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Worship for Sunday, February 12
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A Festival of Psalms
This Sunday we celebrate the great diversity and richness within the book of Psalms though a variety of spoken and musical settings. We welcome guest organist and composer Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra to our worship service in collaboration with our many musicians and readers. Handbells, children's choirs, banners, readers, choirs, organs, and YOU will
express the true meaning of Psalm 150, "Let everything that has breath, praise the Lord!"
Our service will feature a new hymn by Dr. Ruiter-Feenstra based on a text by Thomas Troeger, "Too Often God Your Name Is Used." There will be a brief demonstration of the hymn before the service at 9:45 am to introduce the tune. The gospel lesson is
Mark 14: 22-26; our Lay Worship Leader is Kathleen Farkas.
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Worship through the Psalms
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A Psalm Festival with Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra
Sunday, February 12, 10:00 am
Organist, composer, and pedagogue Dr. Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra joins the Covenant family of musicians in presenting a vast array of music, readings, and pageantry that explore the depth, variety, and spirituality of the Old Testament book of Psalms. She
is grateful to Dr. Jonathan Moyer and Church of the Covenant for the warm welcome and the opportunity to collaborate in Sunday's Psalm Festival (her dissertation was on metrical psalmody). She recently finished recording a CD of her compositions on two Richards & Fowkes organs, including Church of the Covenant's Newberry Organ, which will be released later in 2017.
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Covenant Youth - Sunday Schedule
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THIS SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 12
The Children & Youth Choir members
need to meet in
Yost Chapel at 9:00 am
on this Sunday morning for preparation and rehearsal time before singing for the Psalms Festival.
DWELLERS (4th-7th graders) will meet on Sunday from
11:30AM-1:00 pm this Sunday. Please bring $5 to help offset lunch cost.
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Sunday
the Children's Choir participates in worship. Children will remain in worship. Activities packets are available from the ushers. While all children are more than welcome to remain in the service, we have a nursery for infants through pre-kindergarten age children. Ask an usher for directions.
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During rehearsal last Sunday,
a choir member
asked if it was true that King David wrote the whole book of Psalms. Historically there is no hard evidence for this, but we know that David was a writer and a musician who set many of his writings to music and called them Psalms. There are a number of psalms that credit David as the author. Regardless of who was the true human author of these powerful words we all can draw hope and strength through them in our daily lives. Since I was a child (9 or 10 years old) I would look to the Book of Psalms for courage and peace. I would like to share a Psalm with you that God showed me today.
I will sing about your strength. In the morning I will sing about your love.
You are my protection, my place of safety in times of trouble.
God my strength, I will sing praises to you.
God, my protection, you are the God who loves me.
Psalm 59:16-17
~ Kaori Hongo, Director of Music for Children and Youth
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Black History Month Forum Series
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Black History Forum Series
"Unpacking Black Lives Matter" with Dr. Zachery R. Williams
11:30 am, Beckwith Hall
In our commemoration of Black History Month our hope is to share by reflecting on our history, seek illumination through our questions, and engage in ongoing dialogue over a hearty meal.
This Sunday: "Black Lives Matter - An Historical Perspective"
A Historical Perspective allows for further contemplation of the reality of contributing affects on Life as a Black in the United States of America. Dr. Zachery Williams is Associate Professor of African American History at the University of Akron and has authored of a number of books and articles. Click here to learn more about Dr. Williams.
This week continue the conversation over lunch.
Lancers 21, 1435 East 21 Street
Sign up in the Church office or just gather in Beckwith Hall after the forum to go to lunch.
Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square. Proverbs 1:20
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Theology on Tap at The BottleHouse TODAY with Fairmount and Forest Hill
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Today! Special Theology on Tap at 5:00 pm
Thursday, February 9 @ The BottleHouse Brewing Company
Do you have a burning question you've always wanted to ask at church, but didn't feel like it was appropriate? Do you like to meet over drinks and talk with friends? Join us for a special Theology on Tap: All Questions Welcome! Members of Fairmount, Forest Hill and Church of the Covenant will gather at the Bottle House in Cleveland Heights, Thursday February 9. Bring a favorite snack to share. The BottleHouse Brewing Company is at 2050 Lee Road, Cleveland Heights, 44118. Contact Melanie Marsh Baum with any questions.
Theology on Tap @ The Jolly Scholar (in Thwing Center just west of Covenant) resumes on February 16, 5:30-7:00 pm. Note the beginning time has changed from 5:00 to 5:30 pm.
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| At the end of September we were blessed with twelve new members who joined the Covenant community. We asked each to tell us a bit about themselves. Over the next few weeks, we will share their pictures and brief biographies so that we might better know one another. |
John and Lynda Starr
John and Lynda Starr came to Covenant by letter of transfer from Second Presbyterian Church in Roanoke, VA, where they were members for almost 40 years. John retired from his career as a cardiologist and Lynda retired from counseling psychotherapy in 2014. They moved to Cleveland at that time and became chief babysitters for their daughter and son-in-law, Amy and Derek Starr Redwine's three children. They have two other children, Caroline Starr Bailey, a Montessori teacher in Snellville, GA, and Andy Starr, a 2nd year resident in internal medicine in Charlottesville, VA. They also are blessed with 7 grandchildren. Lynda and John both enjoy music, movies, reading, good food, and remaining active and engaged with social issues.
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Thank you
for your generous pledges toward our 2017 stewardship campaign. Your Stewardship Team has worked hard to assess past giving patterns and determine what we felt our congregation could support in 2017. We are pleased to report that we have reached 90% of our goal, which means we are in a strong position to live out our mission through meaningful worship, education, and service. If every family makes a $200  pledge or increases their current pledge by $200, we will meet our goal. The Stewardship Team members have kicked off this effort to Give from the Heart! by each increasing our pledges by $200. Please join us on Sunday by completing the valentine in your bulletin. You may also make or increase your pledge online, by mail, or by calling Este Pozza, Manager of Finance and Operations.
Thank you! Martha Goble, Mike Heines, Will Klein, and Jim Smekal
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Stewardship Team
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We keep in our prayers
David Browne, Akeya Clark (Marie Jones' niece), Rich Day (friend of Bill Braun and Cathy Luck), Kathleen Emerick (Louise Wolfcale's friend), Mia James, Stephanie Johnson, Timothy Moyer (Jonathan Moyer's brother), Tim Shuckerow (Kathryn Mierke's friend), Jean Marie Szafraniec (Ron Szafraniec's mother) and Chris Warner (Kathryn Mierke's friend). We pray for Covenant members and friends who are 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.
Our prayers
are with Bill Rice and his family on the death of his wife, Mary Jean Rice, on February 1 in New Life Hospice, Lorain, Ohio; and with Carol Roe and her family on the death of her brother, Dwight Roe, on February 4 in Fredonia, PA.
Melanie Marsh Baum
is at Camp Akita, near Columbus, OH, today, serving as keynote speaker for the Scioto Valley Presbytery Jr. and Sr. High Winter Retreat. Kevin Lowry is on paternity leave through March 10, with modified hours in the office.
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Please send any 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 or would like a visit at home for any reason. HIPAA privacy regulations prevent hospitals from sharing this information with the church.
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Bear one another's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Galatians 6:2
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You are Invited to Share Cookies, Salads, and Desserts Next Sunday!
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Cookies for USO
Please bring to the Church office by Sunday, February 19
It's that time again. Church Women United in University Circle District are collecting cookies for USO who share them with those serving in the military while they are at the airport. Please bring cookies (bought or home baked-
marked USO) by next  Sunday. Talk with Karen Ault if you have questions or would like to participate in Church Women United.
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Transplant House
Please bring a salad or dessert on Sunday, February 19
Transplant House of Cleveland, located just up the hill on 115 Street, provides temporary housing for organ transplant patients and their families while they are in Cleveland for medical care. We are providing a lunch for residents so that they might have an opportunity to meet one another. Please bring a salad or dessert to the downstairs kitchen on Sunday, February 19. Sign up in the church office. For more information, contact Mary Anne Bromelmeier. |
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Continuing the Conversation . . .
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Heights Community Congress sponsoring Black History Month Programs
A Book Discussion:
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963
Tomorrow, Friday, February 10 at 7:00 pm
Hope Lutheran Church, 2222 North Taylor Road
Free Event. Reservations appreciated but walk-ins welcome.
To celebrate African American History Month, we invite the community to join us for a World Café discussion on Christopher Paul Curtis' book
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963.
The novel gives us an opportunity to look at questions of race, family, friendship, and hope-issues that are as resonant today as they were in 1963. It is not necessary to read the book but if you would like to, copies are available from the HCC office. The evening is led by Vincent Briley and includes an overview of the book in addition to the individual discussions. Refreshments will be served.
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George Takei's "Allegiance" Returns to cinemas
Sunday, February 19
Back by popular demand, George Takei's Broadway musical returns to cinemas on Sunday, February 19 - the Japanese-Americans Day of Remembrance, and 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066 which gave way to the internment of Japanese-Americans. Click here to read more and find locations in the Cleveland area.
Covenant connection:
The Japanese Christian Fellowship met at the Church of the Covenant until it disbanded in 1986. Nisei (American-born children of immigrant Japanese parents) also met at Covenant annually to remember deceased loved ones and to honor their contributions to postwar resettlement.* Covenant member Henry (Hank) Tanaka was in an internment camp as a child and shared his experience as an active leader with the Japanese American Citizen's League. See a picture of Mr. Tanaka on page 90 of our history.* Click here for article on Japanese history in Cleveland co-authored by Mr. Tanaka and about Hill House founded by Mr. Tanaka.
*Church with a Conscience: A History of Cleveland's Church of the Covenant 1844-1995 by Carol Poh Miller, page 67.
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The City Club of Cleveland
Thursday, February 23 at noon
The Value Gap and the Age of Trump
Eddie S. Glaude Jr., PhD
William S. Tod Professor of Religion and African American Studies, Princeton University
850 Euclid Avenue, 2nd Floor, Cleveland
Interested in attending?
Please talk with Gale Bromelmeier, Amy Starr Redwine, or call the church office (216.421.0482).
A table can be reserved if 10 people are interested.
Professor Glaube coined the term "value gap," the "belief that white people matter more than others," and how this mindset is entrenched within American values, practices, and systems.
When Barack Obama was elected in 2008, many saw it as the beginning of a "post-racial America," the ultimate milestone for achieving equality. Yet, according to Pew Research Center, disparities persisted between white and black communities under Obama's administration. How do we reconcile our varied experiences and perceptions?
Join us for a discussion with Dr. Glaude on his latest book,
Democracy in Black: How Race Still Enslaves the American Soul
, and the state of race under Trump's administration. Learn more at CityClub.org.
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Heights Community Congress sponsoring Black History Month Programs
Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Guided Tour of "This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement "
Sunday, February 26
1:15 pm to car pool; 1:50 pm at the Maltz Museum
$10 per person
This groundbreaking exhibit features "Arresting black-and-white photographs from the Center for Documentary Expression and Art" a stirring look at turmoil and triumphs during a critical moment in the country's history. 'This Light of Ours'
exposes the struggle against race-based disenfranchisement through the works of nine photographers who were part of the Southern Freedom Movement and documented the experiences of people who stood up to change America."
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Have items for the e-news? Something fun to share with the Covenant community?
216.421.0482
11205 Euclid Avenue
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Cleveland, OH 44106
Wheelchair accessible
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11205 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland, Ohio 44106
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Centered in the Circle - Open to the World
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