Sunday, January 1

Worship at 10:00 am

In Bradfield Hall

Hello, Bailey-

Last December, I made a resolution for the new year. It was not about prayer, scripture, or anything specifically religious.

I resolved to be intentional about where I was placing my wallet, my keys, and my phone—having spent too much time looking for each over previous months. Now my phone and keys are on my right side pocket (pants or jacket) and my wallet is on the left side.

Happily the resolution “worked” (most of the time) and I’ve saved a decent among of time over the past 12 months, not having to search for those items.

I share this because most resolutions I’ve made over the years have not had such great results. Maybe a week or two, and then it’s back to old habits. Sound familiar?

How about we make a one-month resolution for 2023? The “success” of 2022 gives me hope for 2023.

Your word is a lamp to my feet

and a light to my path.

Psalm 119:105

I invite you to join me making a daily commitment to connect with God by reading the gospel according to Matthew in the month of January—a chapter a day for 28 days, to read all 28 chapters in Mathew.

We’re inviting the whole congregation to read Matthew over the first 28 days of the year. We’ve compiled a devotional to accompany the readings. Sign up here to get daily devotional via email, get the whole devotional as a pdf here, or pick up a hard copy at church.

When I make the time to reflect on God’s word, I am more focused and more peaceful. God’s word guides me and gives me strength. May 2023 be for you a year of focus, peace, and strength for all of us.

On the journey together,

Charlie

PS--Please note we have ONE SERVICE this coming Sunday, January 1, at 10:00 am, in Bradfield Hall. Come join us for a different sort of worship experience!

HAPPY 75th ANNIVERSARY!

Don and Marion Peterson celebrated 75 years of marriage on Tuesday, December 27. (Yes, you read that correctly: seventy five years!) Congratulations Petersons!!!

They have been part of Covenant for over 50 years, and they were in worship on Christmas Day, Sunday, December 25, when the photo here was taken.

Click on their photo to see a few other Christmas photos. We had three wonderful services on Christmas Eve with about 500 people total in the building; many folks were at home because of the weather.

10:00am (ONE service) In-person only (no livestream this week; sorry!)
Worship in Bradfield Hall
Receive an Epiphany Star! (more info below)
Holy Communion
Charlie Berthoud preaching on Matthew 1, "The Most Boring Chapter in the Bible"
Music from Ben Welch
Please note: there is no Sunday School, Kaleidoscope Kids, or Nursery care until January 8th.

If you missed a service or would like to watch a service again, all livestreamed services are saved to our YouTube channel. Or you can give the sermons another listen on our sermon podcast!

On the first two Sundays in January, we will celebrate Epiphany! Every year, we give out Epiphany stars to those that want one. These stars have words on them that will serve as a "mantra" for 2023. On January 8th in worship, we will hear from a few folks about what their word meant to them in 2022.

Read MATTHEW

in January

We invite you to read the gospel according to Matthew in January, and to help reflect on the gospel, we have a devotional written by church members, called “Hungry.” SUBSCRIBE NOW and you will receive daily emails beginning January 1st and through the month of January. Click HERE to read Pastor Charlie's preface to the devotional. Hard copies will be available in the New Year at church.

Congregational Meeting

Session has called for a congregational meeting on Sunday, January 8 at 10:00am for two items of business:

To hear and act on a report from the Nominating Committee on the seven candidates for our Associate Pastor Nominating Committee.
To hear and act on a report from Building & Grounds about ceding 115 sq ft of church property to a neighbor, after a fence was inadvertently installed on church property.

As part of our commitment to becoming a Matthew 25 congregation, the Adult Education Committee encourages members to consider participating in the Nehemiah Center for Urban Leadership Development’s Black History for a New Day course. This class will be offered on Monday evenings from 7:00-9:00pm via Zoom February 6-April 17. We will have a Covenant specific group and it will be lead by Jennifer Morgan.

Due to Covenant’s longstanding commitment to Nehemiah’s ministry as well as generous support from GMB, the cost for Covenant members will be reduced to around $125 and full scholarships are available for those who need one. Sign up HERE, and contact Jenny Von Bergen with any questions.

You can still fill out a commitment card if you haven’t had a chance. They are available in the office. You can also fill out your commitment card/form as well as serving survey on our Generosity Page. Here is a snapshot of where we currently stand financially:

Week of	Total pledged	Number pledges
12/21/2022	$960,439	202
12/22/2021	$932,571	209
2021 Totals:	$981,552	226

W encourage you to fill out a serving survey (click). The serving survey indicates your gifts/talents which helps us know how you want to get involved at Covenant.

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