RECONNECTING: Palm Branches, Donuts, Trombones, and Small Groups!
Greetings!
Yesterday, I got to visit a Covenant member in an assisted care facility for the first time in over a year, because of Covid. We talked about family, birds, sports, food, and church.

I will remember this person’s smile for a long time!
Covid has kept us apart from family, friends, co-workers, neighbors, classmates, and church people. With warmer weather and more vaccinations happening, we are slowly and carefully able to start reconnecting with people. I’m glad that I’ve been vaccinated, and if you haven’t I hope you can do so soon!

Reconnecting will be wonderful, but it will be challenging. I’ve heard people joke that they will need to learn how to have conversations again, but it’s not really a joke. Reconnecting will take intentionality, patience, and kindness.

Many of us are out of the habit of being with people, and some of us may have gotten out of the habit of staying connected with God.

With Holy Week upon us and warmer weather around us, we have several simple opportunities to reconnect with church people and with God:
  • Drive Thru Donuts, Devotions, and a Donkey with Palms: This Sunday, March 28 is Palm Sunday. Come enjoy a donut and get a palm branch and see Covenant friends--with masks on!

  • Easter Sunday Worship in the parking lot, at 9:30, 11:00, and 12:30. A trombone quintet is providing the music and we're sharing communion. It will be wonderful! But space is limited and filling up fast. You must sign up online or by calling the office. Info below.
  • Small groups of 6-12 people will meet via Zoom or possibly outdoors for six weeks, in April and May. These groups give us a chance to make and renew friendships and to grow together in faith—and they only last for six one-hour sessions. Sign up here or see below. 
In Jesus Christ, God came to connect with us and to call us to connect to each other.

In Holy Week, we follow Jesus through the disconnection of betrayal, denial, fear, and death.

Easter Sunday celebrates our renewed connection with God and each other--God’s triumph over sin and death, and God’s invitation to new life.
I hope to see you soon, and I look forward to reconnecting!

On the journey apart but together,
Charlie
Celebrate the Good News of Easter—in Person, in our Parking Lot!
Easter Sunday, April 4, at 9:30 am, 11:00 am, and 12:30 pm
 
With masks and distancing (and hopefully good weather!), we will gather with no more than 100 people in the parking lot area in front of the steps. Please bring your own chair if you can; some chairs will be provided.
This is NOT a sit-in-your-car service.

Worship features Easter brass, communion (safely prepackaged), and a short message from Pastor Charlie; the service will last less than 40 minutes. Easter bags will be passed out to children.

If you want to come, YOU MUST SIGN UP or CALL THE CHURCH OFFICE, so that we can plan for a safe gathering.
Space is filling up fast. We just added a 12:30 service.
Note we will also have our usual video worship service available on Easter. If possible, park on a side street or bike/walk to church. Limited parking available around the edge of the parking lot.
Palm Sunday, March 28
Drive-Thru Donuts, Devotions, & a Donkey with Palms
Drive, walk, run, or bike through the church parking lot between 10:30 and noon! We'll be passing out donuts and palm branches.

Maundy Thursday, April 1
Remembering the Last Supper (with Communion) Zoom Service at 7:00 pm
*Sanctuary open for quiet reflection from 12 noon until 4:00 pm

Good Friday, April 2
Tenebrae (service of shadows) readings and music, pre-recorded video worship with Westminster Presbyterian Church. You can also catch a Facebook Premiere of this service at 7:00 pm!
*Sanctuary open for quiet reflection from 12 noon until 8:00 pm

Easter Sunday, April 4
In addition to our usual pre-recorded worship service, we will be worshipping in the church parking lot at THREE different times: 9:30 am, 11:00 am, and 12:30 pm. Click button below for more details/to sign up!
*Open Sanctuary Reflection Time
On Maundy Thursday, April 1 from noon-4:00 pm and on Good Friday, April 2 from noon-8:00 pm, the sanctuary will be open for anyone who wants to spend 15-20 minutes in quiet reflection during Holy Week. No sign-ups necessary, but please remain masked and socially distanced.
Palm Fronds Coloring Page

Click the image to download an uncolored Palm Sunday coloring page from Illustrated Ministry!
Small Groups Beginning the Week of April 11

Starting the week of April 11, we will offer small groups at various days and times throughout the week. For six weeks your group will meet for friendship and to discuss the scripture passage from worship to accompany our sermon series "Learning Resurrection, Living Resurrection."

Click HERE to learn more and to sign up.
Join the Mercy Mats Small Group!

A mercy mat is a hand-crocheted bed roll made from reused plastic shopping bags. As part of the Adult Education Committee’s theme of Compassion: Giving of Ourselves, this group will meet from 1:30-2:30 pm on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, starting April 7, to sort, cut, and crochet strips of plastic into useful sleeping mats (for April we will also have a one-time session on April 14).

Over 700 bags per mat are needed! You don’t need to know how to crochet to participate. An instructor will be present at each meeting. Watch this video to see how the mats are made. Completed mats will be donated to our mission partners Friends of State Street and Porchlight.

If you’re interested, sign up HERE to:
  • attend one or more small group meetings—in person or virtually
  • collect, cut or ply plastic strips into balls of “plarn” at home
  • donate supplies

In-person attendance is limited and distancing guidelines will be followed. You can also join the group meetings on Zoom. If you prefer, contact one of us by email: Marty Slager, Polly Guequierre, Nancy McCulley
 
Note: We are not accepting donations of plastic bags at this time. As the group gets established, a collection area may be arranged in the future. You are welcome to collect bags and work on preparing plarn at home on your own time. Call one of the coordinators to arrange for finished plarn to be delivered or picked up.
Online workshop on April 13 designed to help Presbyterians embrace gender and inclusion

The PC(USA) is offering an online webinar on April 13 to address changing terminology and practices for making the church more welcoming. We'd love for you to join! Click here to learn more and to register.
One Great Hour of Sharing
PC(USA) Lenten Offering
 
Covenant supports the PC(USA)'s One Great Hour of Sharing Offering during the season of Lent. Each gift to One Great Hour of Sharing supports efforts to relieve hunger through the Presbyterian Hunger Program, promote development through the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People, and assist in areas of disaster through Presbyterian Disaster Assistance.
 
Click here to learn more, and click here to contribute! (Use the designation "One Great Hour of Sharing")
Youth Connection will be Zooming on Sunday, March 28

Middle School Youth Connection (grades 6-8) at 4:00
High School Youth Connection at 6:30

Youth Ministries Coordinator Steve Royalton has sent the link to families. Let’s see if anybody logs in while on the road for Spring Break!

We will not be meeting at all on Easter weekend.
Adult Ed Sunday, March 28:
The Bible Project Character of God Series

This class will be a follow-up to the February class on the Character of God series. You don’t need to have attended the first class to participate. Members of the Adult Ed committee will share videos and lead discussion.

This class will meet at 10:00 am via Zoom.
Worship for Sunday, March 28

  • Palm Sunday (Receive a donut and a palm branch at the Drive-Thru Donuts event!
  • Jeff Fox-Kline preaching on Mark 11:1-11, "From Sunday to Sunday"
  • Children's Time with Nick Von Bergen
  • Follow our blog to read Pastor Jeff's weekly reflections.

We'd love to see you at the Sunday morning

Let's keep growing the COVID offering!

Our Covid offering helps meet urgent needs in our community throughout the pandemic. Offerings shared in 2021 will benefit Porchlight, Friends of the State Street Family, and Cook It Forward Madison.

More info here:
Calling all lovers of food!

Covenant is compiling a COVID Quarantine Cookbook.
Visit covenantmadison.org/cookbook to learn more and to find the Google Form link for recipe submissions!

Deadline for Recipes: Sunday, May 2, 2021
We have eleven contestants in the women's tournament group. Entering into the Sweet Sixteen the top three brackets are:
  1. TJ Sargent
  2. Matthew Berthoud
  3. Bret Larget

On the men's side, we have 25 contestants. The leaders at this point are:
  1. TJ Sargent
  2. Karen Nelson
  3. Chris Gomez Schmidt

Yes TJ (the moderator of our Board of Deacons) is leading both groups. FWIW, Pastor Charlie is in 22nd place in the men's group. Check out the groups here: Women's group and Men's group