March 8
 
 
Sunday, March 11
 Worship 10:00 am

Richard Rohr says, "I believe with all my heart that mercy and forgiveness are the whole gospel." When have mercy and forgiveness -- from God or from another person -- impacted your life? To whom do you struggle to show mercy? Whom have you been unable or unwilling to forgive? This Sunday we consider Jesus's promise that God blesses those who are merciful and pure in heart.  Amy Starr Redwine's sermon is entitled "Who God Is; Who We Are Called to Be"  and scriptures are  Joel 2:12-17  and John 20:19-23 . Our lay worship leader is John Marsh. 

Bulletins are posted at CovenantWeb.org/read/listen, where you can also read or listen to sermons. Printed sermons now include the pastoral prayer.

Music Notes: Portions of the Beatitudes are presented in two choral anthems. The first is a poetic reflection on the text "Blessed are the pure in heart" by John Keble in a simple musical setting by Henry Walford Davies. In addition to being a prolific composer and celebrated organist, Davies is most well-known for his music-educational radio broadcasts for children during WWII. Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was organist of the Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Amsterdam during the years of transition between Roman Catholicism and the Dutch Reformed Church. His setting of the Beatitudes reflects the Italianate motet style of composition of the late renaissance filled with rich harmony and evocative text painting, particularly on the word "persecutionem" (Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake). The prelude title Ricercar means "to search," an appropriate metaphor for the journey of Lent. 

The children will have Sunday School and Youth Sunday Prep this week. The memory verse for March 11 is:  "Let justice roll down like waters and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream."   - Amos 5:24
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Lent Adult Education Series: "Going Out"

Every two weeks during Lent, we will engage with a
different Covenant mission partner. This week, we welcome our Mission Partners from Transplant House of Cleveland. They will share with us about their work, and share stories of experiences of the Transplant House residents and their families. Join the conversation in Beckwith Hall at 11:30, and sign up to join us next week for brunch at Transplant House following worship.

Upcoming Forum Schedule (Sundays at 11:30 am):
March 11 & 18: Transplant House
March 25: Family Promise
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In the Covenant Family

We pray for Judy Bourne, Akeya Clark (Marie Jones' niece), Marlene Finkenthal (David Finkenthal's mother), Mollie Hoar (family friend of Gene and Diane Papp), Chick Holtkamp, Dee Hough, Sean Kuter, Elizabeth Mierke, Ward Porch, Sue Salvator, Liam Stewart and Emilee Stewart (Mindy Stewart's nephew and sister), Louise Wolfcale, and Gabriel (Jenny Conner's grand-nephew). Greg Madison continues to recover from a traumatic brain injury. His family covets your prayers and welcomes your visits at St. Augustine Manor, 7801 Detroit Road, Cleveland, OH 44102. Please call the facility's front desk ahead of your visit to receive the room number and notify the family of your arrival. 216.939.7600. We pray for those struggling with illness, convalescing, or are homebound; the patients, family, and staff in our surrounding hospitals; and those who have placed prayer requests in our Carpenter's Box.
Melanie Marsh Baum will be on study leave Friday, March 9th through Wednesday, March 14th attending the Kittye Susan Trent Symposium for Newly Ordained Ministers at Second Presbyterian Church in Roanoke, VA. Amy Starr Redwine will be out of the office on Tuesday and Wednesday next week, presenting to the Second Presbyterian congregation and participants of the Trent Symposium. Aisha Newton will be out of the office Friday, March 9th, and Mindy Stewart will be on vacation March 9th through 17th.

Pray for those affected by gun violence  

Since a gunman opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, killing 26 people, 20 of them children; 924 people in Cuyahoga County have been killed by guns. Since last month, 15 more individuals have died by gun violence in Cuyahoga County. The names of those at least 18 years of age are: Sarah Jamal Mahmood, Amer A. Ahmad, David Manuel Perez II, Benjamin Rzepka, Donald Joseph Van Horn III, Maurice L. Rembert, Clement Jon Holmes, Damian Michael Stiles, Sharda Dwayne Elmore, Louis Novak, Terrence Michael Eberling, Michael Terrance Jones Jr., Cheri Reni Yourich, and Phil Hill III. Nine of those who died were by suicide, and one victim was under eighteen. Believing God calls us to be peacemakers, by Session action, each month we pray for people affected by gun violence and to reduce the evil of gun violence in our nation, marked by the tolling of the tower bell. The Church of the Covenant partners with God Before Guns, a multi-faith coalition of individuals and faith communities created in the wake of the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School, to reduce gun violence. Go to  GodBeforeGuns.org to learn more. 

Please send prayer requests to Melanie Marsh Baum. Names are generally moved from the bulletin after four weeks unless there is a continuing need. Please let the church know if you or a loved one are in the hospital; HIPAA privacy regulations prevent hospitals from sharing this information.

Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. ~Galatians 6:2
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Member Spotlight
Covenant member Dale Goode will be displaying his artwork at the Nicholson B White Gallery in St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Cleveland Heights from March 9 through June 2. All are welcome to attend an opening reception on March 9. Congratulations, Dale!



Confirmation Student Spotlight
Confirmand: Veronica Bromelmeier
Mentor: Patty Fowler

Veronica Bromelmeier is a quiet, thoughtful and loving person. She demonstrates this through her care of the babies in the Creche on Sunday and to her own little nieces at home. She has been in the Covenant's youth program for many years, attending church with her grandparents, Gale and John Bromelmeier. My relationship with Veronica has grown over the past months as together we baked cookies, prepared dinner and attended events together.  Our visit to the Assembly of God church together was a learning experience for the both of us. She has been open and inquisitive in her faith discernment. It has been a pleasure to mentor her in her preparation for confirmation.
~Patty Fowler





If you have any information regarding congregation  members please email the  communication  manager, Aisha Newton. She would love to highlight them in the enewsletter or social media.
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Upcoming Events

SOUL SHOP™ FOR  LEADERS
Saturday, March 17,  8:30 AM-4:00 PM
Soul Shop™ for Leaders is a one-day training to equip faith  communities  to minister to those impacted by  suicidal desperation. This event includes the creation of worship  resources, training congregation members in suicide awareness  and basic conversation skills, and the invitation to those who have  been suicidal in the past to share their stories. This is the core  training which expresses the fundamental tools and key  perspectives that Soul Shop™ is all about. 

March for Our Lives
Saturday, March 24, 2018,  9:30 AM

So far there have been 2,490 gun related deaths in the United States in 2018. Now is the time to DEMAND Action! Join Covenant Student Ministries as we attend the Cleveland March For Our Lives, a peaceful response to gun violence and the inaction of our civic leaders to enact responsible gun legislation in our state and across the country.

We will meet at 9:30 AM in the parking lot at Church of the Covenant and take the RTA-HealthLine to public square.  The rally begins at 11:00 in public square and the march begins at 12:00! Please join us! 

                                    

Apostles Build
Thursday, April 5 and Saturday, April 7, 9:00am-3:00pm
Join us  again this year (our fourth!)  to help   rehab houses through the Greater Cleveland Habitat for Humanity Apostles Build.  Our first two workdays of the year are fast approaching on April 5 and 7. This year we will be working to  rehab  a  house in the West Park neighborhood on the west side of Cleveland. As the first group to work on the house, we plan to get it off to a great start. Please sign up in the church office if you are interested in working on the house or providing a group lunch, for either or both of these days. Talk with Jim Prince for more information.  

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COTC logo
216.421.0482
11205 Euclid Avenue  |  Cleveland, OH 44106
Wheelchair accessible

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