• Christmas Crafts + Santa visits Covenant: Dinner and Christmas cheer for kids from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Time slots with Santa are full, but the elves will welcome walk-ins throughout the evening.
   
• Service of healing and wholeness: Amid holiday celebrations, many of us struggle with hard realities of grief, loss, illness and unfulfilled dreams. A candlelight service is intended to bring comfort and recenter our focus Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 7 p.m. in the Chapel.
   
• Christmas Caroling: After soup and sandwiches from 5 to 5:45 p.m., we'll walk to sing carols to neighbors on Wednesday, Dec. 11. We'll carry song booklets. Bring a flashlight!
   
• Lessons & Carols: The singing and ringing choirs of Covenant, accompanied by organ, piano and brass, will celebrate Christ's birth on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 5 p.m. An offering will support Crisis Assistance Ministry, providing assistance and advocacy for people in financial crisis.
   
• See the full Advent schedule here.

Advent is a season of waiting, but is idle waiting what God wants of us? Join us in imagining, prioritizing and preparing. As we wait, what can't? Each day offers poetic prayers, written reflections and more. Click here to subscribe.

Emily Schauer, flute, and Suzanne Harmon, cello, will play in 8:45 and 11 a.m. worship. The Angelus and Chorister choirs will sing at 9:30 a.m.

We are grateful for progress toward the 2020 pledge goal. Your support is crucial as we respond to Charlotte's economic mobility crisis, support global partners and invest in strong educational programs. Please make a pledge online or return a pledge card in worship.

On the first Tuesdays of the month, individual volunteers are invited to prepare, serve and share a meal and hospitality. On other Tuesdays, groups (such as friends, Sunday School classes, etc.) may claim nights to coordinate together. Learn more and sign up online here.

Lucy Wambua   is director of Renguti School, our mission partner near Nairobi, Kenya.  She'll take part in Sunday School and worship on Sunday, Dec. 15 while she's in town to observe teaching practices in our local schools.

• Learn about our congregation's work in Kenya at a lunch with Lucy and her fiance, Israel Gicheru, on Sunday, Dec. 15 at 12:15 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. RSVP here.

If you took an ornament from the Giving Tree, please place wrapped gifts under the tree by Sunday. The quick deadline is due to the school schedule.  Contact Sally Harriss for questions.

Covenant honors teachers with a monthly brunch spread. You can contribute food, drinks, flowers or notes of encouragement. Simply drop off at the church. This month's brunch is moved up a week due to the school calendar.

You're invited to walk through the Child Development Center during an informal open house to show off the newly opened school. Go inside the classrooms, see the playgrounds and learn about what's happening. No RSVP needed.

We'll celebrate the Christmas season as well as the many successes of our
ministry in 2019. All are welcome for food and lots of joy. We encourage you to attend Lessons & Carols at Covenant beforehand. Details here.