THE COVENANT CONNECTION Volume XVIII No. 7 January 8, 2014

Covenant United Methodist Church

Stepping Forward

What Is This?

We have an opportunity to participate in a campaign to move our

congregation forward in four specific areas: 1. A new visual me-

dia for the sanctuary, 2. A renovation of room 9 in the cove, 3.

Replace the carpet in the narthex or living room, and 4. A renova-

tion in room 13 and 14.

Why?

All four spaces are in need of a renovation. 1. The old screen and

projector system is wearing out and needs to be replaced with

television screens that can project video and text in a clearer,

more readable format. 2. Room 9 is a tired, cluttered space that

doesn’t accommodate life groups, pre-funeral family gatherings or

pre-wedding gatherings and committee meetings very well. 3.

The carpet in the narthex is badly warn and has duct tape holding

it together. 4. Rooms 13 and 14 need small renovations to make

them more welcoming for adult education.

Learn More? How?

Visit the spaces and see for yourself. Watch for information on

the project in the Newsletter, in the E-Connect, on the Web

Site, in Mission moments in the morning worship service, at a

brunch after the worship service on February 9, and in conversa-

tion with Stepping Forward committee members: Sharon Arnold,

chairperson, Dave Erb, Gordon Miscoi, Nancy Reser, and David

Yarbrough.

Save the Date:

Stepping Forward All Church Potluck Brunch

Sunday, February 9, 2014

at 10:45am

Faithful Families

Attention Parents:

I would like to invite all parents

of school-aged children to join

me to continue our conversation

about the future of our Sunday

School, the best ways to grow

faithful children, and the possi-

bilities of a Cross Generational

worship service. As parents we

have a special calling to raise

our children faithfully. Come

and share what being a faithful

family looks like in your house-

hold, and dream with us all about

how we as a church can better

support you and your family.

We will meet after worship on

January 12, 2014.

I look forward to our continuing

conversation,

Pastor Dave

In our Prayers Stan Gray, Rhonda Greco, George Newell, Harlan Peer, Larry & Sindie

Price, Barbara Thornbrugh, Jim Thrapp

Thank you for offering your gifts & service to our

morning worship experience. You are appreciated!

January 12

Reader: Sharon Arnold

Greeters: Chuck & Linda Anderson

Ushers: Barb Beaton & Marge Ruby

Welcome Table: Patti Osebold

January 19

Reader: Gail Harris

Greeters: Mark & Nancy Reser

Ushers: Craig & Pam Tsuchida

Welcome Table: Jackie Richardson

January 26

Reader: Jackie Richardson

Greeters: Dick & Teresa Heezen

Ushers: Alden & Cindy Forbes

Welcome Table: Tom Robinson

Book Review Group

January 14th, 2014 9:30 a.m.

Book: The Last Runaway

by Tracy Chevalier

Reviewer: Marge Ruby

Hostess: Sharon Colman

February 11, 2014 9:30 a.m.

Book: Short Nights of the Shadow Catcher

by Timothy Egan

Reviewer: Diane Thomas

Hostess: Cheryl Vaughan

We welcome those with a love of reading to

join us for our monthly book review group.

Please contact Jeannie Peer, 466-4623, for

more information and directions.

Dear Covenant Family,

On behalf of New Hope Resource Center, Ron and I would like to thank you for your generosity this past year. More than 3,000 households in North Spokane have benefited from your donations of personal items and the donation of one-half the Advent collection. This will go a long way toward helping New Hope clients meet their daily needs. We are continually amazed by the gen-erosity of our wonderful congregation, and we are proud to call you our church family.

Ron and Cheryl Vaughan A True Christmas Miracle! Thanks to the generosity of many, a total of $4545.00 was given to the Christmas Miracle offering. This money will be shared with New Hope Resource Center and the Jamaa Letu Orphanges in the Congo. Your gifts will go to furthering God’s work here and afar.

Christmas greetings from our Sister Church We received many beautiful, handmade Christmas cards from our Sister Church students in El Paisnal. They are on display on the bulletin board across from the kitchen. Please take a moment and look at these treasures sent with love. We also received Christmas and New Year's greetings from Pastor Chema and his family. We also were able to send down $10,000 for scholar-ships for the upcoming school year! Thank you to all who contributed to the scholarship program and a special thanks to Brice and Melodie Tebbs! Without your support these children would not be able to attend school and achieve their goals! You all are much appreciated!

UMW January Meeting The United Methodist Women meeting will be on

Monday, January 13 at 7:00 pm.

All women are invited to attend as we review and plan our activities for the next 5 months.

All input is welcome.

“The End of an Era” Hello Friends,

I wanted to let you all, the community of faith, know about a change. After much prayer, discernment and conversation, it has been decided that we will cease holding the Sunday evening worship service for the foreseeable future. We hosted this worship service for the past two years and three months, and because of flagging attendance for some time now, it has been de-termined that it isn’t the best use of our resources (time, talents or treasures) at this time. I want to begin by thanking Colby and Bethany, who provided excellent and faithful music leadership for this service! I also want to thank everyone who contributed in any way over the past three years. I know many of you prayed continually, spent time and gave money to ensure the success of this endeavor. Success might seem like an odd word to use, but I really want to en-courage us to NOT see this as any sort of a failure. We were able to connect with many people who would nev-er have connected with Covenant otherwise, and pray that those connections and relationships endure. I sin-cerely believe that we have learned a lot that will help us as we move forward, too! Far too many churches are paralyzed by fear. I want to continue to help shape the culture here at Covenant that allows for constant, prayerful and playful experi-mentation and doesn’t fear “failure.” This makes me think of people like Thomas Edison, the American in-ventor, scientist and businessman who developed many devices that greatly influenced life around the world,

including the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. He was quoted as saying, “I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” In our current culture, we must not be afraid to think creatively about what it means to BE the church in the midst of a world that is, at best, indiffer-ent to our Christian faith. How are we sharing what we ourselves have received, in both word and deed (especially our actions)? With some similarities (and some pronounced differences) between ourselves and the early Christian church, we must find the courage to overcome our fear and move forward together. I hope you will join me in a season of prayer and dis-cernment about what is next for us as a community of faith. I, myself, am feeling called to gather some folks together who are interested in playfully experimenting with different ways of growing in community with one another. Aside from a sense that I want to connect with folks who possess a yearning and longing to “go deeper” and support one another to live into our full potential, I do not yet know what this will look like. If you are in-terested in exploring this further or have some clarify-ing questions, feel free to call or email me and we can find a time to connect. I am grateful to continually travel this faith journey to-gether as a community of faith!

Prayerfully,

Gregg

Pastor Gregg

Happy New Year! Get your copy of the Upper Room Disciplines ~ A book of daily devotions for 2014. Disciplines can help you rejuvenate your soul for just a few moments each day by integrating the practice of regular devotional reading into your daily routine. Enjoy insights from a broad spectrum of leading Christian writers in Disciplines, who offer a variety of perspectives and insights on daily Bible readings. Disciplines are $10 each and make a nice gift for yourself or others. Available on the table in the living room, or in the church office.

Sunday Schedule

Worship / Children’s Time in the Cove ........................ 9:30am

Adult Classes & Youth Sunday School ....................... 10:45am

Covenant Staff Pastor .......................................................... Rev. Gregg Sealey

Church Secretary ..................................................... Karen King

Worship Arts Coordinator .................................... Flora Bowers

Pianist................................................................. Mac Merchant

Custodian ............................................................. Chris Tidwell

Children/Youth/Young Adults .............................. Dave Arends

Nursery Supervisor ............................................ Marcy Hansen

Preschool Director ............................................ Angie Canavan

Office Hours: Mon-Fri.. .......................................................... 9:30am-3:00pm

“The Covenant Connection” is printed twice a month by Cove-

nant United Methodist Church. Deadline to turn in arti-

cles for the next newsletter is Tuesday, Jan. 21st.

Covenant United Methodist Church 15515 North Gleneden Drive

Spokane, WA 99208-9743

Phone (509) 466-1768

Email: info@covenantmethodist.org

Website: www.covenantmethodist.org

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Mead, WA

Permit No. 20

Adult Education Sunday, January 12, 2014

The Bible Matters

This Sunday in adult education Kathleen Norris, author, poet and spiritual mentor to many, will speak on why the Bible matters to Christians. Kathleen says: “The Bible is our collective story. How is that story reflected in our dai-ly lives? What is it about the Bible that always seems to address our present moment?” The format of the video presentation is that Kathleen will make about a 10 or 15 minute presentation on the topic of why the Bible matters and then will have a conversation with a diverse group of folks at St. Johns Episcopal Church in Denver Colorado. Her presentation is very stimulating and her thoughts are enlarged by the group member’s response. Sara Ferris is the facilitator. Don’t miss the way she

works with this format.

Additional Adult Education Offering

On Sun. evening starting Jan. 26, will begin a 3 week class with the focus on the documentary Forks over Knives. In Forks over Knives, the viewer is given a mes-sage of two pioneering researchers, Dr. T. Colin Camp-bell, professor emeritus of nutritional biochemistry at Cor-nell University and coauthor of the China Study, and Dr. Caldwell Esselstyn, a former world-renowned surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic and author of Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. These men uncovered compelling evi-dence that many of our most serious health problems can be prevented--simply by changing the way we eat. Dr. Campbell and Esselstyn aren't alone. Many other scien-tists, doctors and wellness experts, some of whom are featured in Forks over Knives have come to the same conclusion: if we switch from a diet centered on animal-based and processed foods to a diet centered in whole plant-based foods, we can begin to solve America's health crisis. The movie will be viewed in 3 segments of 32 minutes each, followed by discussion, facilitated by Peg Do-novan. The film will be shown at the home of Mike and Peg Donovan, Jan. 26, Feb. 2, and Feb. 9 from 5-6:30 P.M. Also included will be some plant-based foods to enjoy.