Pastor Letter 
Rev. Rob Mark, Pastor
Dear Church,
As the fall foliage that has been giving itself once again in gracious and wild displays of Jesus-like self-love for us - gives way to November's remembering of All Saints, I offer you a word from two saints:
Saint Mary Oliver poem Snow Geese on the back of Saint Elsa Abele's memorial service bulletin in September:
Oh, to love what is lovely, and will not last!
What a task
to ask
of anything, or anyone,
yet it is ours,
and not by the century or the year, but by the hours.
One fall day I heard
above me, and above the sting of the wind, a sound
I did not know, and my look shot upward; it was
a flock of snow geese, winging it
faster than the ones we usually see,
and, being the color of snow, catching the sun
so they were, in part at least, golden. I
held my breath
as we do
sometimes
to stop time
when something wonderful
has touched us
as with a match,
which is lit, and bright,
but does not hurt
in the common way,
but delightfully,
as if delight
were the most serious thing
you ever felt.
The geese
flew on,
I have never seen them again.
Maybe I will, someday, somewhere.
Maybe I won't.
It doesn't matter.
What matters
is that, when I saw them,
I saw them
as through the veil, secretly, joyfully, clearly.
With all the saints, may we see together joyfully and clearly this November dear Church.
The peace of Christ,
Rob
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Health Care Action,
GBIO
By Holly Humphreys, GBIO Healthcare Captain for Covenant
When:
Monday, November 4 at 7:00PM
Where:
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), 256 Freeport Street, Dorchester
Free Parking Available. Nearest T is Fields Corner, shuttle available, or 13 minute walk.
Please make a special effort to participate in the next big GBIO Assembly! Help the Greater Boston Interfaith Organization achieve Real Health Care Reform for all of us!
We hope that 30 people from Covenant will join 900 others from the Greater Boston area for the Health Care Assembly on November 4. The goal of the assembly is to persuade legislative leaders to take seriously our concerns. In attendance will be Senate President Karen Spilka, Senate Co-chair of Health Finance, Cindy Friedman, and Secretary of Health & Human Services, Marylou Sudders. We need for them to see the power of the GBIO faith communities!
The doors will open at 6:15 and we ask that people arrive by 6:30. We will sit together as a congregation, so look for signs.
The goals are: 1. Lowering the cost of prescription drugs, 2. Increasing access to affordable mental health and substance use disorder care, and 3. Regulating Out-of-network surprise billing. GBIO has ideas about how to negotiate these issues, but we need the Senate and House leadership to support our language in their budgets.
Governor Baker recently made some steps in a positive direction. There are no final bills yet, but we need to get the attention of the decision makers. We need a strong push--You can be part of it!
If you need a ride or have questions, please talk with any of us on the GBIO team.
Anne Crane, Kathryn Barry, Tom Reid and Faith Perry, Covenant leadership liaison. Tim Groves and Holly Humphreys Health Care co-captains
Do you know anyone who lives in Winthrop or Revere?
You may be able to help! As part of the GBIO Real Healthcare Reform campaign, we are trying to locate people who live in the home district of House Speaker Robert DeLeo. If you have friends or family who live in Winthrop or Revere, please speak to Holly Humphreys or Tim Groves.
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From the Archives
By Nancy Hollomon
Today - 2019 - Time to look back in our past.
1939
The congregation was comprised of 510 members. In spite of the great size of the congregation, the deficit which had been $3500 was reduced only to $1800. "The Consistory" which we now would call "The Session" or "The Council" was comprised of 13 men and one woman (Lillian Bates) whose wealth was able to keep the finances from floundering too much. We still appreciate many of her gifts, including the financing of Bates Hall.
1969
Our current member, Donald Denniston, was baptized this year. Lillian Bates was still a strong member of the elders. The Harvest Festival Fundraiser brought in $3,172.68, much from the sale of plum puddings, jams, and a gift table. Conditions were hard; would the church survive? The Rev. Sydney Menk retired.
1979
The Council supervised the preparations for the ordination of twelve candidates.
Newell Hendricks became a new member, some years later to become our music director. Stereo cassettes holding the historical performances played by German virtuoso organists of 1910-1929 were re-performed on Covenant's Welte-Tripp organ. Our giant organ became a kind of cassette player. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church brought forth "the problems and needs of gay people in our church and society." Nancy Hollomon was a commission to a later General Assembly where some of the first action was taking place. Recipes included in Covenant News were those for Applesauce Nut Bread and Curried Shrimp and Rice salad.
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All Ages Blessing of the Animals
By Evelyn Kimber for Consumption & Justice
Sunday, November 10, 2019
Prepare for a fun and inspirational Sunday morning service, when kids, adults, and our animal companions come together!
We all have animals in our lives, even if not in our homes - the birds and bees that visit your yard, squirrels or bunnies in your neighborhood, or wildlife you see on a walk in the woods. You are invited to bring with you on
November 10 a photo of an animal in your life--past or present, a stuffed animal, figurine, or other symbol of the animals of creation, whether in your home or out in nature. And if you have a dog or other animal companions who would enjoy a trip to church, please, bring them with you!
Covenant invites them into our sacred space to receive a blessing.
St. Francis was known for his love of all animals, calling them his brothers and sisters, and for blessing them as we will do. Do you have friends with dogs? Introduce them to
Covenant for this special service! Keeping the comfort of the animals in mind, leave home those who would be stressed by a trip to church -- we will have Take Away Blessings for you to convey to them!
Animals. It's their world, too!
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Family Discoveries and Christmas Gifts
 By Anita Gram
With holidays coming up, it's time to revisit this article I wrote, first published in Covenant News in 2015.
It started when I called my sister to ask her husband's slipper size... Yes, I had drawn Craig's name in the family gift exchange. Another year scrambling at precious Christmas time to find a suitable gift.
When I encouraged my family to consider doing a charitable gift exchange for Christmas, we thought it would better reflect the spirit of Christmas and make it easier on us as a large family. We were right about both things, and we found that we got some unexpected bonus presents!
Here's how ours works. 1. Instead of holiday presents for all of the family, you draw names so that you focus on one person. 2. Pick a non-profit and make a donation in their honor of any amount. 3. Tell them about the organization and why you picked it.
Discuss it with your family and make your own family tradition! Thanksgiving is a time to bring it up if you get together then. Decide who will be involved-we started with immediate family who already exchanged presents. We do not include school-age children and babies-anyone can give them presents whenever! Designate someone to be in charge of organizing, making the list, and sending reminders. You can decide whether to make the charitable gift a surprise or consult with others.
We found that our circle grew. Our adult nieces and nephews thought it was a cool idea and asked to join the Christmas gift exchange! They could be involved even from a distance.
Some of the unexpected bonus presents are obvious by now. What I personally appreciate is that it takes the focus off "stuff" as a way to celebrate Jesus' birth, and moves us to care about the world outside ourselves.
Finally, we have come to know each other better over the past 15 years. For example, I know something much more important about Craig than his shoe size--I know that he cares deeply about veteran's issues and has a particular veteran's non-profit that he supports. I learned that one of my sisters is passionate about the prevention of human trafficking, a subject that we had never discussed before.
Why not make some family discoveries yourself this year?
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News from the Pews 
Compiled by Linda Pursley
Linda Pursley reported on a recent trip to Ohio, which offered the opportunity to spend time with her 93-year-old mother and her high school classmates, who gathered for their 50th class reunion. She had not seen most of them in 50 years, so there was a lot of catching up to do!
Sunny Davidson writes, "On September 26 my lawyer and I went to housing court about my no fault eviction after 24 years. Short version is that I have to be out by March 31, 2020. Still looking to get into North End senior housing. You helpers, seen and not, with my own considerable efforts achieved the spectacular result at court. Thank you for your ongoing support."
rosi olmstead and Marnie Warner recently installed a Little Library in their front yard for neighbors to share books. There is a shelf for adult books and another for children's books. The sign reads: This Little Library is for anyone  who walks by. Feel free to take a book that interests you and either return it or pass it on to someone else. If there is space, feel free to add books that you want to share.
Little Libraries are found throughout the country. Todd Bol who graduated from Beloit College which is also Marnie's alma mater, created Little Libraries in 2009. You can purchased Little Libraries or build them yourselves. Marnie and rosi have a friend who works at the Compass School which works with at risk youth and he oversaw the students who built their Little Library.
A couple of people asked if we need books. We really want the neighbors to provide the books. However, we could use children's books that reflect experiences of children of color and Muslim backgrounds.
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Under the Mango Tree 
by Karen Henry
Note: This column will be a monthly sharing of stories from our sister church community, Dulce Nombre de Jesus, in northwest Nicaragua.
We had the extraordinary opportunity to be almost face to face with our brothers and sisters in Dulce Nombre de Jesus, Nicaragua, on October 20, at our church retreat in Duxbury. We had arranged to have a community to community conversation over Zoom, a video chat platform. Eduardo and Luis, our friends and facilitators from Entre Culturas, were in the village that day and helped to gather members in the technology room of the high school in Dulce Nombre - a room and school the villagers are very proud of. Memo, also from Entre Culturas, joined the chat from Maryland, and translated back and forth. It was a triumph of technology after a near disaster.
The WiFi in the retreat center wasn't quite strong enough to support audio and  video. Fortunately for us, we had a Zoom expert in the room - Tom Reid - who came to the rescue with his iPhone. At last, the communities were able to see and talk with each other. So many of the friends we have known over two decades were able to greet us, and we returned the greetings and deep, warm affection for each other. Gloria began with a simple message: "I'm a member here, and  I'm happy to see my brothers and sisters." Maximeno identified himself as the Delegate of the Word for Dulce Nombre, a pastor. He expressed his gladness that we had the chance to participate in our church retreat. Ruber gave thanks to God for having good health - a sentiment shared by many in the village - and he thanked God for "having the chance to see and talk to you." He said they were doing well in the village because they had rain, and they will be able to harvest some of their crops - not all was lost to the drought of the earlier season.
Secondino also gave thanks to God for the good health of the villagers and for the opportunity to be connected with us. Marianna echoed this gratitude, and she also expressed her thanks for Entre Culturas, Memo, and Isaac, the teacher who allowed the villagers to gather in the high school. The faces and voices of many others were filled with joy and gratitude, including Delania and  Concepcion, and members of the younger generation in Dulce Nombre: Krystal, Elda, Katherine, Jadira, and the youngest at the gathering - Frangi, who came close to the camera to tell us that it was "really nice" to see us.
Luis, from Entre Culturas, said that they were happy to see us and that it's also really nice to touch each other in person through delegations that travel back and forth. He said they send hugs to us and that they are here to serve us and help us. Eduardo, from Entre Culturas, said it was a pleasure to see us. "We are happy with this new step forward, allowing us to see each other via technology." He got a laugh from both sides by countering the joke we had heard at the beginning of the conversation - that technology was from the devil. Not all technology!
We took our turn to send our greetings and love to the people in Dulce Nombre. Mark Huston reminded them that his daughter, Eva, had traveled to Nicaragua three times. He expressed the feeling that many of us who have gone to Nicaragua experience - we miss so many of the people there. Anne Covert reminisced about the time a delegation from the South was visiting when the World Trade Center towers were attacked on 9/11. The Nicaraguan visitors wanted to be together during this frightening time, so Anne hosted the whole delegation at her house. Liz Vizza reminded Maximeno, Ruber, and Memo, that they were her children and that she hoped they were being good - recalling a sweet joke from her experience there. Reverend Adam had a chance to introduce himself as our interim Associate Pastor, and Reverend Rob sent blessings, assuring all of us that we are one church, North and South, stronger together.
Near the end of our time together, Ruber told us that the new Rio Grande bridge would be dedicated on November 11. This will allow for easier travel between villages. He also said proudly that the technology room in the school was built by the government. Finally, he wanted us to consider the possibility of a delegation from South to North, and we applauded. We passed Tom Reid's phone around so that each of us at the retreat could say our names and send our love. We ended the conversation with a rousing chorus of the song "I Hear Music Over My Head," and applause and waving on both sides.
Note
: The Nica Companions are raising money for delegations in both directions with a harvest sale this fall and a soup sale in the early spring. Many delectable items are available in November, including apple butter, apple sauce, apple pie, banana nut bread, cookies, cranberry orange bread, Dutch apple pie, pumpkin pie, tomato sauce, and zucchini bread. Donating to a good cause can be truly delicious!
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Council Report
By Phyllis Galt
October 2019 Council Meeting
A key topic at the Council meeting was a discussion on the scope of Covenant's mission for the next five years. Rev. Rob provided a draft document entitled "Climate Jubilee: A Missional Plan for the first half of the Roaring-Soaring 20's". Council spent the bulk of the meeting in discernment and conversation about this topic and provided feedback. A revised version of the document will be sent to the congregation prior to the all-church retreat on Saturday, Oct 19, 2019, where the discussion will continue with the congregation.
Other business included approving the
Nicaragua Companions' request to hold a soup sale in February and a harvest sale in the fall. The Membership Development Committee has initiated another round of Supper 8's and requested that Council members would consider hosting a Supper 8.
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5 Arnold Rots
6
Luke Phung Helveston (born 2017)
7
Trudi Veldman
16
Kay Olm
18
Donald Denniston, Glenda Yoder
21
Gerri Owen
24
Dan Evans
26
Phyllis Galt
27
Tori Surette
29
Nancy Ammerman
Note: If your November birthday does not appear on this list, please notify Hillary in the church office so we can include you next year!
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November  2019
Calendar
most up-to-date church calendar.
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About This Issue
November 2019 Covenant News
Editor and Graphics: Evelyn Kimber
Template: Harry Forsdick
Deadline for the December 2019 Covenant News is Saturday, November 23. Please email your submissions to Evelyn Kimber at
[email protected]
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