THE COVENANT CONNECTION Volume XIX No. 14 May 13, 2015

Covenant United Methodist Church

Book Review Group

June 9 Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline Hostess: Dian Zahner Reviewer: Cheryl Vaughan If you love to read, you will fit right in! We welcome new people to join us for discussion and fellowship. We meet on the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30am. Contact Jeannie Peer, 466-4623, for directions or more information.

Family Promise Families at Covenant

Beginning Sunday, May 31, you have an opportunity to

serve others as Covenant hosts families from Family Prom-ise. They will spend seven nights with us. There are several

types of opportunities to help them feel "at home", includ-ing:

Set-up

Dinner preparation Dinner hosting

Overnight hosts Break down / clean up

Laundry

Sign up sheets will be in the narthex / living room beginning Sun, May 17.

Please seriously consider helping with this important ser-

vice. You will receive more than you give!

Questions??? Contact Barb Miscoi, 466-4114. Barry Karal-fa, 315-6980 or Gail Harris, 844-4202.

Sunday Coffee Host Needed We need a Coffee Host to work once a month to make the coffee & set up the carts for our fellowship time. Set up hosts arrive about 8:30 and are done in time to attend worship. (There are substitutes available for weeks you may not be available.) If you would like to help in this way, please let the church office know.

Come see “The Music Man”

Plan to attend this special benefit per-formance on June 10 at the Spokane Civic Theater. Show begins at 7:30. This special performance will benefit Family Promise, so gather your friends and family and get your tickets now!

Tickets are $35 each and can be purchased from the church office or directly from Family Promise, 747-5487. Ticket price includes drinks and hors d’oeuvres.

Come Early! The evening will begin with a silent auction and pre-show entertainment starting at 6:30.

Look for Mary Jo! Covenant’s own, Mary Jo Woods, plays the role of a “Pick-A-Little Lady,” and would love to see you in the audience!

High School Senior Recognition Sunday-May 31st

Do you have a High School Senior this year? We will honor our graduating seniors on Sunday, May 31st during worship. Please let the church office know your senior’s name, school and plans for the future.

Worship Servants: Thank you for offering your

gifts & service to our morning worship experience. You are

appreciated!

May 17

Reader: Elizabeth Williams

Greeters: Ted & Diane Ketcham

Ushers: Dean & Peggy VanDeLeest

Welcome Table: Jackie Richardson

May 24

Reader: Marty Keeling

Greeters: Marge Ruby, Barb Beaton

Ushers: Bob & Lois Iller

Welcome Table: Marty Erb

May 31

Reader: Don Tomlinson

Greeters: Alden & Cindy Forbes

Ushers: Chuck & Linda Anderson

Welcome Table: Sharon Arnold

Personnel Notices

Last Sunday was the final Sunday to hear the

wonderful piano playing Jim Brown has blessed

us with since September. He has left Covenant to

begin a position with Opportunity Presbyterian where he will

continue his music on the organ. The organ is something Jim

learned to play when he was very young and has wanted to

get back to. Jim's wife, Denise, has been helping in the nurse-

ry and taking care of bulletin boards for the preschool,

so their service as well as their friendship will be missed very

much! Jim has assured us that this is not goodbye - that we

will see them from time to time. We certainly hate to have

them leave us, but we wish them well with their new church

family.

Caleb McDougall has agreed to serve in the nursery as a

youth helper. We are thrilled to have the young people taking

part in the various ministries in the church and could use one

more youth, 15 years old and above, to help out. We also

need one more adult to serve in the nursery now that Denise

Brown will no longer be on the team. This position would be

on a rotating basis. In addition - we could use one more adult

to help in an emergency. This person would NOT be on a

rotating basis, but would ONLY fill in, if for some reason, the

nursery is without an adult some Sunday. The emergency

helper would be asked to leave the worship service and help

in the nursery. If you are interested in serving in any of these

capacities, please contact Karen in the office or Nancy Reser,

467-0869.

TREASURER NOTES Financial updates for the year end 2014 and new fiscal year to date 2015: Dec. 2014 Actual Budget Difference Income $288,681 $295,060 -$6,379 Expenses $297,763 $330,497 -$32,734 Difference -$13,882 Year to Date 2015 Income $98,606 $92,974 +$5,632* Expenses $93,939 $105,969 -$12,029 Difference +$4,667 *Includes advance annual pledge payment of $4,800

During 2014 we paid off the mortgage on the multipurpose room sooner than anticipated which helped lower expenses for the year. We are grateful for each financial gift given to Covenant. Timely receipt of pledges and other financial giving helps support the many pro-grams and ministries here at Covenant. Thank you so very much. If there are any questions concerning our annual budget please contact me. Thank you, Gordon Miscoi, 466-4114 Church Treasurer

Opportunities for Summer Fitness at Covenant through Community Colleges of Spokane June 30-Aug. 27 M660 Cardio Strength Cross Training $33 Tues & Thurs 9:30-10:30 Combining both cardio and strength exercises, boosts metabolism and helps reduce risk of in-jury from daily activities. M661 Core Cross Training $20 Tues & Thurs 10:45-11:15 Through the use of hand weights and re-sistance bands, real-life functional movement patterns such as twisting, bending, lunging and squatting are executed in a fun and creative way. Register at: 509-279-6027 or www.sccel.spokane.edu/ACT2Program

In our Prayers Doris Dyer, Rhonda Greco, Jack Lee, George Newell, Harlan Peer, & Barb

Thornbrugh

Prayers of Joy & Thanksgiving Baby boy, Henry Chance Hoots, was born on April 20th, to parents Jesse & Sarah Hoots and big sister Ruby. Henry will be baptized on Sun-day, May 24 at Covenant. We share in the joy and excitement of his birth.

“New Sermon Series”

Hello Friends, Beginning on May 24th / Memorial Day weekend, we

are beginning a new sermon series titled, “Rethinking The-ology.” I feel like it is important to share a little bit about why this kind of series is meaningful for me by telling you a bit about my background. I have shared with many of you previously that I grew up in church, but after high school I left the church emotionally and spiritually to do my searching else-where. Because God has a sense of humor, now I am pastor of a church! My qualms with the church as I experienced it were that that the people in church didn’t seem to want to engage the deep questions I possessed. I felt like they were trying to give me answers to questions I wasn’t asking while my questions went unanswered. In my time of spiritual searching I began to deconstruct everything I believed, and replace it with a faith that could withstand my deep ques-tions and embrace the Divine as a mystery. In that time pe-riod, I began asking questions about everything, and this continued through my time in seminary and continues to this very day. I am always interested in finding the meaning behind the easy or pat answers. For instance, what do we mean when we talk about “salvation?” Who is/was Jesus? What is God’s grace? What is my purpose in this world, and what is God calling me to do?

With this new sermon series we’ll be diving into doctrines (or “teachings”) of the church, with an eye for looking at them from new angles and perspectives. On Pen-tecost we’ll be talking about the Holy Spirit, and through June we’ll be addressing topics such as: the Trinity, salva-tion, the Bible and the “end times.” Just a few light topics for us to peruse! As a reminder, I always preach to myself as much as I preach to anyone else, so come with your ques-tions and we’ll all explore them together!

I hold all of you in my thoughts and prayers, and please let me know if there is anything I can do to serve you better!

Prayerfully,

Gregg

Pastor Gregg

Adult Education

Series on Ethical Dilemmas The adult education committee is offering a se-

ries of sessions on some of the ethical dilemmas

we all face in our daily lives. Plan to join us for this series on Sunday mornings at 10:45am. May 17, 2015 Ethical Dilemmas in Politics

and Law presented by Tom Robinson, attorney, and politi-cal science professor at Gon-zaga University

May 31, 2015 Ethical Dilemmas in Busi-

ness presented by a panel of business men and women at Covenant United Methodist Church

Thank you to the UMW ladies who scrubbed down my entire insides! So nice to be spar-kling clean again! -Your Big Refrigerator

Your Youth Thank You! Thank you for your support of the youth pro-grams at Covenant through your Sunday morning espresso purchases, & your flea mar-ket donations! We appreciate all that you do for our kids! Please note: the youth coffee program is going to take a summer break from July 5—Aug 16. We will start coffee service again on Aug. 23rd.

Pentecost Sunday, May 24

Wear Red, Orange,

and Yellow

Sunday Schedule

Worship .......................................................................... 9:30am

Sunday School for all ages ........................................... 10:45am

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

Music Leader ................................................... Mary Jo Woods

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

Custodian ................................................................... Bob Ratts

Youth Ministries Coordinator ............................. Kevin Keenan

Youth Ministries Intern .................................. Jeanette Vasquez

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, May 26.

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

Gathering for Helen Downey Helen Downey, a member of Covenant with her family until their move to Sweden in 2008, is here to attend a wedding and visit friends. Because her time in Spokane is limited and she wants to see as many folks as possible, Marty and Jayce Keeling are hosting a little gathering for her on Wednesday evening, May 20th, from 7 to 9 PM, at the church. Please come by and say hello if you are able. Helen is excited to be here, and would love to see you.

New Hope – North County Food Pantry Garden Fest New Hope’s annual Garden Fest will be held at the North County Food Pantry in Elk on May 18

th from 11:00 a.m.

to 2:00 p.m. Plant starts and seeds will be available for clients. Those interested can build an herb pot. Master Gardeners will be on hand for questions. The garden and greenhouse will be open to everyone so they may see what is new this year. To make the event a success we are in need of organic potting soil, plant starts, gar-dening gloves, and gift items to be used for priz-es. Thank you for your support. All are welcome and the event is free of charge. Finger food will be served. We hope you can join us!

Another way Covenant supports New Hope Resource Center is with donations to their necessities bank. Our focus item for the month of May is bottles of shampoo and conditioner. All donations of toiletries, paper prod-ucts and cleaning supplies are always welcome! Items can be left in the New Hope donation barrel at church.