Greetings!

Merry Christmas to you!

We have several options for Christmas Eve worship, to celebrate the birth of Jesus—the good news of great joy for all the people. 
  • Worship in the sanctuary at 4:00, 6:00, or 8:00 (see below), if you are vaccinated and feeling healthy. Everyone will have masks, and we have battery candles to share for singing “Silent Night.”
  • Overflow seating in Bradfield Hall, if it gets too crowded in the sanctuary
  • Livestream worship via YouTube right here:
Make sure you have a candle or a flashlight ready for “Silent Night.” 

We know that Covid is still a concern, so we encourage you to do what’s best for you and those around you. I know several people who are worshiping from home, to make space for others and to be extra careful. 

And I know of several people who are really excited to be in the sanctuary, including a 90 year old with some physical challenges and a family with two recently vaccinated children who haven’t been inside the sanctuary for almost two years. 

However and wherever, we join together celebrating that Jesus is the light of the world, shining in the darkness, giving us strength, hope, and love. 

Merry Christmas!
Charlie
Advent Song-Prayer
In one of our Wednesday Advent Vespers services, Melissa Hinz offered a brief reflection leading to a prayer composed of texts from Advent hymns. It begins like this….

O Lord, how shall I meet you, how welcome you aright? Of the Father's love begotten, ere the worlds began to be. He is Alpha and Omega; he the source, the ending he. Evermore and evermore.

Read the reflection and pray the prayer HERE (click).
"From now on, we'll have to muddle through somehow" ...

Click above to read Pastor Jeff's latest blog post and find out - why the hard feelings towards Frank Sinatra? And much more of course!
Worship
  • In-person services of Christmas music, scripture and prayer at 9:00 and 11:00, with a livestream at 11:00. (click)
  • Children's Time with Nick and Claire Von Bergen
  • NO Sunday School or Adult Ed classes (both resume January 9)
Our calling at Covenant is to learn about God’s love and to live it, to make it real. To help us do so, we’ve planned a sermon and education series in early 2022 focused on sex and sexuality. With a variety of perspectives, sermons will engage biblical texts and help us have more conversations about topics that we too often ignore: the goodness of the body and sex, the challenge of making good choices and building healthy relationships. Worship is at 9:00 and 11:00. Each Sunday at noon, we’ll have a “sermon talk-back” gathering for questions and conversation. Visit covenantmadison.org for full sermon series titles (link is under "Next Sunday" section of home page).
 
Sunday morning Adult Education classes (click) at 10:00 will help us understand gender and sexual identity, encourage more conversation with children and grandchildren, recognize and respond to sexual trauma, and more. Join us in person or online for this six-week series. Feel free to invite a friend. 
Fall Generosity Campaign Continues

The Fall Generosity Campaign asks people to support Covenant’s ministry with their time, talents, and treasures. If you have not yet gotten your pledge in, please do so soon.

Here is a quick snapshot of where we currently stand financially as of 12/22/2021:
2022 Campaign: 209 pledges = $932,571
2021 Campaign: 203 pledges = $894,270
2020 Campaign: 219 pledges = $926,797
COVID Safety
We continue to have in-person worship. To be as safe as possible, the entire left side of the sanctuary is now socially distanced seating, with every other pew taped off. We are also asking people to sing quietly to limit germ spread.

Masks required for all people, regardless of vaccination status.