We have a “Food Blessing Box” for those in need to be able to grab non-perishable food items for a meal or two. Feel free to take advantage of these items. We also need non-perishable food items to replenish the box when needed. Please bring your items to church or add your items to the box. May ALL who give and receive be blessed!
LETTER FROM PASTOR DONNA
September 25, 2026
This week I am in a place I love more than any other; I am at the beach. I cannot
comprehend a God who is so good that he would create a world with so many different
topographies to appeal to so many different people. As I was sitting on the beach earlier,
watching the waves roll in one after another, I was in awe of the power of the waves, the
consistency of their relentless coming and going, and yet knowing how each one is different
from all the others before or after it.
Of course, I also love walking the beach at the edge of the water, feeling the sand moving
below my feet as the water comes and goes, and watching the tumble of shells and bits of things
the waves bring in and deposit on the shore. I can’t help but look at the gifts the water brings and
leaves behind and sometimes I have to reach down and pick up a shell to examine, or even to
keep. Here’s the thing, though, sometimes when I pick up a shell that is beautifully colored and
delicately formed, I find that when I turn it over, I see that it is broken. Its edges may be sharp
and jagged, it may have a chunk missing, or it may have one or more of those perfectly formed
round holes made by a sea snail. A once perfect shell is no longer perfect, but it is still beautiful
if you only look at the front.
I think people are much like that. We present our best selves to the world, hiding our
rough edges, our brokenness, our deepest needs, because we are afraid if we show that side,
others may not “approve.” Perhaps the “others” in our lives will judge us harshly or even want to
end our friendship. All the while, they, too, are hiding their own flaws and imperfections, living
in the same fear we live in. As humans, we are innately wired to look at the appearance of others,
at the person they present themselves to be. That is part of our brokenness as we live in this
fallen world.
I am so grateful that this great God we serve lives outside of all that, how he doesn’t look
at the shell we build around our lives, how he sees us as we really are and loves us anyway. The
God who created oceans and mountains, deserts and prairies, also created us and he has known
us intimately from before we were in our mothers’ womb. We know this because God himself
said exactly that to the prophet Samuel.
In 1 Samuel 16, God sends Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to
be the next king of Israel. When Samuel sees Jesse’s oldest son is tall and strong, he immediately
assumes he is the one God has chosen. He was wrong. God told Samuel, “Do not consider his
appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people
look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
That was true in Samuel’s day, and it is still true today; God looks not at our outward
appearance, but at our heart, which is the true reflection of who we are. It’s as if we are a seashell
laying on the sand and when God picks us up and turns us over, he doesn’t see the ragged edges,
the broken pieces, or the holes; he sees us as whole and beautiful, and his. God has made this
possible through the gift of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The same God who
gifted us colors, and weather, tastes, and emotions, also gifted us his very own Son, who makes
us whole, and wholly God’s, when we make him our Lord and Savior. That makes me even
happier than being at the beach – and that is saying something!
Happy fall and have a beautiful October,
Pastor Donna
This week I am in a place I love more than any other; I am at the beach. I cannot
comprehend a God who is so good that he would create a world with so many different
topographies to appeal to so many different people. As I was sitting on the beach earlier,
watching the waves roll in one after another, I was in awe of the power of the waves, the
consistency of their relentless coming and going, and yet knowing how each one is different
from all the others before or after it.
Of course, I also love walking the beach at the edge of the water, feeling the sand moving
below my feet as the water comes and goes, and watching the tumble of shells and bits of things
the waves bring in and deposit on the shore. I can’t help but look at the gifts the water brings and
leaves behind and sometimes I have to reach down and pick up a shell to examine, or even to
keep. Here’s the thing, though, sometimes when I pick up a shell that is beautifully colored and
delicately formed, I find that when I turn it over, I see that it is broken. Its edges may be sharp
and jagged, it may have a chunk missing, or it may have one or more of those perfectly formed
round holes made by a sea snail. A once perfect shell is no longer perfect, but it is still beautiful
if you only look at the front.
I think people are much like that. We present our best selves to the world, hiding our
rough edges, our brokenness, our deepest needs, because we are afraid if we show that side,
others may not “approve.” Perhaps the “others” in our lives will judge us harshly or even want to
end our friendship. All the while, they, too, are hiding their own flaws and imperfections, living
in the same fear we live in. As humans, we are innately wired to look at the appearance of others,
at the person they present themselves to be. That is part of our brokenness as we live in this
fallen world.
I am so grateful that this great God we serve lives outside of all that, how he doesn’t look
at the shell we build around our lives, how he sees us as we really are and loves us anyway. The
God who created oceans and mountains, deserts and prairies, also created us and he has known
us intimately from before we were in our mothers’ womb. We know this because God himself
said exactly that to the prophet Samuel.
In 1 Samuel 16, God sends Samuel to the house of Jesse to anoint one of Jesse’s sons to
be the next king of Israel. When Samuel sees Jesse’s oldest son is tall and strong, he immediately
assumes he is the one God has chosen. He was wrong. God told Samuel, “Do not consider his
appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people
look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
That was true in Samuel’s day, and it is still true today; God looks not at our outward
appearance, but at our heart, which is the true reflection of who we are. It’s as if we are a seashell
laying on the sand and when God picks us up and turns us over, he doesn’t see the ragged edges,
the broken pieces, or the holes; he sees us as whole and beautiful, and his. God has made this
possible through the gift of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The same God who
gifted us colors, and weather, tastes, and emotions, also gifted us his very own Son, who makes
us whole, and wholly God’s, when we make him our Lord and Savior. That makes me even
happier than being at the beach – and that is saying something!
Happy fall and have a beautiful October,
Pastor Donna
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Morning education classes
Classes for Pre K- Adults of all ages are meeting from, 9:30 am to 10:30 am.
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Young ones (Birth - Pre-K) - the nursery
*Pre-K - 1st Grade - downstairs with Ms. Connie *2nd - 5th Grade - downstairs with Ms. Roberta |
9th - 12th Grade - downstairs with Mr. Chris
Alpha and Omega for adults -in the Fellowship Hall |
Watch previous week's message from Pastor Donna (and others) ON OUR worship services PAGE OR ON OUR fACEBOOK PAGE (@ROOTSTOWNCHURCHofhope)
For more news, updates and info, check out our News page!
Habitat of portage county Apostles Build
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Apostles Build Story: The project that was started in July 2019 has been completed! The Hummel-Tucker family were presented with their home on April 25th at 2 pm! Blessings to the family as they begin to move in and get comfortable! Thank you to all who helped, prayed for, donated to this project!
