Last Sunday was our first in-person worship service since March 2020, and it was wonderful. Click on the photo to see more photos.

June 27 ***NOTE: The 9:00 service on each 4th Sunday of the month will be held in the parking lot. The 10:30 service will be held in the sanctuary.

Online worship videos will continue to be offered. Read our guidelines for in-person worship HERE. A Family Worship Bag will be available for families with children aged 3 years to 5th grade.

A 32 year-old man named Robbie went for a boat ride with his brothers and some friends at a lake in Washington state late last month. They had a rainbow flag on their boat. Suddenly, another boat was circling them aggressively, shouting about “gays," with one passenger holding up her middle finger.

When I read about this and watched the video, I thought of two things:

I’m glad to be part of a denomination (the Presbyterian Church USA) which welcomes LGBTQ people.

And I’m proud to be part of Covenant, where the first openly-gay pastor was ordained in a PCUSA congregation in 2011, about 16 months before I became your pastor. Rev Scott Anderson had been serving the Wisconsin Council of Churches and had been an active part of Covenant for years, and now he is pastor of Westminster Presbyterian, not far from Covenant. Click on the photo of Scott to read about this historic day.

In Matthew 25:31-46, we read how Jesus encourages his followers to feed hungry people, to share possessions with poor people, to visit people in prison. Throughout his ministry, Jesus prioritized caring for “the least of these”—the people who are too often forgotten, ignored, mistreated.

For many years, the Christian church has justified and led persecution and dehumanization of LGBTQ people. Gradually we are learning more about God's all-encompassing love.

We live in divisive times, and people are angry and weary and bitter about a variety of social and political issues. Arrogance, snarkiness, or self-righteousness aren’t going to help us.

My hope and prayer is that as a follower of Jesus, I can be compassionate to everyone, especially those who have been ostracized, and that when confronted with evil or injustice or bigotry, I can find ways to “overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12.21)

On the journey together,

Charlie

Join Pastor Jeff for a Zoom Cook-Along on June 24 at 5:30 pm! The Recipe of Honor will be Kim Huff’s “Couscous Yumminess” (p.46).

Visit covenantmadison.org/cookbook or click the photo to get cooking!

Support the GatherX community and enjoy brunch! Brunch options include Country Breakfast or Veggie Frittata. Want to add a little sweet or a little savory? Add on a Belgian-Style Liege Waffle or Bacon...or both! Take your brunch home or enjoy it in the local park and church grounds. Click here to place your order by Friday June 11!

100% of all proceeds from BBQ plate sales will go to support GatherX. Rooted in downtown Madison, Wisconsin, GatherX is an organization seeking to build intentional relationships and meaningful community for young adults. We do this by creating inclusive, safe spaces for individuals to find connection — to each other, to resources, and to our city. We are united under commonly held beliefs of authenticity, diversity, and our shared vulnerability, striving to engage in spiritual matters and lasting community. See the Facebook Event announcement here.

Presbywheelians Ride Again on July 17^th!

Members of Covenant Presbyterian, Pres House, and other Presbyterian denominations have been putting together teams for Bike 4 Boys & Girls Club since 2012. In total we have raised $72,441 for the charity. We will be fielding another team for the ride at McKee Farms Park in Fitchburg on July 17^th.

There are many options for participating in this event. You can register for an 8-mile, 20-mile, or 50-mile bike ride, or for a 2-mile walk/run or a 5-mile run. Register HERE (classy.org/team/354312 ) and make sure you're joining the Presbywheelians team.

Not comfortable with large groups just yet? Pastor Jeff will lead a smaller group that same day on a more socially-distanced ride or walk through the UW Arboretum. Contact Jeff for more details. (jfoxlkine@covenantmadison.org)

To raise awareness for the ride, as well as for issues of racial justice in Madison, there will be a pre-event 50 mile walk on Saturday, July 10^th. The walk will start and end at the Sun Prairie club and touch every Boys & Girls Club property in Dane County. Steve Whayland and Eric Girard will be representing the Presbywheelians and Covenant Presbyterian on the walk. Others are welcome to join for all or part of the walk. Contact Steve Whayland (swhayland@tds.net) or Eric Girard (ericdavidgirard@gmail.com) for more information.

There's a whole lot of shrubs shrouding the view of our church from Mineral Point Road. Beginning at 8:00 am on Saturday, June 26, we are planning a work day at the church to work on removing those shrubs! We are calling this "the great unveiling" because we want our church to be seen in all of its glory. Please come on out to help, and contact Rosemary Jones if you have any questions!