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 are learning a new hymn this Sunday called "Comfort, Comfort Ye My People." You can find it by clicking here to learn it before this Sunday.

If you are unable to join us in person for either morning or evening worship we hope you will join us on the livestream on either YouTube and or our website at christcovenant.org/live.

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.

Matthew and Caroline Kirk on the birth of their son, Cedric Josiah Barnabas Kirk.

Joe Underwood on the loss of his wife and our long-time member, Gene-Ann Underwood.

All are invited to join us for our special Christmas Concert on Sunday evening, December 4, at 6:00 pm. We will enjoy a time of singing carols together and other musical selections prepared by our choir and orchestra. Children’s programs are available for ages 4 months through 35 months. If you have questions about children’s programs, please contact Amy Wallace.

This is a great time to bring family and friends for a special night of music as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ! We have special invitations available for you in all the lobbies of the worship center that you can take and use to invite your family, neighbors and friends!

Mark your calendars for our Children’s Christmas Celebration on December 10, from 10:00 - 11:30 am in the Community Life Center (CLC). Join us for a Christmas story, some Christmas carols, lots of games and crafts and a time to be together! This is for families with fifth graders and younger. Invite and bring your friends and neighbors as we celebration together!

Join us for this special night of worship as we celebrate Christ's birth on Saturday, December 24, at 5:00 pm on Christmas Eve! Children's programs are available for ages 4 months through 35 months.

All are invited to join us for morning worship on Sunday, December 25, at 10:45 am on Christmas Day! Please note that children’s programs will not be available on Christmas Day. In addition, we will not have evening worship on Christmas Day. On New Year’s Day, Sunday, January 1, 2023, morning worship will be at 10:45 am and evening worship will be at 6:00 pm. The normal children’s programs for those time will be available.

Each Christmas at Christ Covenant we provide an opportunity for you to buy a poinsettia that is displayed in our sanctuary for the Advent season. You can purchase one for you/your family, give one in honor of someone, or give one in memory of someone. We will print the names of those who receive a poinsettia in honor and in memory in the courier for our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services.

Each poinsettia is $10. If you purchase one, you can either pick it up and enjoy it at home after morning worship on Christmas Day or you can leave it to bless someone else.

Poinsettias can be purchased online by clicking here or by using the form at the bottom of the courier on Sunday and placing it in an offering box.

All men ages 16 and older are invited to join the Ministry to Men Fellowship Breakfast on Saturday, December 3, from 7:00 am - 8:30 am, at Stacks Kitchen on Monroe Road in Matthews. The only cost is your breakfast! Come and bring a friend! RSVP by Friday, December 2 by clicking here.

All are invited to join us for a time of coffee, light refreshments and to hear from our supported workers, Shane and Krista, on Sunday, December 11 at 9:00 am in CLC rooms 5 & 6! Shane and Krista are English teachers in a restricted country and have a unique opportunity to invest in the lives of more than 100 college students and colleagues daily. Come and hear about how the Lord is working through their lives to share the Good News with the unreached people in the country where they serve!

In the next several weeks you will receive many different appeals for donations to all sorts of charities. Each of them is designed to prompt your response. Sadly, not all of them are worthy. Their financial records may reveal more dollars paid out for marketing than used to help others. Some organizations may support projects that conflict with your own values. Some may be nothing more than money-making schemes taking advantage of the season. How can you be sure your gift will not be wasted?

As you make decisions about donations to ministry initiatives, or to assist people in need because of natural disasters or personal challenges and wonder how to give wisely, please consider this:

Giving to and giving through Christ Covenant is always a very good way to respond to the needs in our community and across the globe. We are actively involved in more than 50 different ministries, all year round. We are as concerned with feeding the hungry in July as we are in January. We don’t wait for Christmas to befriend the widow or the orphan.

Here in our own community, partnerships with local ministries who share our goals allow us to direct our efforts to those in need without duplicating costs. Every dollar given to Christ Covenant to help others stretches a little further because there are no administrative deductions and volunteers, including members of our own church family who give so much of their time and skills to these ministries.

If you have questions about year-end giving, or want to know more about the ministries we help support, please contact your pastor or call the church office. We are happy to assist.

Remember, gifts to the church in December go toward all our ministries and are a significant part of our annual income. Generally, gifts to the church in the form of checks or cash that are mailed (and postmarked) by December 31 or delivered in person to the church office by 3:45 p.m. on Friday, December 30, should be deductible for tax purposes. You may also take advantage of our secure online giving by clicking here. God blesses Christ Covenant through your gifts, and they are greatly appreciated. Call Sandy Spitz at 704-814-1010 with any questions or for more information, including details on handling stock/fund transfers.

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 January 8. The class will meet from 9:00 am – 10:20 am. If you are interested in attending, please contact Michelle Gustavson to register by January 3.

Every week the staff works hard to think through good application questions from the Sunday morning sermon to create a sermon discussion guide (SDG). These are primarily for small groups ministry, but the SDGs also help you review and apply the message from Sunday. Are you planning to talk with a friend about the sermon? Do you want to think more about applications for your own life? The sermon discussion guide is a great tool for these. These are available weekly and can be found online by clicking here.

We hope you were able to attend the Faithful Conference. If you were not able to come or missed a session, each session is now online at faithfulconference.org and at christcovenant.org. Thank you to everyone who came and attended and a special thank you to all who served! Save the date for next year’s Faithful Conference with Carl Trueman on November 11-12, 2023.

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.