Sunday, October 1

Worship 10:00 am

Sunday we welcome the Reverend Dr. James E. Atwood to Covenant.   Dr. Atwood is a retired pastor, hunter, gun-owner and author of America and Its Guns: A Theological Exposé and Gundamentalism and Where It Is Taking America.  Dr. Atwood's sermon is entitled, "Should We Do Anything About a Murder?"  Scriptures are 1 John 4:9-12 and Deuteronomy 21:1-9.  Our Lay Worship Leader is Jim Prince.   We will celebrate the Lord's Supper and children will remain in worship.

Education Forum, 11:30 am, Beckwith Hall

In addition to preaching, Dr. Atwood will offer our Education Forum. Those attending will have an opportunity to take a "citizen's test on gun violence " and examine its effect on our society. Data and sources for the information shared will be distributed to all participants so each can have reliable information to use in one's home, office, school or community. 

As part of our observation of World Communion Sunday, the music this weekend represents various cultural traditions. Coming off the Jewish high holy day of Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), our service opens and concludes with selections from the temple liturgy: first, an improvisation on musical themes from the service, and second, a simple cantorial benediction with choral responses. Other service pieces include a South African Zulu song, a Sanctus from the Russian orthodox tradition, and a hymn based on a Scottish melody (The Summons).

Bulletins are posted at CovenantWeb.org/read/listen, where you can also read or listen to sermons. Can you usher, greet, serve communion, provide flowers? Click here.

God Before Guns Symposium, 2:00 pm, Sanctuary

Dr. Atwood is the keynote speaker for the God Before Guns Gun Violence Prevention Conference: Gun Violence: Our War at Home -Ways to Prevent, Intervene, and Heal. Panel Discussions include: "From Concerned Citizen to Activist, We're All in This Together," and "Paths to Healing." Go to God Before Guns for details and to register for this free symposium.

Covenant Welcomes New Members

Back row: Maureen, Jeanne and Greg. Seated: Libby and Cary

At their meeting yesterday Session welcomed five new members. They will be introduced during our worship service on Sunday. Please greet  Cary Arden, Maureen Gesing, Libby Panhorst, and Jeanne and Greg Sorrell.

Happy Birthday to those celebrating in October!

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   

Every hour on the hour, the McGaffin Tower once again announces its presence to University Circle. The hour strike, silent for decades, has been temporarily restored through the volunteer efforts of CWRU electrical engineering graduate student Tyler Laseter.

 

At the suggestion of Friends of the McGaffin Carillon in University Circle(FMC) board member Bill Anderson, carillonneur George Leggiero contacted the University's engineering departments to learn whether anyone would be interested in trying to revive some of the complex, custom 1968 electronics, wiring, and control system that operated the automatic play and clock mechanisms connected to the carillon. Tyler and his friend Kristina Collins cheerfully agreed and have spent hours of their free time during the past several months poring over the yellowed blueprints to develop stopgap measures to bring the bells back to life before money is raised for a complete renovation.

 

At the same time, work has begun to restore the Cragin Peal of three bells-the only portion of the carillon renovation project that really can be completed by itself. FMC is funding the peal restoration with donations from Rod Keen and Deni Horstman, who wanted FMC's unrestricted cash reserves from its many other Friends and donors to continue to grow, and Paul and Kate Williams, who have pledged the final $10,000 needed.

 

	The 1968 wiring in the central box operated the clock chimes and automatic play mechanism. Three small boxes on the right operated the three peal bells.

Covenant member Ted Adams provided the many volunteer hours and skills back in 2003 that temporarily restored to operation the peal's 5-horsepower motors and gears. It is now time to replace all these elements as well as the cast iron clappers and other moving parts. Ted has donated his annotated copies of the 1968 wiring diagrams to Covenant's archives. (Ask Ted what it's like to be on the bell deck when the peal is powered by 15hp!)

 

Tyler answered the call when the Royal Eijsbouts bell foundry requested that someone with electrical wiring expertise be on hand when the foundry's serviceman visited on September 7 to perform routine maintenance and begin working on the peal. While Dirk Fransen of Eijsbouts climbed all over the steel bell frame lubricating and adjusting the instrument's moving mechanical parts, Tyler and George Leggiero finally achieved success with the clock chime by nightfall at the end of a 10-hour day in the tower.

Oberlin College Choir Presents Rachmaninoff Vespers

Sunday, October 1,  7:00 pm, Church of the Covenant Sanctuary

Free admission - Free parking - Free will offering

Friday Lunchtime Carillon Concerts & Tuesday Noon Organ Recitals

Friday Lunchtime Carillon Concerts are performed by Covenant and University Circle Carillonneur George Leggiero and guests on the 15,000 lb McGaffin Carillon of 47 bronze bells. Tours of the tower during the concerts. For more details go to ucbells.org/events . George Leggiero, Covenant and University Circle Carillonneur, will play Friday, September 29.

 

Tuesday Noon Organ Recitals feature organists from throughout greater Cleveland and beyond on Covenant's two magnificent pipe organs. On October 4, Noel Warford, Oberlin College, will play.

 

Both are free and open to the public - Free parking in the Covenant parking lot.