Weekly News & Updates

March 27, 2024

Holy Week Schedule

Maundy Thursday 3/28 with Communion - 7 PM

Good Friday 3/29 - Service of Darkness - 7 PM

Easter Sunday 3/31 - Worship & Breakfast @ 10 AM, followed by Egg Hunt and activities for children

There will be a Flower Cross at the entrance as you come into the building - please take moment to put some flowers into the cross frame before you enter! This is a symbol of the new life that emerged from Jesus' death on Good Friday.

Theme for Lent: Wandering Heart

We are using some special resources for Lenten worship called "Wandering Heart." The topic for Easter is "And I Hope." There are copies of a Lenten devotional available at the Welcome Desk.

Easter Egg Hunt Reminders

Covenant will be doing an Easter Egg Hunt again this year, following our Easter Sunday worship. We will offer a small craft activity as well, for the kids while they wait to hunt eggs. Join us for this fun family event!

Lent Service Project

Our Lent service project this year will be to increase our efforts to collect breakfast cereals, oatmeal and grits for MESA Outreach Food Pantry. We want to focus on feeding the hungry during the season of Lent. Our goal is to collect 4000 servings of breakfast foods, representing the families of Covenant, by Easter Sunday! We hope you will help us to do what we can to help those in need in our community! Update: Due to everyone's generous donations we have already smashed our goal! We currently have 4,273 servings collected for MESA! We would welcome any further donations on Easter, as our ongoing goal is to collect breakfast items for MESA throughout the year. THANK YOU!!!

Covenant Calendar for MARCH

View HERE

Covenant Calendar for APRIL

View HERE

Covenant Calendar for MAY

View HERE

Message from Pastor

In Between the Earthquakes

All three synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark and Luke – make one mention each of earthquakes in prophetic terms.

Something to the effect of, “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.”

But only in Matthew are there 2 other mentions of earthquakes.

Matthew 27 – when Jesus dies. And Matthew 28 – when Jesus is resurrected.

Matthew 27:50-51 says Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split.

I’m purposely leaving out the part where it says that when this happened – tombs were opened and dead people started walking around. Somehow the line between dead and alive became fuzzy for a while. I can’t explain it, but it seems clear that this earthquake marked some kind of turning point.

Matthew 28:1-2 says:

After the Sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb. 2 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

Another earthquake – ANOTHER UN-deceased person. In this instance, something so ontologically momentous has taken place that it causes a crack in the earth. It causes the very foundations of the ground to shake.

I wonder if you’ve experienced earthquakes in your life. I’ve lived a pretty charmed life, but I’ve had them. Days when the ground seemed to shake beneath me, and nothing would ever be the same.

When were your earthquakes? How did you fare?

Sometimes it was a eucatastrophe – a sudden unexpected turn for the better!

And other times I wasn’t sure how I was going to make it.

Some of you have been there. Some of you have felt like the seismic events in your life have opened up the earth and swallowed you straight to hell.

But in between the two earthquakes I just read to you about from Matthew – something equally weird, but just as fascinating was happening. On the day between his crucifixion and resurrection some people hold a vigil for the lifeless body of Jesus. Some people think Jesus was lying silently in the tomb. But that’s not what our creed says. That’s not what our scriptures say.

The Blood Center will be giving a free umbrella and coupon for a short stack of pancakes at IHOP to all who donate!

Blood Drive Coming to Covenant April 21

Mark your calendars for Sunday, April 21! Covenant will be hosting the Blood Center donor coach that Sunday morning in our parking lot. The need for blood donations to save lives is higher than ever. PLEASE plan to donate if you can! You may schedule your appointment ahead HERE or just drop in that Sunday between 8:30 am and 1:00 pm.

Lutherhill Day Camp - July 8-12

At Covenant!

Start making your summer plans now! Covenant has contracted with Camp Lutherhill to lead Day Camp at Covenant this summer, the week of July 8-12. Day Camp is for kids in completed grades K-5, and runs from 8:30 am - 3:00 pm. Last year's camp was a BLAST, so your kids won't want to miss out! Registration is now OPEN. Cost is $70 for the first child; additional siblings are $50 each. Remember: we have scholarship funds to help with the cost if needed - just let us know. We never want a child to miss camp because of cost!

NOTE: We will need adult and older youth volunteers for Day Camp - contact Marian Shelton if you'd like to help or need more information. Pastor JT has already volunteered to help with snacks during the week, but we need more help!!

Photos from Last Week (including volunteers fixing the back fence!)

Sunday, March 31, 2024

Easter Sunday

Worship & Breakfast at 10:00 am

Egg Hunt and Activities for kids following worship

Scripture Readings

Acts 10:34-43

Isaiah 25:6-9

1 Corinthians 15:1-11

Mark 16:1-8

If you cannot attend in person, join us by watching online via streaming on Covenant's Facebook Page.

Ongoing Ministries

MESA Outreach Food Pantry

Covenant is focused on bringing boxes of cereal (14 oz.) and small boxes of regular or instant oats/oatmeal and grits on an ongoing basis. Linda and Gene Lloyd deliver our donations to the food pantry once a month - thank you, Linda and Gene! These donations are increasingly needed and greatly appreciated by MESA and our community.

To volunteer for the monthly food distribution, scan the QR Code above to sign up.

Volunteer at MESA Food Pantry or the Monthly Food Distribution Days

As part of our support of MESA Outreach and their ministries, individual members of Covenant are encouraged to give of their time to help at the food pantry, stocking shelves, etc. or distributing food. To see the various opportunities all during the week and to volunteer at the food pantry, sign up HERE.

Grocery Givers Gift Card Program

Covenant has a program in which we request donated gift cards from the congregation (usually $30) from various grocery stores (or Walmart/Target) that we keep on hand for those in the community who need help, as well as for those in our congregation who may be going through hard times. Your donations are appreciated, as the needs have become greater in these economic times!

Thank You for your Offerings!

We want to express our gratitude to all those who are sending their offerings, either by mail to 2901 Barker Cypress Rd, Houston, TX 77084) or by electronic means. Your gifts are helping keep our ministry going! For easy access, CLICK HERE to get to the donation page of Covenant's website. If you have any questions, contact the Financial Secretary, Mary Pleasant.