link.

And believe it or not, there is more. Many of our lifegroups are relaunching this fall. We are expanding our youth and young adult ministries. We have big plans to expand our discipleship ministry. Evangelism opportunities. Mission work. The list goes on.

On top of all of that, we are doing three separate fall kick off events on three consecutive Sundays. We are also staggering the launch of our NextGen at each campus to correspond with the kick off Sundays. Each campus will have special activities. Each will be doing something special with food (It wouldn’t be a kick off party without food!) Below are the dates.

Sunday September 19 Rock Plaistow Fall Kick Off and NextGen launch.

Sunday September 26 Rock Sandown Fall Kick Off and NextGen launch.

Sunday October 3 Rock North Shore Fall Kick Off and NextGen launch.

Can you see now why I am so excited! With so many choices, I know there is something special here for you. Have a blessed day!

Love you all,

Pastor Steve

One last things: This Saturday from 9 to noon there will be a work party at our Sandown campus to prepare the space for the relaunch of Children’s ministry and the start of Mastering Motherhood. Many hands make light work. If you can help for even an hour our two, please feel free to stop by.

Guard your hearts

Over the past couple of years we've given a lot of attention to how we guard against Covid. As parents, we are very intentional about guarding our children's safety. Buckle up. Wear a helmet. Don't talk to strangers. Over the past decade or more there seems to be an increasing concern about guarding our health. Eat better. Exercise more. Quit smoking. All good choices.

This week I've been reading in Proverbs during my devotional time. In Proverbs 4:23 King Solomon wrote “Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

When I read that, I began to think about all the things we guard. We guard our health, we protect our children, we watch over our investments. We even install home security systems to guard our possessions, our home and our family. But it got me thinking about this? Do we guard our hearts? Solomon, a man renowned for his wisdom, said “above all else guard your heart.”

What does that even mean? What does it look like to guard our hearts? Ultimately it is about being careful about what we take in. Our hearts become filled with those things we see, hear and dwell upon. Because, as Solomon says, “everything you do flows from it.” What we take into our hearts affects our attitudes, our words and our behaviors.

Thank you to all who accepted the invitation to pray for and serve our young people

Our hearts are often under attack on several fronts. But I think there are three areas in particular where we must guard our hearts. The first is temptation and sin. All sin begins in the heart. In fact Jesus would go so far as to say that if we have lusted in our hearts then it's as if we have committed adultery. If we've been angry in our hearts it is as if we've harmed another. So we must guard our hearts by being careful about what we watch, read and listen to, that it not lead us towards sin.

The second area we must guard our heart is negativity. We seem to be living in a culture of polarization, anger, offense and indignation. We need to guard our hearts from all of this. The more we allow ourselves to be exposed to this negativity, the more we dwell upon it, the more it becomes a part of us. We are followers of Christ. People of love, mercy and forgiveness. But if we don't guard our hearts, we too will soon be negative, angry and divisive.

The third area we need to guard our heart is fear. Over and over and over again in scripture we are told “fear not.” Yet we are living in a time when fear “sells.” And so we are inundated with a deluge of fearful news and fear-based marketing. And if we do not guard our hearts we will soon be just as fearful as those who do not have the hope of Christ.

To guard our hearts takes intentionality. We have to think about and notice what we are allowing in. And we have to be intentional in our choices of what we will watch, read, listen to and talk about. I believe Solomon was right. We must guard our heart, because all we do flows from it.

I look forward to us being together this weekend in-person or online. We will be launching a new series entitled “The Book of Hope” in which we will study through Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. You won’t want to miss a single week!

Love you all,

Pastor Steve