Pastor Letter
Dearest Covenant, Happy and Blessed New Year!
As we enter this new unfolding, and look to how our calendars help us mark the passage of time, I invite us to carve out a few moments of reflective solitude. If helpful, you may want to take out your physical / digital calendar and use it for this short exercise - a modified form of the spiritual practice of examen: After a brief prayer (i.e. speak God, your child is listening"), take a moment to look back at 2017, and ask yourself, where were some times you
grieved for the presence of God? What moments brought you sadness or regret? Hold these moments before God.
Then, ask yourself as you think back over 2017, where were some times you
received the presence of the Spirit? What moments brought you peace or joy? Hold these moments before God, and give thanks.
Then, knowing there will likely be more moments of
grieving and
receiving in 2018, commit this coming year to God, in whatever way makes sense to you. For our times are in God's sure and loving hands. As we journey forth into the yet untrodden paths of this new year, let us give thanks that we never go the way alone.
I am excited and grateful to once again link our journeys in faith as one community of Covenant for yet another gift of a year.
In the peace of Christ,
Rob
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Save the Dates!
Church of the Covenant's Annual Meeting will be in Bates Hall on
Sunday, February 11, 2018, following the service. There will also be two important congregational meetings on
Sundays, January 28 and March 25, to help envision the future of our ministry as a church in 2019 and beyond.
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Multi-Church Ushering Workshop
By Rev. Rob Mark
A good time to join the usher team!
Church ushers play a vital role in our congregational life together. Ushers, quite literally, make our worshiping life possible. Ushers are the bridge that serves as the face of Covenant to new visitors - welcoming them in, and allowing them to welcome us into their lives. Ushers are nothing short of the hands, feet, face and smile of Christ to the wider community. Thank you, Covenant ushers, for all you do. And may God continue to inspire you, keep you, and bless you in this vital ministry.
To better honor the importance of this ministry, I am working with a few other of our downtown central Boston congregations to better support all that you do - especially in light of the ever shifting world we live in (with all its uncertainties and opportunities). On
Sunday January 21, from 1-3pm, we will gather with a handful of other churches (Trinity, Old South, Emmanuel, etc.) at Old West Church for a
Multi-Church Ushering Workshop
to share best practices, and specifically, to learn how we as churches need to strike that critical balance of being radically welcoming, and providers of safe sanctuary.
We are all aware these days that we need to be mindful, aware, and prepared to respond to situations that might arise outside of the "norm" of a Sunday morning (from unexpected disturbances to more serious emergencies.) In coming together at this workshop, we hope to garner some collective wisdom and practices that can help us find that balance of being welcoming and safe.
To RSVP, click here. It is very helpful for our planning.
This is a great time to invite COTCers to consider joining our ushering team of beloved "bridges."
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Reflection from the Eco-Stewards Program
Consumption & Justice Group
Pastor Rob and Becky Evans are on the leadership team of the Eco-Stewards Program, whose motto is "Where faith and the environment connect." Each year, young adults in the program immerse themselves in a particular place for a week, and study how people of faith are responding to environmental problems.
A 2017 participant shares her experience in this thoughtful article. "After discussions at Eco-Stewards and some personal reflection, I was compelled to become a vegetarian by thinking about how to make my ecological footprint smaller as a way to better care for God's creation."
The food plan on eco-stewards trip is 100% vegetarian, with a large focus on vegan - and as locally sourced as possible. Raising plants to feed animals, then eating the animals and animal products, uses far more water, energy, and land resources than eating plants directly. It also causes environmental degradation, water and air pollution, rainforest destruction, the desertification of the western plains, and contributes more to climate change than the entire transportation sector combined. Those with Netflix may wish to watch the documentary Cowspiracy for more information on food choices and the environment.
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News
from the Pews
Compiled by Linda Pursley
From the Diaspora
Fran Bogle shares, "My father Reese Bogle died on Nov. 21, 2017, just three weeks after his 95th birthday. We miss him and celebrate his long life."
Celebrations
Wendy Woodfield shares the latest update on her book, "
The Cambridge Public Library accepted my book Moments in Time to place in their Archives. It is the only Print on Demand work in the collection."
Chris Goward and Mary Robinson's new rescue cat Mike
is settling into the comforts of condo living. He has chosen a favorite place for daily long afternoon naps --the bathroom sink!
Caitlin Vest and
Austin Burns write, "
Clementine joined our family at the end of November from the animal shelter in Fall River. She is settling in nicely and is very spoiled! She loves snuggles and ignoring all toys her parents bought for her in favor of an old shoe string." Here Clementine shows her serious pose and her "Play with me" stance.
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Under the Mango Tree 
by Tim Groves
Note: This column will be a monthly sharing of stories from our sister church community, Dulce Nombre de Jesus, in northwest Nicaragua.
On Sunday, January 7, Covenant's worship service will include a Commissioning of this year's annual Delegation to visit our Sister Community in Nicaragua. Rev. Julie Avis Rogers, Alyssa Avis Rogers, Byron Sipe, Debbie Howland, Yemil Serret, and I, Tim Groves, will be the Delegates, with
Entre Culturas accompanying us, and the Village welcoming us, eager to hear news from the Covenant Community. We will have a group greeting card for all at Covenant to sign on January 7, and please bring us any individual greetings or photos you may want us to carry to our brothers and sisters there. We travel to Managua on Saturday, January 13, and return on Sunday, January 21.
We will travel with the support of the entire Covenant family and are in the process of deciding with the Dulce Nombre what topics will be the focus of our visit. We will bring with us news on our progress toward fighting Climate Change and will bring back information about their harvests this year and their plans to adjust to the longer-term shortage of rain in their region. We will also build into our calculations of the cost of our journey the carbon footprint of our travel and seek to learn from the Village what positive climate efforts of theirs that we may contribute to. We will also carry with us news of our lives at Covenant, including our 150
th Celebration, our Advent and Christmas celebrations, and news of the Kindling Collective.
It is our tradition at Covenant that our Delegation leads a worship service in the style of Reflection on the Word at Covenant soon after we return, as well as offer an Adult C.E. Class in which we will share news of the Village. Also, on February 11, at Covenant's Annual Meeting, we plan to take orders from participants for hearty soup as an additional way to raise funds to help offset the costs of our delegation and activities with the village, and have the soup ready at church on Sunday, February 25.
With annual delegations we seek to continue to grow and learn together as Communities of Faith, bringing our diverse experiences and sharing our efforts to build and our gifts from the reign of God in our world.
go to
In This Issue
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Council Report
By Linda Pursley for Council
December 2017 Council Meeting
Rev. Rob led Council in Devotions and moderated the meeting.
Treasurer Faith Perry attended to provide an update on the 2017 financials and the draft budget for 2018. As we approach sabbatical leaves for Rob Mark and Tom Handel, the Staff Sabbatical Fund has a current balance of $10,595. Council approved the transfer of $5000 from the Staff Vacancy/Search Fund line to the Staff Sabbatical Fund. A draft job description and timeline for the Sabbatical Supply Pastor to cover Rob's sabbatical were reviewed and sent to Personnel Committee to finalize details of term and compensation.
Housing allowances were approved for both pastors for the coming year. Although weekly attendance will continue to be recorded, Council decided to stop the custom of reporting it in their minutes, since it does not seem to be required for any report.
Updates included the following: Selom Azuma and Emily Aaronson wish Evie to be baptized; multicultural Bible study in ongoing; preparations continue for the North-South Nica delegation; Tom Reid and Melissa Morgan have joined the 20-30s leadership team; and the CYCE community is growing.
In addition to the Annual Meeting on February 11, important Congregational Meetings are scheduled for January 28 and March 25 to consider the our church life and vitality, and whether we want to continue being a two pastor church.
Membership Development Committee will continue facilitating "suppers for 8" after the new year. Council reviewed the Adult Ed schedule for January, February, and March. Nominating Committee provided an update on the progress toward a slate that will be presented to the Annual Meeting.
Council approved the following recommendations of the Mission and Advocacy Committee:
- Boston Warm at Common Cathedral as the recipient of the Christmas Eve offering
- Endorsement of the Equal Justice Coalition that works to protect and increase state funding for legal aid programs
- Partnership with the Moral Movement's Poor People Campaign
Council members provided edits to a draft survey regarding the potential for creating a columbarium at Church of the Covenant.
The meeting closed with prayer.
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1 Merlin Southwick
3
Will Forsdick, Brian Bigler, Lucy Williams
5
Brad Day
9
Jack Holder
10
Rebecca Groves
11
Rob Mark
24
Elizabeth Phung
27
Betty Southwick
31
Austin Burns
Note: If your January birthday does not appear on this list, please notify Ben in the church office so we can include you next year!
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January  2018
Calendar
most up-to-date church calendar.
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About This Issue
January 2018 Covenant News
Editor and Graphics: Evelyn Kimber
Template: Harry Forsdick
Deadline for the February 2018 Covenant News is Wednesday, January 24. Please email your submissions to Evelyn Kimber at
[email protected]
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