This Sunday, Dec. 15, 2019
3rd Sunday of Advent
Gathering 10am
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But What About the Darkness?

   
            You know most of us are afraid of the dark.
            
It is easy to buy into some simple binary opposition where light is good and dark is bad. But such polarities are never the truth, and they can do real damage in the world. They also don’t align with the fullness of our experience.
            
Moving into the darkness has taught me so much. I can’t sleep really well without it being dark.  Only when it is dark can we make out the myriad stars that grace the heavens. 
The truth is that while, yes, I am sometimes afraid inside the darkness, I don’t want to do away with it. The dark offers us so much. It is part of who we are and of the world in which we revel.
Isn’t it also part of God?
Come, let us explore and wonder together amid the darkness. It will be safe. Relatively. I promise.
Yours on the Journey,
Katie
The Mission Study Open Forms
 All members are invited to come THIS Sun., Dec. 15, to one of three Mission Study Open Forums for 50 minutes after each of the three services:

  • After 8:30 Service: From 9:40 to 10:30am in the Lounge
  • After 10:00 Service: From 11:10am to 12pm in the Lounge
  • After 11:00 Service: From 12:10 to 1pm in the Fellowship Hall
Please come even if you responded to the survey in November; we were so grateful for this feedback, but we need your input in these Open Forums to delve further into issues in a rich discussion format. Any question related to the Mission Study will be fair game, but our facilitators will help us narrow in, with the benefit of our loving community of believers, on 1) WHERE IS COVENANT NOW, and 2) WHERE IS GOD CALLING US TO GO. 

If you can’t make it this Sunday, add to your calendar an identical opportunity on Sun., Jan. 5.

Also, check out the display in the church’s hallway where we share initial results from the survey. Responding to the question, “ What programs do you love best at Covenant? , WORSHIP clearly won the prize as our most-beloved program. The bar-chart display shows that the other 5 program options fared well, too. Additionally, in answering the open question of “ Please describe the qualities you are looking for in our new pastor, ” many respondents mentioned the importance of finding a good preacher/ sermon-izer/ public speaker/ orator . For example, one respondent said, “ challenging, thought-provoking sermons ”. Another said, “ exceptionally strong preacher - dynamic, engaging, creative; excellent public speaker with the ability to take the lectionary and transform it into a relevant message...I want to leave church on Sundays with a guide to living in a more Christ-like way. ” Indeed, worship, sermons, and all our efforts here at Covenant help us to live in a more Christ-like way. 

Remember: “ You’re done with that old life. It’s like a filthy set of ill-fitting clothes... Now you’re dressed in a new wardrobe…. So...for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline…. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it..." Colossians 3:9-17, selected phrases, THE MESSAGE .
Celebration of the Poet Rumi
Sun., Dec. 15, 6pm, Fellowship Hall
Join the Sufi Circle of Columbus for poetry reading and circle dances. All are welcome. See Katie Kinnison.
The Longest Night Service 
Wed., Dec. 18, 7pm
Christmas is full of joy, but our hearts may have heaviness. This service offers a holy space in which we honor that pain and seek tender comfort. Need a ride or have questions, contact Katie Kinnison or Charlotte Sharpe.
In Search of Belief (& Sandwiches) 
Sundays thru Dec. 15, 12:15p dine; 12:30p learn, Lounge
Sun., Dec. 15 - Invitations to Belief: The Nativity Stories
Katie leads. Mark doesn’t have one. Matthew and Luke do not agree so much on what happened. John is just plain weird. What are we do to with these various approaches to the birth of Jesus the Christ, and what was the point of them in the first place?
Hallelujah: The Bible and Handel’s Messiah
Thur., Dec. 12, 19, 6pm, Chapel
Sundays, Dec. 15, 22, 9:45-10:45am, Pastor's Office
You may love the music, but do you know the scripture? For both the music lover and the biblical seeker, it explores the scriptural texts of Handel's Messiah. We’ll listen to clips of this masterpiece and study its biblical lyrics. Pastor Jeri-Lynne facilitating. Register in advance so we can order resource books in a timely manner.
Sunday nursery caregiver needed beginning Jan.
8:15am-12:15pm. Paid position. Contact Erin Wise.
Cashew Brittle $9/can - Not much left
Contact Nancy Davidson or Gail Griffin or purchase in the office.
Covenant's Children’s Center Seeks:
After-School Teacher . For details, contact Caroline McGeoch, Director of the Children’s Center.
Our Mission
Covenant Presbyterian Church is an open, accepting community awakening to God's life-giving love together.
Our Vision
Covenant Presbyterian Church glorifies God and builds relationships with Christ and each other through: worship that inspires, nurture that embraces, education that challenges,
fellowship that energizes, ministry that responds.