Covenant Lutheran Church
Newsletter June 2010
  
CovenantGlass-1.jpg

Covenant Lutheran Church

4202 Hickory Road

Temple, Texas  76502

254-773-7718

Email covenatlutheran@hot.rr.com

 

 

From the Desk of the Pastor

Greetings in the name of the Risen One,

As summer approaches many of us are making travel plans.  Some of us will go to the mountains to beat the heat of summer; others will travel to see family and friends.  These journeys will be an exciting time of seeing new things and reconnecting with distant friends and relatives.  Our summer lectionary encompasses much of Jesus’’ first journey in his public ministry.  His journey through Galilee toward Jerusalem to preach, teach and perform “signs” that the Kingdom of God has come near to reconcile broken humanity back to God.  On this journey we see Jesus shows God’s favor for the lowly and widow’s son, a woman called a sinner, and a man possessed by demons.  All were on the margins of life; all received new life through their encounter with Jesus.

As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem we also discover the difficulties of discipleship.  Two would-be disciples are not able to follow Jesus wholeheartedly and turn back to only life they knew.  After this we find Jesus sending out the seventy and reminding them that they and the message of God’s Reign could be accepted or reject as they were on their mission.

During Jesus’ journey he taught the marks of discipleship; loving others; listening to and learning from Jesus; prayer, giving and generosity; watchfulness for God’s return; healing and liberation; humility. 

We the body of Christ known as Covenant Lutheran Church is also on a journey of discipleship and discovery.  On this journey we need to hear the voice of Jesus spoken to us through the Holy Spirit.  On Pentecost Sunday we learned that Jesus’ work continues through us guided by the Holy Spirit.  As our Transition Team continues its work among us they too are on a journey of discovery.  This journey will show them and us that the mission of Covenant is still being created and lead by the Holy Spirit.  Pray for them, listen to them, and support them by telling them you understanding of what God is leading us to do in proclaiming the Reign of God is near. 

Peace

Pastor Terry

President’s Ponderings

cov·e·nant [kuhv-uh-nuh nt]

–noun 1.  an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.
3.  Ecclesiastical: a solemn agreement between the members of a church to act together in harmony with the precepts of the gospel.

5. Bible:    a. the conditional promises made to humanity by God, as revealed in Scripture.    b. the agreement between God and the ancient Israelites, in which God promised to protect them if they kept His law and were faithful to Him.

I looked up the word covenant in the dictionary this week, and this is what I found. I left out the two specifically legal definitions, but I wanted to share with you the regular and spiritual definitions of the word. Look at number three. That one just floored me. We think about God's covenant with us and we talk about it in church all the time, but I'm not sure how often we think about our covenant with one another. Yet it's so important, we include it in our name.

Does that mean we're going to get along and agree on everything all the time? Of course not, we're human. We have individual beliefs, expectations, desires...but we share something so strong that it must be what rules our lives, and that is our faith and our covenant with God and with one another. We need to remember that a covenant is not a one-way promise, but a two-way agreement. We all have responsibilities to honor the covenant. And when we do, God has promised us great things.

And I see those things beginning here now. The Transition Team* has hit the ground running and will be meeting every week for the next couple of months. I talked to Mack Freeman, chairman of the team, and he is excited and energized. Talk about answered prayer. I'd ask that you continue to pray for that group of people, and please remember that they will be talking to each and every one of you as we move forward. I ask that you share openly and candidly with them, and that we remember our covenant to one another.

I also ask that you remember the words "act together in harmony". Being a music person, that's the word that hit me the hardest. When we sing in harmony, we may not be chosen to sing our favorite part, we may not carry the melody, but it doesn't matter because all the parts together are what make the song rich and beautiful. Without harmony, it's just a little ditty. With harmony, it's a song. Music takes practice. We're going to hit a few wrong notes along the way. We'll have to work on our parts. It won't be easy. This is a pretty big thing we're working on. But with the Holy Spirit working in us and through us, we can do amazing things. (I had this whole thing I wanted to say about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit, but I think maybe I'll let Pastor Terry talk more about that in his sermons.) Please, let's work together to find the part we're being asked to sing, and together, we will lift a glorious song to God.
Jer. 31:31-34

31 "The time is coming," declares the LORD,
       "when I will make a new covenant
       with the house of Israel
       and with the house of Judah.

  32 It will not be like the covenant
       I made with their forefathers
       when I took them by the hand
       to lead them out of Egypt,
       because they broke my covenant,
       though I was a husband to them,"
       declares the LORD. 

 33 "This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
       after that time," declares the LORD.
       "I will put my law in their minds
       and write it on their hearts.
       I will be their God,
       and they will be my people. 

 34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
       or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
       because they will all know me,
       from the least of them to the greatest,"
       declares the LORD.
       "For I will forgive their wickedness
       and will remember their sins no more."

Peace,
Jen Jones

*Transition Team  

 Mack Freeman Chairman 

 David Domelsmith 

Billy Gray 

Charlotte Reemts 

 Brenda Sladek 

Pastor Terry 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

“Money Talks”
 from the Treasurer
Brothers & Sisters in Christ, 
May is coming to an end and we are now “officially” moving into the Summer season. Our Vision teams have been formed and leaders are hard at work training for the responsibilities they have accepted and I encourage everyone to be prayerful as you wait to be contacted for your input. Please ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in your responses and input so the momentum being generated can be sustained and we can quickly move into the process of forming a Call Committee to find our permanent pastor for the next step in our future at Covenant Lutheran. Pastor Terry’s time with us is quickly coming to a close so we need to be diligent and keep moving towards our end goal of having our new pastor in place as the year 2010 closes. It will be upon us before we know it! I also would ask that even though we have no clue at this point in time “who” that individual may be that you begin to pray not only for wisdom and discernment for our members and Call Committee but also that God will begin to prepare that individual who He chooses to lead us in the next step in our history as a church. God knows the plans He has for us and we need to keep that individual in our prayers daily, even before we know who they are. The future of our church will be determined by what we put into the process of selecting our next pastor and there is no more powerful weapon at our disposal than prayer. And in our prayers we should keep in mind that we are asking for whoever God has chosen and His will, rather than what we want. He has brought us this far and will not abandon us if we keep our eyes on Him. As we approach the close of May, we once again look to come up significantly short of budget for the month but remain on track for our yearly goals. If you have fallen behind in your pledge and have the ability to make up some of the lost ground at this time, it would be greatly appreciated. If you are unable to do so, we will keep you in our prayers that better times await you and we look forward to our continued worship with you on Sundays. 
God bless,
 Gary Lamb

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Women’s News
Save the date: June 15 6:30 PM Men's appreciation dinner.  Sign up and come enjoy a delicious home cooked meal. Theme "Mom's Sunday Cooking".  Let the women of the church express their thanks for all you do.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

FAMILY PROMISE

will be the week of June 13-19. 

Covenant will be responsible for hosting the families on Monday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 16.

We need help with food, hosting (visiting), and spending the night at First Lutheran.  Presently there are seven people in the program:  three mothers

and four children.  A sign-up chart is on the bulletin board in the Narthex.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Prayer Corner
The theme of prayer has been lifted up in our scripture readings this spring.  As disciples who strive to follow Jesus Christ, how do we call upon God in prayer to help us live as disciples on a daily basis?  How does God’s word compel us to pray?  What do we include in our prayers?  Do our regular prayer routines need to be revisited and given new life?  How is the Holy Spirit infusing vitality into our spirits through our prayers?These questions were posed on the Daily Discipleship discussion sheet used by the Grace Growers at a recent Wednesday meeting.  Pondering these questions, I was reminded that our ELCA church body has an intercessory prayer network of congregations and prayer groups (ELCA and others) across the United States and the Caribbean who have agreed to pray for those prayer requests collected on the ELCA Prayer web site.
How does it work?
The ELCA prayer web site is designed to collect prayer requests online. Once a prayer request is made, the online manager responds directly and/or e-mails the prayer requests to the contact persons of some of the Prayer Network congregations. (Due to the large volume of prayer requests, not all congregations are contacted with every request, but every prayer request receives prayer.)

Only the contact person from your congregation will be e-mailed prayer requests. It will be up to the congregation’s contact person to forward the prayer requests to your prayer group.

Interested?
Is your congregation or prayer group interested in being part of a growing intercessory prayer network where your prayers can impact the lives of people all over the world? If so, please submit your registration to join the ELCA Prayer Network and you will receive prayer concerns. Your congregation or prayer group is simply asked to lift these prayer requests each day for 1 week.As Covenant’s prayer coordinator, I am willing to be the contact person who receives the ELCA requests.  This can be sent to the present intercessors who receive the congregation’s prayer requests, or it can be another group.  The choice is yours.  Ask the Holy Spirit to help you expand your prayer life.  We can be a congregation of the ELCA Prayer web site.  It’s up to you!Another suggestion to expand your prayers is to use the Covenant Church Directory to pray for each one by name.  A revised directory will be available soon.  The early church was diligent in prayer and signs and wonders were a result.  How about us?  Can we expect the same?Prayerfully, Pat Dalrymple, 742-1029; psalm146two@att.net
 __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grace Growers Summer Bible Study
will meet in the Craft Room at Country Lane Apartments2916 Country Lane Driveon Wednesdays at 10 am beginning June 3.Caroline Brown and Cora DrakeCountry Lane residents will host the group.Daily Discipleship from the ELCA Web sitewill be led by different Covenant members.Need a ride? Call the church office 773-7718
 __________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lutheran Women TodaySummer Bible Study

“Pray Always”
Saturday, June 26, 9 am to 1 pmCovenant women are invited to be guests of First Lutheran.  Location not yet confirmed. 
Save the date!! 

“Pray Always" is a three-session Bible study that explores three aspects of prayer.
Session One: Persistence; Luke 18:1-8
Session Two: Waiting with Patience and Hope; Isaiah 40:28-31
Session Three: Power; Ephesians 3:14-21

The study is written by the Rev. Gladys Moore, an ordained pastor in the
ELCA. For more than 22 years she served as an urban pastor in Jersey City
and Newark, N.J., and for 16 of those years she was also an assistant to the
bishop of the New Jersey Synod. Pastor Moore now serves as Dean of Religious
and Spiritual Life at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Mass.

Moore writes, "The goal of this study is to deepen our relationships with
God, ourselves and one another by attending to the Word and will of God for
our lives and our world. As we bring our authentic selves to these
studies--our hopes and dreams, our fears and failures, our histories and
cultural heritages, may we be reminded that each of our lives is indeed a
prayer, as Jesus lives and serves through us."

+ + + + +

 Covenant Adult Sunday School Class
 is invited to a complimentary Sunday Brunch at the Temple Meridian,
Sunday, June 13.
Make a reservation by June 11th with Pat Dalrymple, 742-1029.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mother’s Day Out

has wrapped up another successful year.  Summer sessions starts June 17. We will be doing units on Camping, Games and Sports. MDO will be open for day drop-ins as well as our full time registration during the summer.  We still have openings in the fall classes and; if you have not heard we will be providing KINDERMUSIK to our students in the fall. Stop by and see all the positive things happening at MDO.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

C.T.L.C.
Churches Touching Lives for Christ
702 W. Ave. G, Temple
Distribution Days
Tuesday’s 12:30 P.M.
Saturday’s 8:30 A.M.
 How you can help: Fifty to seventy client families are generally served on Tues. afternoons and Sat. mornings.  Wed. volunteers unload trucks, restock food and clothing areas, and fill grocery sacks for clients.       
          CTLC is requesting Covenant bring fruit juice – any kind, any size.  Donations can be brought to Covenant and put in the basket in the Narthex.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

June Eternal Candle Tributes
6th  In Praise for Billy & Joy Gray’s Anniversary
13th   In Memory of C.T. Winchester by the Tetzlaff’s
20th 
27th

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

June Anniversaries

Larry & Kathy Hennig

6/02/73
Billy & Joy Gray6/02/56
Marty & Tammye Baecker6/07/80

 
Brian & Carol Baker6/11/77
Jim & Connie McClaflin6/20/64
Rico & Amber Gauna6/23/07
Rachel & Andy Foraker

6/23/

 

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

June Birthdays

Pam Low

3rd
Charlotte Reemts3rd
Susan Domelsmith4th
Jennifer Jones6th
Cameron Obr6th
Samantha LaRue14th
Caroline Brown20th
Gus Gates27th
Cooper Bannon Rubich30th

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

New Births

Kathryn Louise Miles                        Benjamin Allen Longworth

May 11th                                             May 10th

5 lbs 10 oz     19 inches                      6lbs 15 oz    19 ½ inches

 Joins Parents                                                Parents

And big brothers                               Brent & Megan Longworth

Gavin, Ian, Dylan                                      Grandparents

  Grandparents                                       Greg & Deanna Gray

  Stephanie & David Fraser                     Great Grandparents

                                                                  Billy & Joy Gray

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Welcome New Member David Fraser

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Thank You
To my church family for the prayers, cards, and caring during my surgery and recovery.
God Bless all of you Erna Buckels

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

From the Desk of the PastorGreetings in the Name of the Christ Child,What a wonderful Advent and Christmas we experienced.  As the New Year begins we have been strengthened once again by the promise of God's loving presence in our lives.  It is this promise of comfort and hope by God's presence among us.  This truly is good news for us and our world as we continue our journey together in God's mission for us.  As this year begins we have hope as the Call Committee starts its work in discerning who God is calling to be our new resident pastor.  They will need our help in this process.  We need to lift them up daily in prayer, we need to be patient with the process, and respond to their requests in helping them discern our needs in pastoral leadership.  Karen, Nate and I want to thank you for the love and support you have shown us throughout the year.  We feel blessed that God has sent us to you during this time of transition, and look forward to being a part of your congregational life until a new pastor is called.            Finally, I want to thank all answered who , those who answered the call of God this past year in your acts of charity to the poor, displaced, and desperate in our community.  Those who prayed for us a the body of Christ, who participated and lead worship, attended bible study, taught Sunday School and just showed up for what ever needed to be done.  You are truly the hands and feet of Christ.  Amen! Amen!See you in Worship and life,Pastor Terry 

 Karen, Nate and I want to thank everyone for the Christmas cards, goodies special offering you gave us.  

___________________________________________________________________

President PonderingsPhilippians 2:1-4
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.

I read this passage this evening and immediately thought of the examples you all have shown of looking after the interests of others. The continued support of Churches Touching Lives for Christ and Family Promise, the donations and volunteers who helped with VA Bingo, the gifts given for the Tree of Hope, the Gifts for Grannies, the Crafts for Christ, gifts for soldiers; you all amaze me with your abundant generosity. And you inspire me. We may be small in number, but we are doing wonderful things with the power and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

I love the beginning of a new year, and I think the one to come is going to be an exciting one. Your Call Committee is already hard at work. Sadly, Carl Bozon has had to resign from the committee due to his hectic travel schedule for work. We knew that might be an issue going in, and I appreciate Carl being willing to try. Thank you, Carl.

The Call Committee and Council are at work on the congregational profile, the first step in the call process. As we complete our tasks, we will all keep you informed. Sid Frasier is the Communication Coordinator for the Call Committee, and I expect he will offer us frequent and informative updates as we move through the process.

We will be having a congregational meeting on January 30th. The agenda is, tentatively:
  • Annual reports of council members
  • Proposed budget
  • Report from the nominating committee and election of council members
  • Update from the call committee

If there are other items that need to be on the agenda, please let me know. In addition, we will not be voting on the budget at the January meeting. We will be providing three options for the budget based on calling either a part-time pastor, full-time but inexperienced pastor, or full-time pastor with experience. We will present all three, then ask you to prayerfully consider what we, as a congregation, should commit to. We will then meet again in February to discuss and vote on which option we will implement in 2011.

As always, if you have any concerns, please contact me or any other council member you feel comfortable conversing with.

I hope you all have a safe and happy Christmas and that the new year brings you joy and hope and laughter. Thank you for all your prayers, your gifts, and your hard work in being the hands and feet of God here in this place.
Peace,
Jen

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Call Committee Update
We have been continuously working together - in meetings and online - to address the very detailed paperwork Rev. Jane Mar needs completed. Our next meeting will include a revision of leadership roles among the committee as Carl Bozon has had to resign due to his work schedule. We so appreciate your prayers, cooperation and patience as we work through the process of finding Covenant's pastor.  May you have a blessed 2011!Call Committee- Resignation
Dear Jennifer Jones, Church Council & Call Committee,It is with great regret that I submit my resignation from the Covenant Lutheran Call Committee. One of my fears in volunteering for this assignment was the concern that my current job travels would not allow me the time needed to fulfill my committee responsibilities. This concern has now become very apparent to me and to the other committee members as they move forward in the process. The one good thing about discovering this now is that the committee is in the beginning stages of their findings. My departure will also allow the Committee Alternate to become more involved in the process early on.  I wish the Call Committee and the congregation much success in their endeavors to find our next Pastor.  I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Sincerely,

Carl M. Bozon

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Covenant Adult Supper Club What was previously the Adult Supper Club is now the Covenant Adult Supper Club and is hosting the first outing of 2011 at the Cotton Patch Café at 6:30 PM on Saturday, January 29.  Come join other members for an evening of fellowship and getting to know each other better.  Please sign up in the narthex so we will know how big a table to reserve. 

Desert will be shared afterward at the home of Kenny & Sheryl Yauk at 3702 Woodcrest in Temple.  Contact Kenny or Sheryl Yauk at 231-3286 for questions or reservations. 

_________________________________________________________________________________________________

The eleventh annual Temple Community Prayer Service for Christian Unity is Thursday, January 20 at 7:00 pm hosted by Christ Episcopal Church, 300 N. Main, Temple. The 2011 scripture theme is from Acts 2:42, “One in the Apostles’ Teaching, Fellowship, Breaking of Bread and Prayer.”  Prayer leaders from several Temple churches will participate in the service with host pastor Howard Castleberry convening.  An offering will be received to support the Salvation Army.  Service music will be led by Christ Church musicians. The Annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity begins January 18 and continues through January 25.  Begun in 1908, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity is celebrated each year in cities and towns across the country and around the world. Scripture/prayer guides for the week of Prayer for Christian Unity are available in the narthex. 11th Annual Christian Unity Prayer Service 7 pm Thursday, January 20, 2011  Christ Episcopal Church 300 North Main Temple, TX  

The service is hosted by Christ Episcopal Church, sponsored by the Central Texas Prayer Network and coordinated by Pat Dalrymple.

 

__________________________________________________________________________________________________