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Holy Covenant United Church of Christ
A progressive Christian church
Weekly News & Announcements through
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Week ending July 31
, 2016
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Church Information
(Staff details below)
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Office Hours: 8AM-4PM
Monday through Friday
Phone: 704-599-9810
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Reflections
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Entitlement is not a new issue. Our gospel lesson for Sunday in Luke 11 is filled with a wealthy man's reflections about his bumper crop (annual bonus, high status, inherited wealth...).
"What should I do?...I will do this: I will pull down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, 'Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.'"
The need to constantly look for who is not yet included is also not a new issue:
"In that renewal (of new life in Christ) there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and free; but Christ is all and in all!"
(Colossians 3:1-11). With the pairing of these two texts we have the lenses we need for looking at all of life.
We are called to always search for ways to bring more people into God's love through the light of Christ.
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Welcome Baby Matthew, August 14
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Holy Covenant Happenings
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NEW MEMBER & INQUIRERS CLASSES
Would you like to learn more about Holy Covenant and the United Church of Christ?
Come to these inquirers classes held in the conference room:
July 31 -
9:30 UCC/Holy Covenant History
August 7 - 12:30 Elder Lunch and Member Opportunities for Involvement
August 14 - Welcome Sunday
Contact the
office for more information or to RSVP.
REUSE A SNEAKER - DONATE THOSE OLD STINKY THINGS! 
The Earth Care team announces Reuse a Sneaker drive. The project, with collections of any brand sneakers that have reached the end of their useful life, recycles and transforms them into
Nike Grind, a material used in creating athletic and playground surfaces, as well as select Nike products. As you prepare for the beginning of school and fall cleaning consider a new life for your old gym shoes. Drop off your old
tennies,
August 7 to September 11, in the collection bin in the gathering room. (Regular shoes are not included in this project.)
SHARON ROAD PROPERTY UPDATE
The work to sell the Sharon Road property continues. We are still under contract with NVR, parent company to Ryan Homes, who submitted their rezoning petition last week.
Based on two community meetings and feedback from the City Council, the maximum number of units that will be allowed is 24 units on the property. Due to this, the Consistory agreed to extend the study period to allow more community alignment, and to lower our price from $2.1 million to $1.8 million. A final community meeting will take place in the next few weeks and the vote of City Council is expected in coming months. Questions? Feel free to reach out to Renee Brown at 704-996-5378.
BANK AUTO DRAFT:
Simplify your giving and utilize your bank's auto draft process for easy, and most often free, giving options. When signing up, you may use our secure post office address for the check to be mailed to at: Holy Covenant UCC, PO Box 481285, Charlotte NC 28269. Questions? Please contact Dawn in the office or Diane Neese, Treasurer at
[email protected].
YOGA WEDNESDAYS 7:30 PM
David Smith is leading yoga classes for all levels. For more information, contact David at
[email protected] or 704-533-2142.
LIGHTS AND FOOD AND MULCH - WHAT FUN!
Recent activities of your Buildings and Grounds team include:
- completion of the water and electrical hook-ups in the Memorial Garden, so lights can twinkle at night,
- contributions of 239 pounds to date, of produce (see photo below) taken to Friendship Trays for their use in making lunches for the home bound, and
- re-mulching of the beds around the church, the children's playground and the Memorial Garden brick walkways.
SOJOURNERS CLASS
The Sojourners continues its discussion of the book, Toxic Charity: How Churches and Charities Hurt Those They Help. We hope you can join the Sojourners to continue the journey. Come as you are-no preparation necessary!
BOOK CLUB
We will meet on Monday, August 22, at 1:30 pm at the Sharon campus. Sue Pascucci will lead the discussion of our latest read, Alice Hoffman's "The Marriage of Opposites".
2016 PRIDE FESTIVAL PARTICIPANTS NEEDED
Charlotte PRIDE, the third-largest LGBTQ Pride organization in the American Southeast, will hold its annual festival August 19, 20 & 21. We need all members of Holy Covenant to volunteer in helping Holy Covenant be present throughout the weekend. Sign up in the gathering room or contact
Phil Kaveler to let him know when you can volunteer.
SPECIAL OFFERING, CHRISTMAS IN JULY
THIS SUNDAY, we will receive the UCC Christmas Fund offering to show appreciation for the many pastors who have helped carry our burdens. Many of these aging and retired pastors have served small churches in rural areas that simply do not have the means to financially support them once they retire. These dedicated men and women served selflessly, and we have a chance to give them the thanks they deserve.
This is the one time we are asked to match our appreciation with our resources for those who have retired from faithful service to the church. Please memo your offering "UCC Christmas Fund".
GOODIES FOR GUATEMALA
You probably already know about our upcoming cookbook - and that sales will contribute to our Guatemala Fund for a mission trip next year...but there's MORE! The last Sunday of each month there will be a table in the gathering room offering baked goods for donations to help our Guatemala Fund. Look for these goodies this Sunday - July 31 - and next month, too!
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Building & Grounds Update
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Our new ac/heating units are performing well. From a financial perspective, the chart below compares this year's average daily electrical cost to last year's. Costs are down this year despite a hotter summer.
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Charlotte Pride's Annual Interfaith Service, August 14
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Where all are welcome.
An interfaith experience celebrating the
dignity, value and worth of all people.
Sunday, August 14, 4 p.m.
First United Methodist Church
Refreshments following the Service
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UCC & Southern Conference News
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Proposed Changes to UCC Constitution and ByLaws
The Governance Committee of the United Church of Christ Board of Directors is proposing a set of Constitution and Bylaws changes to the wider church and wants your feedback/input. Once your feedback is received and considered, the Governance Committee will propose changes to the UCC Board of Directors for prayerful discernment and vote at their October 2016 meeting. The proposed Constitution and Bylaws changes will then be presented at the Thirty-First General Synod in 2017.
Links to the survey, both documents with proposed changes to reference as you complete the survey, and FAQ's Guide can be found online at
It is recommended that you review the documents before beginning the survey.
On average, the survey should take between 20-30 minutes after reviewing the materials. Please provide your feedback no later than August 16, 2016. If you have any questions or concerns about the survey please contact Taylor Billings at
[email protected]
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EJN Environmental Summit at United Church of Chapel Hill,
September 23-25
This past June, at the SOC annual meeting, the SOC board of directors formalized the proposal for a conference-wide
Environmental Justice Network (EJN)
-- so we are up and running! As our first initiative as a network, we will be holding an EJN environmental summit at United Church of Chapel Hill beginning Friday, September 23 through Sunday, September 25. Brooks Berndt, the national UCC's environmental justice minister, will be our keynote speaker and will present about the UCC's new "Creation Justice Churches" initiative. We will also have a chance to sit down as faith leaders and people of faith to discuss our vision, hopes, and concerns about our stewardship of the earth -- and to discuss the links between the devastating terror and violence in our nation and in our world with the destruction of God's Creation. Please stay tuned for more information about this important event. As always, thanks to each of you for your love for and care of God's Creation. May its beauty, peace, and wonder continue to sustain us in these troubled and painful days. For more info contact Rev. Karen Richardson Dunn at
[email protected]
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Interested in attending? Contact
Phil Kaveler
for carpool information from HCUCC.
WNCA 49th Annual Meeting, October 1,
will be held at Abernethy Laurels, Newton, NC
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Prayer Concerns
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PLEASE REMEMBER IN PRAYER
Members
Paul Bomely, Gail Bushman, Leanne Bushman,
Ginny & Bob Fisher, Marianne Gannon, Karen Griffin, Laura Hankins,
Chuck Johnson, Joy Johnson, Helen Lambert,
Irene Mikkelson,
Deb & Yvette Ross, Dave Stoimenoff & Jim Germann,
Mamie Stokes, Sheryl Stogner, Jean Washburn
Friends & Family Members
McKenzie (Sue Godfrey), Rose Bouchonville (John Maze),
Charlotte Carbone, Matthew Christian, (Beth Sharp),
Bill Funderburk, Jonathan Funderburk (Donna Collins), Frances Helms (Lynn Helms),
Mike Hinson (Kathi Smith), CD & Alice Huskins (Jared Fischer),
John Jacobsen (Holly Middleton), Aaron Johnson (Joy Johnson),
Barbara Lees (Donna Collins), Urban Linn (Julie McLelland),
Pat & JoAnn Murphey (Laura Murphey),
Luz Soto (Aida Marcial), Milton & Jane Thompson (Kevin Decker), Charles Weaver (Susan Rettberg)
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Participant Reminders For Sunday
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Greeters: Barb Schneller, Lisa Sherman
Ushers: Youth
Media: Brian Hankins, Joe Craig
Tabulators: Debbie Davis, Terry Raley-Dennis
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Holy Covenant United Church of Christ
3501 West W.T. Harris Blvd, Charlotte, NC, 28269
704 599-9810
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| No matter who you are, or where you are on life's journey, you are welcome here. |
Year to date 239 pounds!
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