Post on 03-Jul-2020
THE COVENANT CONNECTION Volume XX No. 23 September 28, 2016
Covenant United Methodist Church
"Peace... and Remembering the Fallen"
A Visual Prayer
ORIGAMI CRANES DUE BY OCTOBER 14TH Covenant origamists are hard at work folding paper cranes for the installation that will eventually hang in the west tower of the sanctuary. This art piece is meant to express our grief and prayers over the many mass killings that have taken place over the last few decades, and which seem to be occur-ring with increasing frequency. Our plan is to have at least 1,000 white origami cranes to represent our prayers for peace and an end to the violence. The white cranes will surround a column of red cranes, each one representing one of the events and its victims. The suspended prayer will be in place for the All Saints Day service on November 6th. Thanks to the hard work of all who are folding the cranes, we’ve reached a total of about 400. We would like to have our target number of 1,000 ready to be strung together by October 14th or sooner. We probably will be able to add more cranes until the 21st, but we are hoping to have at least 1,000 by the 14th. We appreciate the work of all those busy fingers, and would welcome more help. Contact Jayce Keel-ing at 466-1027 with questions. Additional origami paper is available on the tall table in the living room.
Newsletter Mailing Changes Beginning in January, the printed newsletter will be mailed once per
month. We have a wonderful new email system that allows us to send
email updates to everyone, keeping you informed of the many exciting things happening in the life of the
church.
New Church Email Updates
Are you receiving weekly email updates from the church?
If you would like to receive this newest communication from the church, please provide your email
address to the church office and tell us to add you to our weekly email
list! Be sure to read the weekly up-dates and watch for ways to con-
nect and be involved at Covenant. If you don’t receive the updates,
check your spam folder for this email, some people have said this went to their junk mail first. You
may need to tell your email server that this is desired mail.
Special Offering for
World Communion Sunday
October 2, 2016 The World Communion Sunday offering
funds graduate racial-ethnic World Com-
munion Scholarships, with at least one-
half of the annual amount reserved for
ministries beyond the United States.
Your donations also provide for under-
graduate U.S. Ethnic Scholarship and
Ethnic In-Service Training programs.
It’s time to sign up for Friendship
Dinner Groups! Add a friendship dinner group experience to your fall
plans! New friendship dinner groups are forming for 2016 - 2017. Sign up on the high table in the living room to participate. The groups meet in homes four times dur-ing the year to share dinner and conversation. Most members, either singles or a couple, host one time, providing a main dish. Others bring an appetizer, sal-ad, or dessert. A formal dining space is NOT required - a room at the church, a condo gathering area, or a park are all possible places to gather. A dining out group is also a possibility. Enjoy dinner at a variety of restaurants and forget the preparation and clean up. Sign up on the Dining Out list. Contact Marty Erb by email or phone
Adult Education News
October 2 & 9 at 10:45 am Healing the Heart of Democracy
Please join us in Adult Ed. for the next two Sun-days as we as we explore another video and dis-
cussion offering by Parker Palmer, author, Quak-
er, inner-life explorer, and founder of the nation-
al Center for Courage and Renewal.
We will be looking into the content of his recent
book Healing the Heart of Democracy. The topic
couldn’t be timelier. Parker honestly and openly
speaks of ways to “hold” our political tensions, for
the sake of the common good. As with most issues
he talks about, he encourages us to first look
within, as well as remembering that we are mem-
bers of one another. Parker will name for us his
own “habits of the heart” that can help us move
toward healing the tensions of our differences.
Sara Ferris will be facilitating the session. She
has studied with Parker Palmer and other educa-
tors through the Center for Courage and Renewal.
Grab your coffee and join us in Room 13!
Linda Karalfa—Lectionary Study
Pastor Linda Karalfa is leading a study of the
lectionary. In the lectionary texts, there is a
reading from the Old Testament, from the
Gospels, and from one of the Epistles. Pastor
Roger will be preaching from one of the lec-
tionary scriptures each week, so the discus-
sion will also include the passage he used for
the sermon.
Participants of the study will have an oppor-
tunity to read and reflect on the passages
prior to the study each week. Come, join this
Bible study in room 9 after worship.
October 2
Lamentations 1: 1-6
Psalm 137
2 Timothy 1: 1-14
Luke 17: 5-10
October 9
Jeremiah 29: 1, 4-7
Psalm 66: 1-12
2 Timothy 2: 8-15
Luke 17: 11-19
Worship Servants: Thank you for offering your
gifts & service to our morning worship experience.
You are appreciated!
October 2 Reader: Caleb McDougall
Greeters: Jim Shaw and Judi Morgan
Ushers: Joel & Sara Ferris
Welcome Table: Tom Robinson
October 9 Reader: Peggy Donovan
Greeters: Tom & Judi Lux
Ushers: Gordon Miscoi and Gordon Wilson
Welcome Table: Rick & Diane Thomas
October 16 Reader: Marty Keeling
Greeters:
Ushers: Ted & Diane Ketcham
Welcome Table: Dick & Teresa Heezen
In our Prayers
Doris Dyer, Shirley Hesseltine, George Newell, Patti Osebold,
Ken & Beverly Stam, Jim Thrapp
Directory Update: Kyle Smith has a new email address.
Please make note of the change in your
church directory.
kbren635@gmail.com
The Next 36 Years
36 years old, and facing a milestone calling for
$294,000 for new siding, Covenant United Methodist
Church is prayerfully and gracefully rising to the chal-
lenge of planning for the future.
We want to be an effective church. And we un-
derstand that church is so much more than land and a
building. Church Council is therefore prayerfully work-
ing on a comprehensive plan to ensure that our newly re-
sided, top-class facility comes with a vision of how the
land and building will serve the mission of “making dis-
ciples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the world”
for the next 36 years.
Thanks to some amazing and discerning work
done by Council we are well along the way!
The United Methodist mission is “to make disci-
ples of Jesus Christ for the transformation of the
world.” And over the past few years, along with a new
organizational model, Church Council has refined this
mission for Covenant: “We feel called to build and honor
all relationships (with God, one another, and our
neighbors) by being open-minded, delighting in diver-
sity, seeking understanding of the Word, and caring
for God’s creation.” That’s Covenant’s mission - these
two statements taken together.
This mission was then, with the skills and inter-
ests of members in mind, fleshed out into the vision(s)
of:
Health and Wellness
Care of Creation, and
Education
Now we further the process of implementing the
three components of Covenant’s emerging vision.
Our facilities team, led by Chuck Anderson, has
done a thorough job of researching the siding options and
costs. Our finance team, led by Marty Keeling, has
responsibly recommended we have a healthy financial
reserve in place while we repay the siding loan to cov-
er any emergencies, should any arise. The challenge now
is to raise $25,000 to have that financial reserve in place.
The Church Council met last night, after the All
Church Conference of Sunday, September 11 authorized
them to proceed with the siding project, to decide how
best to raise the $25,000 for the financial reserve. After
much discussion it was decided to raise the money
through a creative capital campaign that is linked with a
collective fleshing out of the three visions arrived at over
the past few years.
Exciting dreams and ideas – a community garden,
a garden preschool, four annual seasonal suppers, a dog
park and more - are beginning to bubble up, all of which
we invite you to contribute to and come up with your
own.
It was agreed that a deadline for raising the
$25,000 would be January 31st. Should that amount not
be raised by then, it was agreed that one of the unused
lots to the north be sold to ensure the healthy financial
reserve.
So, on behalf of Church Council, I invite you all
to be in prayer over the coming months. Let us engage
each other in holy conferencing about the mission and
visions of Covenant as we move forward in upgrading
our facilities with the new siding. Working on both to-
gether will help ensure the next 36 years will be exciting,
effective, and above all, faithful.
I look forward to working to this end. Thanks for
the privilege of serving God with you all in this place.
Pastor Roger
DNH DG SILWG
The Bethany chapter of PFLAG is showing a movie and we will join them in viewing it on Oct.12. The generation who fought hardest to come out of the closet is going back in to survive. In honor of National Coming Out Day, join Spokane PFLAG for a movie and conversation about our aging LGBT population and the health system. This is a free event. Donations are appreciated.
PFLAG Friends, do not forget the movie, Gen Silent with our PFLAG and Bethany's on October 12 at 6:30 pm at Bethany Presbyterian at 2607 S. Ray. Off the freeway and up the hill. There will be re-freshments. Dian and John Zahner
New Hope Resource Center Christmas Wreath and Cross Fundraiser
Wreaths $16 and Crosses
$20. Six dollars of each sale goes to New Hope Resource Center, where it may be used to help our neighbors keep their homes warm, put enough fuel in a gas tank to travel to a medical appointment, or assist them as they battle through a crisis. Ron & Cheryl Vaughan will be taking orders on Sundays starting this week through No-vember 6.
Covenant Coffee Klatch A small group of ladies would like to get to-gether once a month to have coffee at local coffee shops to connect with one another. This would be more of a socializing group to get to know people better. A first gathering has been planned, if you are able, please join us! Tuesday October 18th at 9:00am at The Little Garden Ca-fé, 2901 W. NW. BLVD
Any Questions contact Chanie Christman, 939-8109. Or, Betsy Hartman 325-3342 If you are unable to make this first gathering, but want to be
Lunch Buddies Starting Soon
Would you enjoy reading and playing games with a
student once a week during the school year at Mid-
way Elementary? Our Covenant Lunch Buddies pro-
gram will be starting up again soon and we would love
to have more lunch "big buddies" join us this year.
It's a fun, low-key way to make a difference in a
child's life. For more information contact Fleeta Hol-
comb at 466-3356 or fleetaholcomb49@gmail.com.
Family Promise at Covenant Oct. 16-23 Did you know that Family Promise of Spokane has 600 volunteers serving every quarter? They are one of 200 affiliates around the coun-try, loving a few homeless families at a time with communities of churches providing shelter, support and food for these families in need. You can serve homeless families, right here at Covenant. We are a host church that houses families for one week, about 4 times a year. Check your calendar for Oct. 16-23rd. Here are some opportunities to serve during the week. Provide a dinner Be a dinner host Be an overnight host/make breakfast Donate money for breakfast/lunch foods Be part of the set up or take down team Wash laundry at the end of the week Sign up sheets are in the living room, or talk to Gail Harris, Barry Karalfa, or Barb Miscoi.
Sunday Schedule
Worship .......................................................................... 9:30am
Children’s FROG Time .................................................. 9:45am
Adult Education Hour .................................................. 10:45am
Covenant Staff Pastor ........................................................ Rev. Roger Hudson
Music Leader ................................................... Mary Jo Woods
Pianist ........................................................................ Feng Tsai
Church Secretary ..................................................... Karen King
Custodian ................................................................... Bob Ratts
Youth Ministries Coordinator ............................. Position Open
Nursery Supervisor ............................................ Marcy Hansen
Preschool Director ............................................ Angie Canavan
Office Hours: Mon-Friday ..................................................... 9:30am -3:00pm
“The Covenant Connection” is printed twice a month, (once a
month in the summer) by Covenant United Methodist Church.
Deadline to turn in articles for the next newsletter is
Tuesday, Oct. 11.
Covenant United Methodist Church 15515 North Gleneden Drive
Spokane, WA 99208-9743
Phone (509) 466-1768
Email: info@covenantmethodist.org
Website: www.covenantmethodist.org
Return Service Requested
Non-Profit Org.
US Postage
PAID
Mead, WA
Permit No. 20
Book Review Group Oct. 11 Book: The Wright Brothers by David McCullough Reviewer: Dian Zahner Hostess: Sharon Colman Nov. 8 Book: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah Reviewer: Gail Harris Hostess: Cheryl Vaughan Do you love to read? Join us! We welcome new people to join us for discussion and fellowship. Contact Jeannie Peer, 466-4623 for more information.
TRUNK-OR-TREAT
Monday, October 31-5:30 to 7:30pm In the church parking lot.
A favorite annual community event! Plan to come to the
church on Halloween night and pass candy out from the trunk of your car. Some folks like to decorate their car or
dress up (purely optional!) Parents have told us how much they appreciate having a safe, well-lit area for their little
ones to be.
Candy Collections Taking
Place Now! Bring donations of individually wrapped candy to the church collection barrel