Lutheran Church of the Covenant
July 2018 Newsletter

Welcome to the July monthly news highlighting what God is up to at LCOC! You are invited to share this news with new neighbors and others who may be interested in hearing what God is doing through the people and ministry of LCOC. Also bring others to come and be a part of these various ministry opportunities!

GATHER    GROW    GIVE    GO
Pastor Darcy

When you read this article, I will be in Houston along with 8 LCOC youth, Mike Riley and 30,000 other youth and adults from across the country and the world. We will be making new connections with God and with our neighbors as we gather to learn, serve in the local community, worship and hear stories of how God is active in the world and how we can be and are already a part of God's mission!
Thank YOU for making this trip possible! Your prayers, financial donations and support along the way have made a difference! I wish that everyone could have a chance to experience this gathering. The good news is that the gathering will be livestreaming at www.elca.org/gathering. (all times CDT)
  • Daily Bible studies: June 27-30 at 3:30 p.m.
  • Mass Gatherings: June 27-30 at 7:30 p.m.
  • Sunday morning worship: July 1 at 10 a.m.
The theme for this gathering is "This changes everything". The primary scripture is Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God." The daily themes include: God's Call...God's Love...God's Grace...God's Hope...and Jesus Changes Everything!

Please join us for a special brunch on July 15 at 9:00 am as the group going to the gathering offer our thanks for your support and as we share stories from our experiences in Houston.
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We are Lutheran
We are Lutheran











    


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Council President

Sharing in God's Mission 
at Lutheran Church of the Covenant

Dear brothers-and -sisters-in-Christ ~
            Happy Summer! Summer is the most loved and hottest season. It is the perfect time for vacations, swimming, sunbathing, and so much more! During the summer, people are much happier because they love the chance to spend time doing fun things!
            At LCOC, we have lots of enjoyable events coming up that are guaranteed to provide you so much pleasure and joy. Please consider joining us for Family, Faith, and Fun Nights where we will share God's love through the Creation Story, Noah's Ark, Jesus Visiting Mary and Martha, and Learning from the Good Samaritan. We'd love to have our church family come out on July 12, 19, 26, and August 2 from 6:00 - 8:30 to be a part of Dinner, Nature, Storytelling, Crafts, and Song. Please think about baking some cookies as a special treat for the children.
            Don't miss the Brunch on July 15th where we will benefit from a great meal and be blessed as the youth share their experiences while in Houston!
            Please join us for Summer Luncheons on July 24th and August 21st, as we come together at 11:30 to share a meal. On July 24th, we will take a trip into Africa to experience the awesome animals who make their home there. August 21st, we will find ourselves in the Virginia Woods and hear tales of the birds and other wildlife who live in our county. Please bring a potluck dish to share. Please invite your friends and neighbors who are sure to enjoy these special summer gatherings.
            Don't miss out on what God is calling us to do at LCOC as we reach out into the community, attend the National Youth Gathering, and spend time being blessed at a meal with great presentations as we gather with our friends, neighbors, and church family. Looking forward to seeing you for Summer Fun at LCOC!
Please know that I will continue to pray for all of you, and I ask that you pray daily for all your brothers and sisters here at LCOC and that we are carrying out God's will for us in this place, in the community, and in the world. I ask that if you have any questions, concerns, suggestions, comments, etc. that you feel free to talk to me (in person, by phone (703-670-8365), or through email roger.jo@verizon.net ). But more than anything, I ask that we all remember never to limit what God can do through us in carrying out our mutual missions!
May God continue to bless us all as we share how important being a part of a Christian community is to our daily walk with Jesus and with one another.
Love,
Jo Ann Rudy


GATHER
to worship God and fellowship with the community
Worship

Projection System
Earlier this year an LCOC Team installed a temporary dual projection system that displays images on the two front walls in the sanctuary. It has been used to display lyrics to hymns and announcements, and is capable of projecting many other types of images. This system has been well-received, and as a next steps, we need to determine what features LCOC would use in this type of system, and have asked the Team to determine the range of costs for several options. Stay tuned.


MAY 27 -  SEPT 2 - SUMMER SCHEDULE
WORSHIP AT 10:00 AM

Fellowship

Please join us for Summer (Potluck) Luncheons on Tuesday, July 24 and Tuesday, August 21 at 11:30 a.m.  These will be held in the Upper Fellowship Hall at LCOC.  We look forward to seeing you there.  There is a sign up in the entry way here at church, so please sign up and come join us for food and fun.  Any questions, please see Jo Ann Rudy.  





Prayer Breakfast

Men's Prayer Breakfast   
  
 
Our next meeting is July 14
at 7:30 am  in the DFH. 

LCOC Prayer Garden
Community Prayer Group
The LCOC community prayer group meets the second Saturday of each month from 7:30 am to 9 am in the Work Room. We share prayers of concern and numerous praises along with a strong cup of coffee. We offer this time to the community and congregation to join us for prayer, openly or privately. We will meet again on July 14th at 7:30 am.

Matt. 21:13 - my house will be called a house of prayer,.....


GROW
in our relationship with God through prayer, Bible Study, and service

Adult Education
July 1
NO BIBLE STUDY
July 8
Presiding Bishop Eaton's Four Emphases Bible Study:  We are Church for the Sake of the World
July 15
THANK YOU BRUNCH
Youth Sharing experiences from the Youth Gathering:  This Changes Everything!
July 22
Galatians:   What happens to people pleasers? (Galatians 1:1-24)
July 29
Galatians: Is there one, and only one, Gospel (good message)? (Galatians 2:1-21)
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Wednesday Bible Study Update:

The Wednesday morning Bible study will begin a "Summer Break" on June 6th . 

All are invited for a new group that will resume on 
TUESDAYS beginning  AUGUST 28TH AT 10:00 AM! 

The coffee and tea will be ready as we explore the 
Book of Romans!

Confirmation Class of 2018
Education
 
Congratulations to our 
Confirmation Class of 2018:
 
Michael E.
Jillian R.
Alexa W.
 





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LCOC will host Family Faith and Fun nights on four Thursday evenings- July 12, 19, 26 and  August 2, 2018 from  6 PM to 8:30 PM.
. Please invite your neighbors, friends and families to attend, and contact the church office if know if any LCOC adults or teenagers can assist or for questions.  

 
  • Youth Education Sunday classes will begin again after Labor Day 2018. Please spread the word to your neighbors, friends and families, and let us know about any prospective new students for school year 2018-2019.
  • Youth Education continues to search for a new committee lead, additional team teachers, and curriculum ideas for next year.

Prayer Opportunities

              Prayer List Ministry                 

Prayer Chain Ministry: 
Please send an email to prayerchain@lcocdalecity.org 
or call the Prayer Chain Lead at 571-210-1979      
Free Ceaseless Prayer App:   

Youth Group



JULY 15 - YOU ARE INVITED TO BRUNCH AT 9:00 AM AND TO HEAR THE STORIES FROM THE GATHERING 


The eight youth and two adults who are attending the ELCA Gathering in Houston, Texas, from June 26th to July 1st will share their faith experiences with the LCOC congregation both at the 9:00 AM education hour and the 10:00 AM worship service on Sunday, July 15th.






GIVE
of our resources, time, and talents in response to 
God's extravagant generosity towards us

Stewardship   

               



Check out the June Thrivent magazine below. See the page 3 article titled "Fun and Fundraising". Our Roger and JoAnn are featured.
 
 
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Amazon Smile:  Click on the link below and pick Lutheran Church of the Covenant as your favorite organization and start shopping!   smile.amazon.com

Good shop:  Support Lutheran Church of the Covenant when you search the Web at goodsearch.com or shop online with Goodshop.com.    GoodShop

Thank you also for your generosity in your financial commitment and consider using the Vanco option which can be accessed online at:   VANCO Giving Link    

Please consider becoming a Thrivent member as well and if you already are a member and use Thrivent products, make use of the Action Team funds that are available to help fund LCOC's ministry projects. This seed money really makes a difference and helps us increase the scope of our service projects. 

GO
forth to serve others and share the story of God's love for all
Evangelism

I have to thank all who 
have helped with theBless Series. 
Especially JoAnn and Roger for their donation of the truck to carry the food to ACTS. Thanks to you. Also thanks to Ralph and Marcia Morse for their guidance with Project Mend a House. Thanks to Rachel and the youth for their support for Bridging with Boldness as well as, all the youth it took to make everything a success for our mission. To Be a Blessing to others and likewise for them to be a Blessing to us. Thanks to all of you! 

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July 12, 19, 26 & Aug 2

Thursday Family Faith 
and Fun Nights
6:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Enjoy dinner together and then learn more about God's love in story-time and be creative in the crafts and activities room. We will be learning about the Beauty of God's World, and serving Him with Trust, Love, Care and Concern.

Parents welcome to join in the fun! 
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Activities geared to ages 3 up to 5th grade. Older students welcome to assist  
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 Invite family & friends to join in the experience! 
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  FREE EVENT

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Dear LCOC members,
Our church will be serving the Hilda Barg Homeless Shelter on August 19th, 20th, and 21st. Our little group of 4 will be purchasing the food and preparing the meals for those days. A menu will be posted in August. Please prayerfully consider a monetary donation so that we can purchase the food. Blessings, Sandy Strychowski


In Nature


LCOC in the Community

 
      Our own Mary!!
Happy residents at Brookdale Senior Living Solutions.  All of them really enjoyed planting the flower boxes. 

 You can see the big smile on Mary's face.  She, and the others, worked very hard and just loved it.

Thank you to Marlies for getting this project up and running!

Treasurers Report
This month at a glance
Happy Birthday to you!
JULY

                     1    Mary K .
                     1   Betsy L.
                     2   Steve W.
                     3   Susie R   
                     6   Katie B.
                     8   Tricia S.
                   14   Georgiann T.
                   14   Sonya W.
                   15   Harriet R.
                   16   Linda S.
                   16   Fay Y.
                   17   Jennifer R.
                   17   Doug S.
                   17   Sandy S.
                   17   Brielle W.
                   24   Dave W.
                   27   Natalea C.
                   29   Mark G.
                   29   Gene W.
Happy Anniversary
Katie & Jason P.
July 26, 2003

Roger & JoAnn R.
July 1, 1967

Brian & Marlies S.
July 23, 1972

Baptism Anniversaries
Jackson M.
Winston W.
Lauren L.
Sarah G.
Monica W.
Shannon R.
Homebound Members
Ruth J.
Jean J.
Mary S.
Virginia S.
Members in the Military
Tyler R.
Tom M.
Ryan L.
Samuel B.

Please remember to keep our service members and their families in your prayers as they serve our country. If you have someone to add to this list, please contact the office.

Flower Calendar
The altar flowers for this month are given to the glory of God and contributed by:

July 1
Mark & Kathy L. in celebration 
of Susie R's. birthday

Mark & Kathy L. in celebration 
of Eli's 8th birthday


July 8
Jon S. in celebration of Tricia's birthday

OPEN

July 15
Lilo S. in celebration of Doug's birthday

Roger W. in celebration of Sonya's birthday


July 22
OPEN

OPEN

July 29
Heather G. in celebration of Mark's birthday

Ralph & Marcia M. in memory of 
Marcia's dad, Will b. on his birthday
and
in honor of their grandchildren

Kids Page

OPPORTUNITIES TO USE OUR GIFTS
AT LCOC AND BEYOND
We are fortunate to be able to use our gifts that God has provided us through a variety of ways.   When we choose to give our time, energy and talents to serve others, we are taking part in God's work to share the love of Christ and give God glory.  With God working in us and through us, we can make a difference!

Caring for LCOC

          As you walk through the different areas of LCOC, you will see signs that indicate what is expected when you are using our wonderful church. These are not only for non-members who meet in our facility for a lot of reasons, but for all of us who use the space regularly or only occasionally. Please help us keep our church clean and in order for all! Thanks!

Cloverdale Road Clean Up Day


PHOTOS

Heading off to the Youth Gathering 2018



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LCOC ANNUAL CHURCH PICNIC
2018



News & Notes


To the members of LCOC,

A HUGE thank you for all of your love & support through the year. We truly feel your love in our halls and in our students smiles.

Much love,
Neabsco Elementary






Dear LCOC Family,

Borrowing from Paul, I think of you often with a grateful heart and thanking God for you always. Gee, that sounds kinda mushy, but Paul did say  it best. I am so grateful for all your prayers, cards, meals and get well wishes over the last three weeks. 

I feel so blessed to be able to call you my friends.

with much love,
Harriet Richard

Mend-A-House  
Project Mend-A-House  
Thank you to all the members who camre out to help us with the April 21st clean up.


Would you like to participate in the next project? 
contact Ralph M.


OTLWB Book Club

We'll take the months of July and August off before meeting again in September.


If you would like more information, 
please see Sandy S. or Diane D.
Contact Us
Take a look at our web site
Office Hours:
Monday - Friday 
9:00 am - 1:30 pm
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