Keeping Up with

Covenant Presbyterian Church News

Wendell, North Carolina

May 2018

Church office hours: Mon.—Thurs. from 9:00—2:00 p.m. covsecty1@raleigh.twcbc.com (919) 365-7979

www.covenantwendell.com “Celebrating the Past—Building the Future”

Covenant Presbyterian Church 125 S. Selma Rd. Wendell, NC 27591-9705

NEWS UPDATE! The Session has voted to mail our newsletters to your home unless you would prefer to

receive it via e-mail. Please let us know in the church office if you would prefer an e-mail version only. We will be

entering updated membership data into a new computer software designed for churches and hope to have a new di-

rectory for you in a couple of weeks!

Senior Day May 20th

Celebrating the lives of our

Graduating High School Seniors during worship.

Daughter’s Brunch May 5th

Fellowship Hall at 9:30 am

Come join us for friendship and laughter and good food!

Prayer Concerns:

Members – Roberta Hole’s family

Assisted Living: Faye Kelley (Car illon), Beth Lewter (Zebulon House), Louise McClaid (Sunnybrook, Raleigh), John Chambers (Crescent Green of Carrboro), Peggy Fink (Brookdale, Wake Forest), Louise Weant (Stone Ridge, Cary)

Member Friends & Family –

Harold Forrester (Tammy Strickland’s father)

Greg Forrester (Tammy Strickland’s brother)

Stacey Swart (sister-in-law of Susan Smithson, breast cancer)

Steve Moody (Joan Davis’ cousin, cancer)

Logan Barnes (Ewing’s sarcoma treatment)

Melinda & Carl Cassick (Sherman McClaid’s daughter & husband)

Janice & Bill Readshaw (Carrie Petrosky’s parents; Bill fell and broke his hip)

Gloria Baker (Judy McCurdy’s cousin)

Tom Hutchison (Judy McCurdy’s brother)

Conner Hutchison (Judy McCurdy’s cousin)

John Taylor, cancer

Jeff VanGelder (Tim VanGelder’s brother, cancer)

Zack Stalls (cancer, co-worker of Jeannie Driver)

Sue Studt (Judy Raybon’s niece, brain tumor)

Bob Studt (Judy Raybon’s brother, heart)

Arta Anderson (Juanita Taylor’s mother, lung cancer)

John and Mary Jane Roberts (Jennifer Carnes’ parents)

Liz and Justin Smith (friends of the Bowmans, pregnancy complications)

Larettie Schmidt (Linda Higgins’ mother, now living with Linda)

Step-sister of Chris Murphy, cancer

Joy Grubb (reoccurrence of ovarian cancer)

Natalie Perkins (Vanessa Turner’s sister, lung cancer)

Billy Jones (Peggy Buffaloe’s brother-in-law)

Gene Hester (Mary Jo Cashion’s uncle, health issues)

Please let us know of folks we need to add/delete from the prayer concerns by either calling the church office, Pastor Debbie or turning in a prayer request card during worship.

A Note from the Pastor

Dear Friends,

The Session and the Mission Study Team have been considering the community/culture in

which the Covenant Presbyterian Church is located/lives. We are doing this in order to consider

how best to reach out to our neighbors, inviting them to join us in ministry. We have observed and considered

the following:

1. Millennials (people born in the 1980’s and 1990’s) have been internet and IT savvy their entire

lives. They communicate and gather information through the internet and social media. In an ef-

fort to communicate more efficiently with these young adults, our Session has created a separate

ministry team, Communications Ministry Team, and Lisa Bailey, elder, is moderator of this new

ministry. The Communication Ministry Team will help us maintain a Facebook page and webpage

as well as consider ways in which we can effectively communicate who we are and the events/

ministries in which we are engaged with our community. This includes a technical support and

marketing function. Lisa is in the process of creating her team (and if you would like to serve in

this capacity, please contact her) and holding initial meetings.

2. Research has identified that only 11 percent of millennials identify as mainline Protestants and 16

percent as Catholics. In fact, in a recent Harvard poll, most millennials are wary of institutions.

They are forcing churches to re-consider and re-establish our priorities and communicate the signif-

icance of the gospel in new ways. Millennials are looking for authentic relationships/community,

not necessarily “programs.” Millennials also see inwardly focused churches as a living contradic-

tion to the gospel. They want to make a difference in their communities and in the world. Given

what we are learning, we recognize our need to explore ways to reach out to young families/adults

in ways that will create relationships and offer opportunities to engage in mission/outreach. The

good news is that you guys are a very welcoming community of faith; we just need to discover how

best to invite folks to come join us.

3. New developments are exploding in the Wendell/Zebulon area. All you have to do is drive around

within a 10-mile radius and you will see the new growth. Wendell Falls is expecting to triple the

current (7,000) population of Wendell. So the potential for inviting new folks to join us is abun-

dant! And the opportunities for ministry are abundant!

God has blessed this community of faith in so many ways. The challenge is how we will use those

blessings to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ and engage/reach out to the community surrounding us. Stay

tuned. New opportunities to serve will be coming your way. If you have thoughts or ideas, please do not hesi-

tate to talk to me or any of our elders!

You guys are an absolute joy and I am so grateful to be able to serve alongside of you!

Debbie

The Grief Group meets on the first and third Tuesday at 7:00 pm in the Sessions room. If you are

grieving a loss, don’t try to do it alone. Share your feelings with others as we “walk” together through

the wilderness of grief. At the end of our journey together, may we be able to experience the wonderful

memories we have of those we have lost.

If you have any questions, contact Judy Shotts at 919-366-0849 or jshotts65@att.net.

Prayer Concerns

Worship

Elders Barbara Sneade & Tim VanGelder

Choir Chatter

Your choir is enjoying a time of not having to work so hard. With the excep-

tion of a couple of pieces, we’re working with music that isn’t so difficult. Jeff and I

are looking at tour locations and music, and will be ready to announce that shortly.

Now is a great time to give us a try. If you try and don’t want to stay, we won’t be

angry. What if you try and love it? You’ll never know until you come on Wednes-

day at 7:30 pm and sit in.

Also, remember that this year’s concert series is nearly done. On April 29th at 7:00 pm, we’ll have our final

concert of the season. Triangle Youth Jazz Band and Triangle Youth Jazz Orchestra will present a concert that

celebrates thirty years of the organization’s existence. They are under the direction of Lisa Burn. We look for-

ward to having them with us. The orchestra was with us in 2016, and we are delighted to have these two en-

sembles with us this year.

Raleigh Boy Choir will be unable to present in May, but we look forward to having them on the list for next

year, if possible.

See you in church,

Wanda

Gift Cards: Thank you for supporting our church by purchasing gift cards through Covenant! We

continue to raise almost $4000 per year and that has really helped the budget. Food Lion, Lowes and Walmart

are available in the Narthex before and after service. There are now over 700 retailers who give a percentage

to Covenant –nothing out of pocket!! Order on Sunday and have your gift card the following Sunday. Please

think about paying for your groceries, prescriptions, gas, gifts, household items, restaurants, travel, etc. using

gift cards. For more information, please call Susan Darby at 919-605-5792 or David Meyers at 919-524-0244

or email sddarby@hotmail.com.

May Birthdays

May Anniversaries

May 2 JoAnn Lanzi, Becky Morgan

May 3 Marshall Page

May 4 Rachel Page, Dylan Haswell

May 7 Debbie Osterhoudt

May 9 Lisa Cauley, Emma Buus

May 10 Richard Warner, Dorine Newton

May 12 Allison Buus

May 13 Betty June Dale

May 14 Terrell Thomas

May 15 Kristen Myers Stahlman

May 12 Rusty & Bonnie Wagstaff

May 13 Larry & Lisa Bailey

May 15 Adam & Erin Hamrick

May 23 David & DeAndra Field

May 26 Tim & Ronica VanGelder

May 27 Bob & Carolyn Fleming

May 17 June Bowman, Louise Weant, David Field

May 18 Cheryl Kelley

May 20 Nancy Clemmons

May 21 Angie Petrey

May 22 Mary Carnes

May 23 Mollie Grace Smithson

May 26 Heather Wolfgang

May 29 Sherman McClaid, Linda Warner

May 30 Hugh Cashion, Ed Sneade

May 31 Alan Thorne Driver, Ron Hall

Church Staff: Transitional Pastor Reverend Debbie Osterhoudt, 478-363-2010 (mobile)

Revdeb2017@gmail.com

Pastor Emeritus Reverend Bob Borland

Directors of Christian Ed. Linda Berry lberry61@hotmail.com Dorine Newton dorinenewton@nc.rr.com

Administrative Assistant Mary DeFino covsecty1@raleigh.twcbc.com

Minister of Music Wanda Ramm wjramm1@gmail.com

Church Musician Jeff Bottoms Innerkid13@earthlink.net

Clerk of Session Fred Lanzi fredlanzi@bellsouth.net

Church Treasurer Carol Rich crich319@gmail.com

Accounts Payable Joe Bowman josephlbowman@gmail.com

Accounts Receivable Judy McCurdy mccurdyj@aol.com

Webmaster Lisa Bailey lbailey513@aol.com

National Day of Prayer - May 3rd

Noon service at J Ashley Wall Square

7:15 pm at Wendell Community Center

We are ordering new paraments and a new

acolyte lighter.

We are still looking for a few more volun-

teers to be ushers, please contact Barb

Sneade or Tim VanGelder if interested.

First Sunday Lunch - May 6th - Sub sandwiches with fixin’s and sides.

Congregational Care Committee Meeting - May 20, 2018 at 12:15 p.m. in Session Room

Presbyterian Women of the church meet the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:00 pm (May 22) in the Fel-

lowship Hall. Inviting all women to come join us for a great night of fellowship and wonderful lesson from

Judy Shotts. We have just begun a new study on “Back to the Well” Women’s Encounters with Jesus in the

Gospels by Frances Taylor Gench. Judy Shotts is the Bible Study leader, she is also using “Women of the Gos-

pels” Friends and Disciples of Jesus by Stephen J. Binz. We enjoy lively discussions about what the Bible is

saying to us and how we can put the message into action in our daily lives.

Come and join us as we all journey together to strengthen our faith.

May 5th - “Daughter’s Brunch” to be held in the Fellowship Hall at 9:30

am. We had a great time last year with requests for a repeat event. Please

sign up in the narthex at church or call Judy Shotts, so we will know how

many people to prepare for.

Breakfast Fellowship May 7 & 14

The Clayton group meets at Jones Café at 9:30 am on the first Monday of the month, and the Zebulon group

meets at McLean’s on the second Monday, both at 9:30 am. EVERYONE is welcome - at either or both

groups!

Prayer Shawl

The Knitters meet at 5:00 pm on the third Sunday of the month and create shawls & throws for comfort in time

of need. Want to join the group? Experienced knitters are happy to help & share patterns. Some supplies are

available. Call Christine Mailliard at 919-366-0883 for more information or if you know of someone who

could use a shawl.

Join a special care ministry

(Contact Paula Daniels at 919-675-0363 or Jeannie Driver at 919-365-5521 for more information)

Handy Hands helps with home repairs and chores for those who find it difficult to manage by themselves.

They have installed several ramps for those with problems with mobility. Need is more important than ability

to pay, so donations are appreciated.

Martha’s Ministry provides meals in time of need. If you are experiencing difficulties - illness, stress or

any other reason and having a meal delivered would give you a lift, please let the church office know (919-365-

7979). If you are able to help prepare and/or deliver meals, please call Paula, Jeannie or the church office.

Presbyterian Men’s Breakfasts are on summer break. We will resume in September .

Congregational Care

Elders Paula Daniels & Jeannie Driver

SUNDAY SCHOOL TIMES:

Classes begin at 10:00 and end 10:45.

The Will Smithson Class will be lead by Dorine Newton this month; the Junior class will be lead by Robin Harris. Both classes will be studying the following lessons:

May 6th ......................... Lydia

May 13th. ....................... Paul and Silas

May 20th ....................... Pentecost

May 27th ........................ Shipwrecked

The youth will meet with Leann Dale this month in their study of discipleship.

ADULT CLASSES – Underhill Class, Serendipity Class, Stomp and Holler Class all meet at 9:30; Coffee and Con-versation meets at 10:00.

A NEW HEALTH FORM is needed for all children in our nursery, Sunday School program, and youth program. We have been advised to do this to ensure the health of all children. Letters are being distributed to all parents and grandparents and guardians of any children who might attend. We are growing, and we need to know all allergies, food restrictions, etc. of all of the children in our care. Thank you for returning these forms to us. If you did not receive one of these, please see Dorine New-ton or Linda Berry.

ATTENTION: ALL CHILDREN AND YOUTH SUNDAY SCHOOL CLASSES, YOUTH GROUP, COFFEE AND CONVERSATION, AND CHIL-DREN'S CHURCH TAKE A VACATION DURING THE SUMMER.

The last day for Sunday School, Coffee and Conversa-tion, and Children's Church will be May 27th.

The last day for youth group to meet will be on May 20th.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL MEETING—May 8th at 7:00 pm

SENIOR DAY: On May 20th, we will honor our high school graduates during the worship service. We will award the Covenant Scholarships at this time as well. There will be a reception in the Fellowship Hall afterwards.

MISSION TRIP: Our youth will leave for their mission trip to Washington, DC on June 24th. Keep them in your prayers as they prepare for this life changing event. Thank you to all who have supported them in their fund raising and to those who simply donated money for this event.

BIBLE STUDY - Come join us for a study of the Gospel of John, led by Pastor Debbie, on Tuesdays at 10:00 am or Wednesdays at 6:00 pm. We are having lively discussions and you don’t want to miss this!

CONFIRMATION CLASS: Rev. Debbie will be of-fering a confirmation class this fall for our youth who have not been confirmed. It will begin in September and continue during the fall; Rev. Debbie is committed to a mission component in the confirmation experience. Please let Linda or Dorine know if you and/or your youth are interested.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL:

JULY 8 – 12TH: We are in preparation for VBS al-ready; this year the children will be going on a Rolling Rover Rampage. Please let Linda, Dorine, or Leann know if you would like to help. We want to encourage all children to bring a friend, all grandparents to bring their grandchildren, all neighborhood children to attend. We will be doing a big invitational campaign in Wendell Falls and other new neighborhoods. Please help us get many children to attend. We have great leaders already signed up.

The Christian Education Committee has changed its monthly meeting to the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30.

Christian Education

Elder Paula Perry

We are working on energy use reduction proposals with Duke Progress Energy

that will reduce our yearly energy costs significantly. One that you may notice, if you are on campus after

dark is the change out of the bulbs to LED in our area lights. This will result in about an $825 savings.

Another proposal, is changing out the light bulbs in the Sanctuary & Education Building. After we receive

the energy audit from Duke Progress, we’ll be able to tell the potential savings. Initial estimates indicate

an annual savings of a couple thousand dollars.

Our “smoked” window panes in the Sanctuary should be changed out by the end of April. Then in May

we are having the windows cleaned in the whole sanctuary building.

Clerk of Session Report

Fred Lanzi

Mission/Outreach

Elders Bud Lawler & Rusty Wagstaff

Oliver House residents enjoy reading magazines. If you have some old

magazines that you would like to donate to the Oliver House, place them by

the food pantry box in the narthex and someone will deliver them.

Finance/Stewardship

Steve Hicks & Carol Rich

Finance Report for March 2018:

Expenses YTD: $21,750.00

Income YTD: $23,390.00

Heritage Fund YTD: $2,750.00

Mortgage Balance as of 3/31/2018: $1,013,477.00

Dear Friends,

Back in the 70’s my brother was the baseball coach at Broughton High School. There was young man, Billy, who devotedly served as team manager. Billy had no way home after practice and games so my brother would drive him home. Billy was significantly underdeveloped physically and

the school social worker said that it was due to a lack of nutrition when Billy was very young. Most days, on the ride home, my brother would buy food for Billy. After a couple trips through the drive-thru, Billy asked my brother to drive slow so he could eat all the food before he got home. When my brother asked why, Billy said that people at this home would take the food away from him.

I have never forgotten this story. I can’t stand the thought of anyone being hungry. It shouldn’t be this way but the sad truth is that it is very real. Hunger exists right here in our neighborhood. You all have done a won-derful job of donating to the food pantry and the Backpack Buddies program. Please keep up the good work. Together we can help to eliminate hunger and ensure that several children in our community go to bed with full tummies on the weekends.

God Bless,

Your Mission and Outreach Team

Carver Elementary Backpack Buddy

Program

Don’t forget our weekend meals for

Carver kids. We need hearty soups,

vegetables, peanut butter and fruit.

There is a designated bin in the Nar-

thex and lists with suggested items

on the bulletin boards.

The Food Pantry is an on-

going project supplying bags of

groceries to needy families in our

area. Non-perishable foods are

welcome.

Emphasis for May: Canned

fruits, chicken noodle soups, in-

stant potatoes, soap, shampoo,

toothpaste, and toilet tissue.

Don’t forget that the fourth Sun-

day of the month we receive

Pennies for Hunger during wor-

ship.

Bring your food for the Back Pack Buddies and Food Pantry on Communion Sundays.

When we gather to celebrate the Lord’s Supper on the second Sunday of each month, we recognize God’s

amazing gift of Jesus Christ to the world and the incredible sacrificial gift Jesus made for us. The table of the

Lord’s Supper is a table of incredible love and grace shared for us all. But we are called to be not only receiv-

ers of the gift, but givers of the gift. What better way to share than to bring our food to the table for the local

food pantry and Back Pack Buddies. Did you know that we provide bags of food to some 30 plus families

with children from Carver Elementary School which will enable them to put food on their tables for the week-

end? We are inviting you to bring your food - canned vegetables, fruit cups, soups, etc., - Communion Sun-

days. The children will collect your food during the Conversation with the Children - just like they do with

their Pennies for Hunger - and then place the food in the baskets at the communion table, reminding us that

we are called to be not only receivers of God’s grace, but givers. We will continue to gladly receive your food

any time, in the boxes in the narthex. Just remember to bring a can or two on communion Sundays as well!

Many thanks!

Volunteer Schedule for May 2018

Date Lay Reader Audio Greeters Ushers

May 6 Elaine Vaden Kevin Dale John & Judy Shotts

Chris & Heather Wolfgang,

Don Agee, Doug Petrey

May 13 Marc Johnson Walker Driver Pam Hardee,

Carol Rich

Becky Abate, Jeannie Driver, Ed & Barb Snead

May 20 Hulon Perry Billy Cuthrell Paula Daniels,

Nicole Bills

Bud Lawler, Bill McCurdy, Matthews Bills, Tim VanGelder

May 27 Carol Rich Tim Harris Tom & Stella Martin

Philip & Annette Kirk,

Al Cates, Steve Buus

Date Children’s Sermon Nursery Volunteer Acolyte

May 6 Jennifer Carnes Pam Hardee James Newton

May 13 Don Mailliard Robin Harris Emma Buus

May 20 Bob Borland Karen Marsh, Nathan Marsh Mollie Smithson

May 27 Mary Selke Carrie Petrosky Usher

MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1

10:00 Bible Study 6:30 Girl Scouts 7:00 Grief Support

2 6:00 Bible Study 7:30 Choir Practice 8:00 AA

3 4 5 7:00 AA 9:30 Daughter’s Brunch (Presby Women)

6 First Sunday Lunch 5:30 Youth Meet

7 9:30 Breakfast Fel-lowship– Clayton 7:00 Wendell Council of Churches

8 10:00 Bible Study 7:00 VBS Meeting

9 6:00 Bible Study 7:30 Choir Practice 8:00 AA

10 11 12 7:00 AA

13

Mother’s Day 6:00 Property

14 9:30 Breakfast Fel-lowship– Zebulon 6:30 Perennial Gar-den Club

15 10:00 Bible Study 6:30 CE Committee 6:30 Girl Scouts 7:00 Grief Support

Newsletter items due!

16 6:00 Bible Study 7:30 Choir Practice 8:00 AA

17 18 19 7:00 AA

20 Senior Day 5:30 Youth Meet 6:00 Mission 7:00 Session

21 22 10:00 Bible Study 7:00 Presbyterian Women

23 6:00 Bible Study 7:30 Choir Practice 8:00 AA

24 25 26 7:00 AA

27 5:30 Youth Meet

28 29 10:00 Bible Study

30 6:00 Bible Study 7:30 Choir Practice 8:00 AA

31

May 2018