Following the Time for Young Disciples
all children kindergarten through 7th grade are invited to a worship space created just for them on the east side of the Sanctuary. Child-friendly bulletins and creative worship materials will be provided. Parents are welcome to sit with their children in the pews next to the worship space. Additional adult supervision will also be provided. 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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Conversation with Elders:
This Sunday you are invited to talk with Session members Mary Anne Bromelmeier and Catherine Jarjisian in All Saints Chapel following worship. They can answer questions and hear comments related to their work on behalf of the church.
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Special Congregational Meeting Last Sunday
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At the Special Congregational Meeting Last Sunday,
the membership elected new officers and received a financial report prepared by Treasurer Keith Kallay and presented by Mike Heines, elder and member of the Ministry of Finance. Click here to see the slate of officers and click here to view the financial report.
The congregation also approved modest changes to the pastors' terms of call.
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Black History Month Forum Series
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C
ommemorating Black History Month Forum Series
"Unpacking Black Lives Matter" with Dr. Zachery R. Williams
Four Sundays in February at 11:30 am, Beckwith Hall
Continue the conversation over lunch at local restaurants
Sign up in the Church office or just gather in Beckwith Hall after the forum to go to lunch.
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.
For the four Sundays in February Dr. Zachery Williams will be the forum presenter, helping us to unpack the various understandings, implications, and numerous questions surrounding the "Black Lives Matter" movement. All are encouraged to come and share your thoughts and questions. After each forum we seek to continue the conversation and fellowship at local area restaurants.
 Sunday's topics include:
February 5: Separating Fact from Fiction
February 12: Black Lives Matter - An Historical Perspective
February 19: Space, Place, Race in Context
February 26: The Challenge for the 21
st
Century Church - Hope, Truth, and Justice
Dr. Zachery Williams is Associate Professor of African American History at the University of Akron. He teaches courses on African American Policy History, African American Men's History, American History 1877 to the Present, Sports in American History, and Urban America, and has authored of a number of books and articles. Click here to learn more about Dr. Williams.
Out in the open wisdom calls aloud, she raises her voice in the public square. Proverbs 1:20
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This Sunday's Restaurant
Fredrick's Wine and Dine
Continue the conversation at Fredrick's Wine and Dine, 22005 Emery Road, Cleveland 44128.
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Our communion service this weekend features liturgical music from the African-American tradition in observance of Black history month. Continuing in our Psalm series, the choir presents John Rutter's setting of Psalm 130 Out of the Deep for solo cello and choir, which was composed in 1985 as part of his Requiem. We welcome cellist David Ellis who also presents the first movement of Johannes Brahms' stirring cello Sonata No. 1 in e minor, op. 38 for the prelude. Our service concludes with an organ setting of the Lutheran chorale Aus tiefer Not by the late-romantic German composer Siegfried Karg-Elert (1877-1933). This chorale is a poetic rendering of Psalm 130 composed by Martin Luther.
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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. |
 The Lim Family
The Lim family moved to Cleveland from Northern Virginia in July, 2015, for their older son's music study. They are living in Shaker Heights area with their dog Joy. Inju Heo, mother, is a creative director at ybyiDesign. Sean Lim, 17 years old, is a freshmen at the Cleveland Institute of Music studying Violin Performance under the tutelage of Jaime Laredo. Seth Lim, 14 years old, is 8th grade at Ohio Connections Academy and plays classical guitar. As they are planning to move back to their hometown in the DC metro area this summer, they will keep their place in Cleveland as their second home and plan to visit it often.
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Worship through the Psalms
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Experiencing the Psalms 
A Psalm Festival with Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra
Sunday, February 12, 10:00 am
Organist, composer, and pedagogue 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. Learn more about Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra.
 Orientation, Disorientation, Re-orientation
A Series on the Book of Psalms
Continuing through Sunday, February 26
Psalms has long been one of the most-beloved and often-read books of the Bible. Through the psalms, we discover faithful ways of offering all kinds of emotions to God: gratitude, worry, anger, despair, wonder. To read the psalms is to learn how to offer everything to God in prayer and to recognize that while God has created everything that is, God also cares about the smallest details of our lives. During February, through music, preaching, prayer and song, we will consider how these ancient words can guide us on our journeys of faith.
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Presbyterian Church USA Stated Clerk Responds to Immigration Ban
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The Presbyterian Church (USA) call to welcome refugees.
"I was a stranger and you welcomed me"
Matthew 25:35
The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and its predecessor denominations have consistently called the church to welcome refugees in the name of Jesus. This call began when the 160th General Assembly (1948) of the Presbyterian Church in the United States of America called for the resettlement of persons made refugees and displaced by World War II and continued through the 222nd General (2016) of the Presbyterian Church (USA)
statement calling the church to "respond to the ancient biblical directive to provide for the stranger and the sojourner.
Read more from the Presbyterian Church, USA.
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PC(USA) Stated Clerk opposes order banning refugees' entry into U.S.
On Saturday, January 28, the Rev. Dr. J. Herbert Nelson, II, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), issued a statement opposing President Trump's executive action prohibiting immigration from the Muslim-majority countries of Syria, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Yemen, Iraq and Sudan.
"I urge the president and his administration to reverse this very harmful decision regarding refugees," he said. "Presbyterians are not afraid of this so-called terror threat. We are not afraid because we profess a faith in Jesus, who entered the world a refugee."
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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), Mia James, Stephanie Johnson, Cyndi Kuntz, Kathleen McCarthy (Hillel), Timothy Moyer (Jonathan Moyer's brother), Meghan Pittenger (Kathryn Mierke's friend), Dwight Roe (Carol Roe's brother), Carolyn Teare-Richardson, Jean Marie Szafraniec (Ron Szafraniec's mother), and Nicole Wilson (Reaver Nelson's sister). 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.
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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Meet Christina Cameron-Hollyfield,
Crèche
Coordinator
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Christina Cameron-Hollyfield
joined the Covenant staff as Creche Coordinator in January, 2017. Christina is a Cleveland native with a passion for dedicating her life to helping others. As a child, she dreamed of becoming a teacher or a nurse. She earned her BS in Education from Cleveland State University in 2005 and taught in the Cleveland area for nearly a decade. In 2014, she began her journey toward a nursing career. She is currently pursuing her bachelor's degree through the Accelerated BSN program at Cleveland State University. She hopes to become a pediatric nurse in the Cleveland area upon graduation.
Her hobbies include cooking, gardening, and traveling. A fun fact about Christina is that she has visited every Disney Park on the planet, except for Shanghai, which she hopes to accomplish in this summer of 2017. She resides with her wife of seventeen years and their dog, Koda.
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Sunday at North Church:
This past Sunday Bob and Karen Ault, Kathy and David Farkas (he fried all the chicken!) and Ginny and Keith Kallay assisted in preparing and serving the community meal that follows the worship service at North Church. North Church is a Covenant mission partner that shares space with Lutheran Metropolitan Ministries at 4515 Superior Avenue. Thank you to Bob Ault for these pictures.
Mark you calendars for Sunday April 2 and 9 when Covenant will again be at North Church.
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| From left, Kathy Farkas and Karen Ault serving. |
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Keith Kallay with guests. |
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 Afternoon Tea
added to Covenant Eights
Deadline to sign up extended to February 5 Covenant Eights has just opened a group for those who would like to dine out in the afternoon. You may also still sign up for a Covenant Eights Dining Group. Join with 7 other Covenant members and friends in either a home or a restaurant to share a favorite pastime-eating! Sign up in the church office or click here to register online. Talk with Melanie Marsh Baum, Cheri Keys or Lynda Starr for more information. You will be contacted when groups are formed.
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 Theology on Tap meets today, February 2, from 5:30 - 7:00 pm @ The Jolly Scholar (in Thwing Center just west of Covenant).
Mark Your Calendar! Special
Theology on Tap
Next 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.
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InterReligious Task force on Central America
Social Justice Teach-In
Saturday, February 4, 10:30 am - 3:30 pm
Tinkham Veale University Center, 11038 Bellflower Road
Registration, which includes brunch, is free for students of all ages; $10 for community members
"Power Concedes Nothing: Diversity, Inclusion and Racism in a Transnational Context," is the theme of IRTF's 17th annual
Social Justice Teach-In
, hosted by Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), in conjunction with the CWRU Social Justice Institute and the Center for Civic Engagement and Learning.
The Social Justice Teach-In
will showcase 30 workshops on domestic and global justice issues.
Registration information can be found at
2017teachin.eventbrite.com.
Click
here
for the Facebook event .
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Heights Community Congress sponsoring Black History Month Programs
 A Book Discussion:
The Watsons Go to Birmingham-1963
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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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
Centered in the Circle - Open to the World
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