As for us, brothers and sisters, when, for a short time, we were made orphans by being separated from you—in person, not in heart—we longed with great eagerness to see you face to face - 1 Thessalonians 2:17 |
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I don’t do well with plants.
Or better said, my plants don’t thrive. They live, they survive. They get smaller, and more anemic, and sadder as days go by. I know the basics of plant maintenance – water, sun, don’t leave them outside in the winter – but it’s the expert knowledge that I struggle with.
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Which brings me to my plant basket. My plant basket was given to me by a member of the church after her husband died. I treasured the basket, and even more so after she died as well. The basket was given an entire corner of my office. I would water it; I would rotate it so each plant held within would get adequate sun. But then the pandemic hit, and I left it behind in the office, thinking it would only be left alone for a brief time (oops!)
I didn’t go into the office for months, but had the generous help of our Church Administrator, Mary Kieta, who would occasionally be in the office and
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give it some much-needed water (thanks Mary!). When I finally got back to the office to start recording worship, things were out of hand. Not due to any malfeasance on Mary’s part, but just as a condition of plants being plants. Some were leggy and overgrown, some were choked out; it was a complete mess. I brought it home in the hopes that something could be done for it. Pruning? Chopping? Digging? Fire? Like I said, I don’t do well with plants. |
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But my wife came in like a surgeon and carefully separated all the plants, untangled the roots, and re-potted each of them. You can see the fruits of her labor in the pictures throughout.
It was a shock to the plants, but I can already see some life coming back to them. Some of them, as you may notice, are still struggling with the transition, which is entirely to be expected. While I miss the plant basket as a whole, I’m hopeful that the plants will come back strong, and I know that this is what the plants needed in order to be healthy.
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I miss you all. When we were separated, it was a shock to me. This shock continues, and I still wish we could be together. But I’m hoping we can find ways to stay strong throughout this. Six months in and we’ve lost so much; we've grieved so much. As a nation, we’ve lost almost 200,000 of our neighbors, loved ones, family members. We’ve grieved as the reality of racial injustice came crashing against collective cultural denial. We’re grieving again as fires consume our west coast.
We’ve been uprooted, re-potted, and it has been a shock. But through this, I’ve seen strength. I’ve seen people on Zoom who hardly knew how to turn on a computer before! I’ve seen bravery and resilience in families as they make daily adjustments to whatever the new normal will be for the next few hours before it changes again. I’ve seen people take new stands on behalf of justice that brings new vitality to our pursuit of God's kin-dom. I’ve seen an outpouring of compassion and love that brings tears to my eyes.
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I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. - John 15:5 |
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Because we are fruit of the same vine. We are rooted and grounded in the same love. We share our common soil, and work to create the same garden. Just because we’ve been repotted doesn’t mean we aren’t still together.
Connected by our faith, connected by the Spirit, connected by our love of each other, we continue on the journey apart-but-together.
God's peace,
Jeff Fox-Kline
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WELCOME (ANEW)
TO CHELSEA CORNELIUS
We are delighted to announce that Chelsea Cornelius is working at Covenant for 20-25 hours per week as our Ministry Associate, starting next week. (Over this past year she has been working at Covenant for 5 hours per week.) She will be focusing on pastoral care, worship, spiritual nurture, and education.
Chelsea is a UW-Madison alum and earned her Master of Divinity degree at the University of Chicago Divinity School in 2019. She is a candidate for ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She is also currently a writing instructor for the University of Chicago and a night chaplain at UW Health and Meriter hospitals in Madison. She and her partner live on the east side of Madison and spend lots of time at the Willy St. co-op, the Olbrich beer garden, and the Capitol City bike trail. Chelsea is excited to remain at Covenant in this new capacity and to continue journeying alongside this congregation and community. She'd love to get a cup of coffee or a beer with you, safely outside or virtually. Email her to set up a time to connect!
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CONGREGATIONAL MEETING
About 100 Covenant members came together last Sunday for our congregational meeting where we unanimously elected new Elders and Deacons as well as at-large members of the 2021 Nominating Committee.
Click here for bios of the new officers.
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Coming up on October 4th... |
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VIRTUAL GUATEMALA MISSION AUCTION
Supporting Education in Guatemala and COVID Relief
The Guatemala Silent Auction is going virtual this year to benefit Guatemala scholarship needs and the COVID-19 Relief Offering. Start thinking creatively about how you can help by donating items with a value of $20+. Check out this flyer for ideas.
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Worship for Sunday, September 20
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Sermon by Chelsea Cornelius on the practice of loving: "Love is Patient," Matthew 22: 34-40 and Luke 10: 25-28
- Cindy Lovell & Friends with the Children's Time
- Melissa Hinz x3! (you'll see!)
- Ben Welch with Special Music
Anyone can call 608-237-1739 to hear our latest worship service over the phone--no internet required!
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