To download and/or print the bulletin for worship this Sunday, click here or on the boxes above.

You can find this week's playlist by clicking here.

We will not be livestreaming morning and evening worship on Facebook or Vimeo. We will continue to livestream on YouTube and our website at christcovenant.org/live.

Ben and Sarah Traynor on the birth of their son, Luke Robert.

We hope you will take time to submit your confidential prayer requests either online at ChristCovenant.org/members/prayer or by email at prayer@christcovenant.org. Your pastors and staff are continually praying for you!

We have new prayer guides for your use that can be found at christcovenant.org/prayer. Each prayer guide is printable after downloading and can be found below.

This Sunday it is our joy to welcome Dr. Michael Ross as our preacher for both the morning and evening services. Mike served as the Senior Pastor of our congregation for more than a decade, blessing us with both his wisdom as our pastor and his leadership in guiding our congregation. Jane was a favorite teacher at Covenant Day School where she turned math into a favorite subject for her students.

During his time as our pastor Mike also served as Moderator of the PCA General Assembly, member of the Board of Trustees at Covenant College, and the author of the PCA’s Fifty Days of Prayer devotional guide before its annual general assemblies. He was an adjunct professor at Reformed Theological Seminary’s Charlotte campus and was a respected leader in our Presbytery.

Mike and Jane ministered together to our supported Christian workers in other parts of the world as both teachers and encouragers for church planters and missionaries who were far from home on challenging assignments. As the parents of adult children, they also taught by example as they provided their growing family with prayerful support as they established careers, were married, and became parents themselves. Together God used them to build our unity as a congregation and demonstrate how to love one another in both our words and actions.

In 2017 Mike and Jane “retired” to Westerville, Ohio where they are near their daughter, Abby, and her family and the Ohio State University campus. They have been involved in remodeling and redecorating their new home. Their changes already include a dedicated library and a ‘man cave’ for Mike that features OSU’s school colors in the room décor.

Mike’s version of retirement has already included three interim pastorates where he assists congregations in times of transition. Jane’s version is an active schedule as a substitute math teacher in the local school district. Together, they are active at Story PCA Church in Westerville. This young church has about 40-50 in attendance so far, and Mike has preached there frequently as needed.

Having the freedom to travel is one great benefit of active retirement. In addition to seeing their four children and eleven grandchildren often with a short ride through Westerville, or trips to Signal Mountain and New Orleans, they’ve also started to tour the Presidential Libraries, starting with the Reagan and Nixon archives in California. Of course, all those grandchildren take rank over the presidents, with one heading to college this month and the newest baby waiting in New Orleans for granddad to officiate at the baptism next Sunday, August 21.

We are grateful to have Mike and Jane with us today so we can once again thank them for their ministry here. It is our prayer that God will continue to use them in their busy retirement as He brings them new opportunities to glorify Him.  

Registration for Women’s Bible Studies is now open! There are options for daytime and evening studies as well as weekly and monthly studies. Childcare is offered for certain daytime studies.

Click here to learn more and to register. Early bird pricing is available now through August 20.

The youth staff invites ALL 6th-12th grade students and their parents to an “Open House” and Potluck Breakfast as we launch into the Fall semester. The goal of this gathering is to reconnect with all of you after a long summer, and to kick off the Fall semester with fun, food, fellowship, staff introductions, a very brief overview of what we are all about here at Christ Covenant Youth Ministry (CCYM), give away some prizes, and share some of the exciting upgrades and updates that have been made to the youth house and youth center over the summer! Mark your calendars and join us on Sunday, August 21, at 9:30 am in the Community Life Center (CLC). We are excited to see you all there. Please RSVP and sign up to bring an item using this link.

Christ Covenant Church Women’s Ministry invites all new Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS) female students and wives to a Welcome Dinner on Monday, August 22, 2022 from 6:30pm - 8:00pm in the Community Life Center (CLC) on Christ Covenant’s campus! Returning students or wives of students who would like to learn more about Christ Covenant are also welcome. Come and hear more about our church, our women’s ministry, and to get to know current and former RTS students and wives! The dinner is free, but please register using the Sign Up Genius link by clicking here.

Please join us on Wednesday, August 24 for fellowship, food, and to preview music for the upcoming season. The fall is a great time to jump into choir, orchestra, or band as we begin to prepare for the Advent season in December! We will be learning new contemporary music alongside the classics, such as Bach and Handel. All ages are welcome.

Options include orchestra, band, and choirs (children, youth, adult), as well as smaller vocal and instrumental ensembles. For orchestra, adult choir, and band, please schedule an audition. Auditions will begin on August 15. These informal auditions give Pastor Nathan George an opportunity to get to meet you, to get to know you, your heart, and your musical interests.

In addition, youth choirs will begin meeting again! The youth choir for grades 8th12th and the children’s choir for ages 3rd-7th will meet on Sundays from 4:40 pm – 5:45 pm. The beginner’s choir for grades kindergarten – 2nd will meet on Sundays during evening worship. Stay tuned for the start date for these choirs!

Please email Liz McNulty at lmcnulty@christcovenant.org for more information or to schedule an audition for the adult choir, orchestra, or band.

Our fall Sunday School will kickoff with a combined Sunday School in the sanctuary with teaching from Eric Russ, Pastor of Evangelism and Mobilization. This is a combined Sunday School with all adults, senior adults, middle and high school youth joining together for Sunday School on August 28 and September 4 at 9:00 am. These two Sunday’s will be a class called “Evangelism: Mission, Mandate and Methods” that will showcase an introduction to the theology of evangelism and how to practically cultivate a healthy evangelistic posture in our city and neighborhood. Pastor Eric is excited to encourage and to inspire our church family to want to grow in the practice of evangelism.

Class electives will begin September 11 and go through November 20. More information about the class options is forthcoming.

Children’s Sunday School for ages 4 through 5th grade kicks off on Sunday, August 28 at 9:00 am.

Join Christ Covenant for cookie fellowships on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month beginning August 28! We will enjoy cookies, coffee and fellowship in the main lobby on these Sundays from 10:15-10:45 am. Stop by for a cookie and time to get to know other Christ Covenant members!

Respite Night serves parents with children impacted by disabilities or who are living with disability themselves and will be held from 4:00 pm - 7:00 pm in the youth area located in the lower level of Community Life Center (CLC). Training resources including a brief zoom video will be provided to our volunteers and we work to make sure our volunteers are serving in a capacity in which they are comfortable. If you would like to serve or learn more about this opportunity, please email Amy Van Dusen at avandusen@christcovenant.org. Deadline for volunteer registration is August 31.  

The New Member Class is for adults and students 9th grade and above who wish to join Christ Covenant Church. Our Pastors teach this class, which reviews Christ Covenant’s philosophy of ministry, the reformed faith, the Presbyterian form of government, the vows of church membership, and other topics pertinent to church membership. This class is required for those seeking to join Christ Covenant Church. Our next New Member Class will be held during Sunday School beginning September 11. The class will be ten-weeks long meeting from 9:00 am – 10:20 am. If you are interested in attending, please contact Michelle Gustavson to register by September 5.

Our support groups are facilitated by caring members of our church who understand what you may be going through and want to help. The video seminar features some of the nation’s foremost Christian experts on divorce and grief recovery topics as seen from a biblical perspective. Weekly devotional materials and group discussions are designed to draw you closer to God and provide comfort.

DivorceCare & GriefShare will be held Monday evenings, from 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm, starting on September 12 in the Community Life Center (CLC(. If you have a family member or friend going through separation and divorce or is mourning the loss of a loved one, please encourage them to join our groups as well.

You can register for the DivorceCare group at DivorceCare.org.

You can register for the GriefShare group at GriefShare.org.

Or contact John Ramseur at jdamseur@gmail.com with any questions.

Have you been separated or divorced? Have you experienced the deep grief of losing a loved one to death? Have you learned valuable lessons and experienced healing from the hurt? Would you like to help others do the same?

Call or email to learn more about the different volunteer opportunities with our DivorceCare and GriefShare ministries. Contact John Ramseur at jdamseur@gmail.com or (704) 763-7966.

Did you know it takes 238 adults and 48 youth for our Children’s Ministry classrooms to be fully staffed? Right now we are about 65% there! If you were considering how you might fulfill the promise you make at every baptism and find a way to help support our families as they raise their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we have a place for you to do that! Please email Amy Wallace, Director of Children’s Ministry, at awallace@christcovenant.org, or stop by the Children’s Ministry Welcome Desk in the North Lobby. Any staff member will be happy to help you get connected!

Current opportunities at Christ Covenant include:

Facilities Maintenance (full-time)

Details: christcovenant.org/aboutus/employment

Covenant Day School is hiring for various positions. Details can be found at https://www.covenantday.org/about-us/employment

Thank you for your tithes and gifts to all of the ministries of Christ Covenant.

You can give online by clicking here.

Please continue to pray for God’s provision throughout 2022.