ROCK THE WEEK
January 20, 2021
A Helping Hand
More families have been helped with food assistance, thanks to your support of the Pastor's Charitable Fund. We appreciate your generosity!
This Week Online
Wednesday (1/20): Connections Count on Zoom at 7:00 p.m.
Connections Count Special Edition! Along with our usual combination of celebrations and prayer requests, we'll take some time to hold in prayer our nation and the incoming Presidential administration. Everyone is welcome for this time of prayerful connection. Click here at 7:00 to participate.

Friday (1/22): Yoga Nidra 
This week, look for yoga nidra (a short and gentle meditation practice) Friday at 10:00 am, live on the Shadow Rock Facebook page. The new year is a great time to re-energize your spiritual practices... and maybe yoga nidra is the perfect fit. No yoga experience is required; please prepare by dressing in loose clothing and having pillows, mats, or blankets close by. 

Monday (1/25): Small Group Ministry
YOU are invited! Our small group ministry is re-starting for Season of Nonviolence 2021. Join us this coming Monday, January 25 at 7:00 p.m. as we explore the use of compassionate communication (sometimes called non-violent communication or NVC) as a tool with friends and family. Please email Karen with any questions. Click here on Monday at 7:00 p.m. to join.

Sunday, January 24
Virtual Worship is delivered to your inbox first thing in the morning.
Due to increasing positive COVID test results in our local area, we are continuing a Zoom-only worship experience. Click the Zoom link at 11:00 a.m. in the worship email for this week's service. Worship is "what we do" together, celebrating and affirming our community and our symbolic life together.

Adult Spiritual Formation is at 10:00 a.m. on Zoom. The link is in the worship email. This is our last week with the theme "exploring new starts," and we'll emphasize our experiences with citizenship and community involvement. Expect a welcoming and lively conversation! All are welcome.
More to Explore
Tonight is a Connections Count Special Edition! Along with our usual combination of celebrations and prayer requests, we'll take some time to hold in prayer our nation and the incoming Presidential administration. Everyone is welcome for this time of prayerful connection. Join us by clicking this Zoom link at 7:00 p.m.
pink flowers
Our Church Family:
We wanted to make you aware of two recent deaths. Jack Bobo died on January 15th. He was a longtime member of Shadow Rock and former President of the Board. No services are being planned currently, due to the pandemic.
Rev. Dr. Dosia Carlson died on January 13th. In addition to being Minister Emeritus at Church of the Beatitudes and Founder of Duet, Dosia also composed many hymns.
The Season of Nonviolence is a stretch of time between the assassination dates of Mahatma Gandhi (January 30) and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King (April 4). Many communities use this time to re-dedicate themselves to peace and to learn about nonviolent movements and tactics that promote positive change. During the Season at Shadow Rock, we'll be bundling up worship, small groups, sermon series, and spiritual formation to reflect our core value of justice.

Season of Nonviolence, Part 1
Our first foray into the Season will be a new small group on Monday evenings beginning January 25. The topic is Compassionate Communication Basics, a tool for interpersonal and group communication.

Season of Nonviolence, Part 2
The second phase will be our 2021 Lenten study, a Choose-Your-Own Adventure Journey of the Spirit with Sunday morning and weekday options including Black History Month and a new book club. Stay tuned for the details as we get closer to the beginning of Lent.

It's a great time to dive into community at Shadow Rock as we explore freedom, peace, and service. For details or ways to get involved, please email Karen.
Join us in celebration and in prayerful support of Shadow Rock staffers Rev. Dr. Patricia StandTal Clarke and Karen Richter who have both been accepted in the United Church of Christ's year-long facilitator training cohort for Sacred Conversations to End Racism. This intense formation program prepares participants to shepherd congregations, conferences and other organizations in anti-racism activism. We look forward to hearing more throughout 2021 from Karen and Patricia about their experiences.
If you are a regular blood donor, please save the date! Our next community blood drive will be Sunday, February 28th between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Appointments will be required, so watch Rock the Week in the next couple weeks to sign-up for your donation time. Thanks for your support of this critical community service.
Happy New Year! Year-end giving statements for 2020 will be sent by snail mail via USPS the week of January 25th. Thank you for your continued support of Shadow Rock.


Thanks to Gene McWhorter for this "behind the scenes" shot from last Sunday's worship service. Pastor Ken, along Gene and Michael Curry, broadcast the sermon live from outside the ICE Field Office. We keep faithful witness by visiting the office on the 17th of each month, to stand for immigration justice.
Reminders While the Campus is Closed
  • Our mail service is on hold and being picked up more sporadically. If you have important mail that needs our attention, please contact Heidi and she will give you an alternate address so we can receive it quicker.
  • If you need any assistance securing groceries, medicine or toiletries, please contact us via email. We want to do our best to make sure everyone is safe and well.
  • One of the most important things we can do for each other during this time of isolation and distance is to keep in touch. We're a very social church family, and it's hard to be apart from one another! Try to take time every day or two to call, text, or email one of your Shadow Rock friends. 
Supporting Shadow Rock
Thank you for your love and support of Shadow Rock! Your financial support and donations are more important than ever as we go through this unprecedented time of uncertainty. If you have questions about giving electronically, please reach out to Heidi and she'll be happy to help! You can also give to our Pastor's Charitable Fund or Facilities Improvement Fund by clicking the yellow donate button below.

Miss a week? You can find previous Virtual Worship services as well as older editions of Rock the Week by going to our website and clicking "News" at the top of the page.
Rock the Week is published each Wednesday, and covers the upcoming week and future special events. To submit content for Rock the Week, please email [email protected] no later than noon on Monday. We welcome all comments, criticisms, concerns, critiques, and compliments at the same address.