Covenant CONNECTIONS:
Donuts and Perseverance
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Last Sunday was our first "Drive-thru Donuts and Devotionals" and it was wonderful!
About 100 people came through in cars, on bikes, or by foot--for a donut, some flowers (thanks to a generous Covenant family!), some printed devotional material, and some conversation and prayer (with masks and distanced).
Click on the photo below to see more photos. Big thanks to Donna Monson and the deacons for organizing our first DDD!
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I really enjoyed the chance for brief but heartfelt face-to-face (mask-to-mask!) conversations with people. I asked everyone to share a joy and a concern, and then I offered a short prayer. For some folks, the joy was donuts and the concern was the virus. Others shared more personal joys and concerns.
Several times, I prayed that the donuts and the fellowship and God's love would give us the strength we need to carry on in these challenging times.
I've never really prayed for donuts before....
I'm not suggesting we all need to eat donuts to stay sane, but we do need to find the things that feed us and give us energy for the long haul.
In a word, we need to find ways to persevere.
For me, I've been trying to do several things every day: pray and meditate, walk and/or bike, practice the piano, read good books, and connect with people.
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What are the things that you need to do to be healthy and strong to persevere in this challenging time? Can you think of one thing to do TODAY to help give you strength and focus as a Christian for the journey? Pray? Read? Go outside? Less TV and internet? More rest?
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All indications are that the virus is going to be with us for a while, so we need to adjust our thinking about school, work, vacations, holidays, and more. We need to persevere with mask-wearing, social distancing, and hand-washing.
And we need to persevere as Christians. Perseverance is at the heart of our faith. We are called to follow Jesus every day. Being a Christian isn't just about joining a church of affirming Jesus as our Lord and Savior. It's about intentionally shaping our lives around God's word and Spirit and staying on the path.
And we need to persevere in the long and hard work for justice in the world.
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As George Floyd's name recedes from the headlines we need to persevere in bridge building and working for justice.
Rev. Charlene Han Powell--an Asian American Presbyterian Pastor--asked a Black colleague in early June how to help with the movement for racial justice.
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The friend encouraged her to persevere--to keep talking and working, even after the headlines changed. So Rev Powell made a public commitment to her New York City congregation to persevere, to keep wrestling with racial justice issues for three weeks, three months, even three years. Read her sermon here: Lift Up Your Voice--a sermon.
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In this challenging time, I encourage you to take care of yourself and do what you need to do (pray, exercise, sleep...) to persevere in getting through the virus, to stay sane and focused, and to faithfully follow Jesus.
Maybe you need to read your Bible. We have four more weeks to go in our "Little Books with Big Impact" series. The four upcoming books are:
Along with inspiring sermons and group studies to help with the persevering, we're doing another "Drive-thru Donuts, Devotions" on Sunday September 6!
May God bless you with perseverance....!
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On the journey, apart-but-together,
Charlie
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SUNDAY WORSHIP
Join us for apart-but-together video worship on Sunday, as we continue our "little books" series, focusing on AMOS. Check your email Sunday morning for the link. Or check the Covenant website. Or visit our YouTube page
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If you want to interact with other people as you worship, you can join with a Facebook Watch Party. Just go to Covenant's Facebook page 9:30 on Sunday morning to watch the pre-recorded 40 minute worship as a community.
Worship this week features
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Sermon by Charlie Berthoud on Amos, "After Church" based on Amos 5:21-24
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An excerpt from "A Brief Statement of Faith" shared by Covenant kids
- A special song by Kim and Elma Huff
- A handbell ensemble featuring the Larget and Hinz families
- A message for the children from the Schroeder family
- Singing led by Melissa Hinz, Doug McNeel, and Ben Welch
WORSHIP by PHONE: If you know someone who does not have internet access but wants to join us for worship, please ask them to call (608) 237-1739, where anyone can listen to the most recent worship service.
DEVOTIONAL: Read and pray with biblical reflections written by Covenant members and staff: Amos Devotional
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Coffee and Conversation
Sunday 10:30 via Zoom
Grab some coffee and connect with your Covenant friends! Pastor Charlie is leading a brief Bible study on Amos and then we'll break out for some coffee hour conversation. Click on the Zoom link above at 10:30 this Sunday!
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The Boys and Girls Club of Dane County continues to be a tremendous force for good during the pandemic. Their annual fundraiser, MOVE4BGC (formerly BIKE4BGC), is encouraging us to stay in motion during the pandemic while also supporting a great cause.
So far, our team, the Presbywheelians, has raised over $10,000 and are in third place for total money raised.
There’s a new fundraising challenge for all of us to work towards together. Eric Girard, Gretchen Girard, Charlie Berthoud, and Jeff Fox-Kline will match every mile ridden through Monday, August 17th. In order for the miles to count on our total you have to either register for the Presbywheelians team or have donated to the Presbywheelians. Anyone who donates can EDIT THIS GOOGLE SPREADSHEET or email the miles ridden for the week to jfoxkline@covenantmadison.org and we will ride those miles before the end of August. |
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We’re also collecting photos of people getting active! Post a photo of yourself or your family biking, walking, jogging, kayaking, or just getting out and moving in this google photo album (click on the picture of Pastor Charlie) or email your photo to jfoxkline@covenantmadison.org
So for the next week, donate, ride, and force the four of us to get outside!
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Donate Blood
Save a Life--Love your Neighbor
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Wednesday August 19, 2020
1:00 – 6:00 PM
at Covenant
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