On Sunday morning, we will giving thanks to the Lord and recognize Mark Davis, who has led Covenant Day School as the Head of School since 2012. With Mark’s guidance Covenant Day School shaped a strategic plan to identify challenges and opportunities, and specific goals to build an outstanding school for today’s students on the solid foundation laid decades ago by members of Christ Covenant Church who trusted God to begin a school where the Lord is glorified.

Under Mark’s leadership Covenant Day School has attracted and retained a collaborative faculty whose priority is to honor God in every part of the school day and pray for their students as diligently as they teach them each day. As the Head of School, Mark has applied his expertise and experience in Christian Education to develop an environment that has allowed Covenant Day School to grow in ways that impact student lives for a lifetime. Mark’s commitment to the spiritual growth of each student includes teaching them how to serve others from their youngest years through their teens and opened the way for outreach projects within Matthews, across the country, and beyond our borders that provide experiences that will equip students for a lifetime of caring for others.

God is leading Mark and Rose on to an active retirement that will allow them to spend precious time with their children: Hayley Gomez, Leah Perez, Liza Mills, Nate Davis, and their grandchildren: Nico, Ian, and Luca, and allow them to enjoy the arts, travel, golf, good books, and long walks, as well as personal ministry.

Join us in giving thanks to God for the way He has blessed the congregation of Christ Covenant Church and Covenant Day School through the excellent ministry of Mark Davis. We pray that God will bless Mark and Rose’s future with joy and give them new ways to serve Christ together each day.

Everyone is invited to join us this Sunday, May 15 for a church-wide prayer walk around our community. We believe that prayer walks are a concrete means to demonstrate a spiritual reality, namely the Lord going before his people to prepare the land for ministry. Our prayer walk is a pre-cursor to upcoming outreach opportunities as we ask the Lord to prepare the hearts of people as we evangelize and do deeds of love in Matthews and beyond.

We will meet in the Community Life Center (CLC) rooms 1 & 2 at 9:00 am to hear the vision for the prayer walk and to receive more instructions. If you do not feel comfortable walking, we would love for you to participate by praying on our campus. Please bring your family and comfy shoes and join us! Questions? Contact Michelle Gustavson.

We hope everyone will invite a friend and attend a special Ascension Celebration Concert and Hymn Sing on Sunday evening, May 22, at 6:00 pm. We will sing favorite songs together, as well as hear special selections from Mozart, Gounod, spirituals, and more. Christ’s Ascension is often overlooked, but it is our joy to take time to honor him as King. On Ascension Sunday we celebrate the fact that Christ now sits at the right hand of the Father. He has ascended on high because he has won the battle!

On Sunday, we hope everyone will pick up some invitational flyers that you can use to invite neighbors, friends and family to come with you to the Celebration Concert next Sunday evening. These flyers can be found in all of the main lobbies in the worship center.

Have you ever thought about foster care? Been concerned about the need? Wondered about the experience? Felt a tug to learn more? May is National Foster Care Month, and we have a special opportunity to learn more about the need for foster care in our community at a brief meeting after the evening worship service on Sunday, May 22 in the Community Life Center room 1 (CLC). Christ Covenant members Allen and Abby Minnick will be sharing and answering questions about their own foster care experience, current needs, and possible next steps for those interested in learning more about being licensed for foster care. Would you consider joining us? There is no obligation involved in attending, but the need is great and the opportunity for the church to step into young lives and families in crisis is all around us. Please contact either Pastor Dave Baxter or Amy Van Dusen to learn more about this event.

We want to publish the names, schools and plans for the immediate future (i.e., college, military, career, post-grad) of our high school, college, and post-grad members of the Class of 2022 so our church family can celebrate these milestones with you. Please send your graduate’s information (name, graduating from, going to, degree, military) to communications@christcovenant.org. We will publish all grads and their future plans in the courier and recognize our graduates during morning worship on May 29. Deadline to submit graduation information for the courier is Tuesday, May 24.

All are invited to participate in the Monthly Day of Prayer on Tuesday, May 24. There are two ways you can participate. One is to come in-person for your prayer time to room 105 in the worship center anytime between 7:30 am - 9:00 pm. Prayer guides are provided for you in the prayer room. Another option is to pick a time slot and pray where you are, whether that’s at home or at work. The day is divided into 30-minute segments for individuals to sign up and pray for supported workers and for the needs of the congregation. You can select the time that best fits your schedule by clicking here. We also hope you will take time to submit your confidential prayer requests either online by clicking here or by email at prayer@christcovenant.org. Prayer cards may be found in the pews and may be turned in at one of the offering boxes located inside the sanctuary by the main exits. Your pastors and staff are continually praying for you!

Sunday School is on a break until June 5. This is a new rhythm for us as a church, which allows a rest for our teachers and volunteers, especially in the children’s area.

All summer Sunday School classes will begin at 9:00 am and will run for four weeks this summer - June 5, 12, 19 and 26. We hope you will find a class that will benefit your relationship with Christ and connect you with others. We hope you will take a summer Sunday School booklet that you can find in our lobbies to see the new class options. You can also find this online by clicking here.

Our pastors are looking forward to hosting a time of fellowship and prayer each Sunday morning as we begin class. Regular discipleship and fellowship is a vital part of learning to stand on truth and walk in grace together. If you have any questions about Sunday School, please email info@christcovenant.org.

Registration is open for our Senior Adult Fall Retreat in Oak Island, NC. Meet new friends and get re-acquainted with old friends as we enjoy time near the beach with each other and the Lord. The guest speaker is Rev. Doug Falls, a retired PCA pastor. Single rooms cost $392, and double rooms cost $227 per person. Cost for couples is $454. Cost includes room, 3 breakfasts, 2 dinners, and retreat incidental costs. Full payment is due by July 17. Make checks payable to Christ Covenant Church with ‘Senior Adult Retreat’ written in the memo line, and either mail (to Lucille Ruths c/o Christ Covenant) or give to Lucille. If you have any questions, please contact Lucille Ruths at either 704-846-4074 or lmruths@gmail.com.

Our leadership continues to evaluate our needs in terms of having a mask-required section. Our mask-required section has moved to the section colored in purple in the diagram below. Please be considerate of those sitting around you who are wearing masks and prefer social distancing.