Covenant News February 2026

Covenant News

Presbyterian Church USA

United Church of Christ

February 2026

Pastor Letter

by Rev. Rob Mark, Lead Pastor

Happy Spring!!!

Hmmm, is my calendar off? As the low point tonight in Boston is below zero, this is a fair question. I should rephrase: Happy Imbolc! “Beannachtaí na Féile Bríde ort”—Blessings of St. Brigid’s Day upon you. The Celtic festival of Imbolc on February 1 lines up with both the feast day of Saint Brigid and the first day of spring awakening (halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox—the mid-point of winter). While the etymology of Imbolc remains unclear—it emerges from Gaelic and old Irish roots that come from “in the belly”—describing a time of year when the sheep’s milk begins to come. Saint Brigid is both a pre-Christian beloved Celtic goddess, and a 5th century beloved Christian saint—who rivals Patrick as the most famous saint of Ireland. And as was so often the case as Christianity spread, her story reveals synchronistic connections with pagan roots. We can envision the complex intertwining of a Celtic knot suggesting a complex, mystical origin story where legend and historicity blur.

Pre-Christian ancient Celts looked to their goddess Brigid to help provide fertility for fields, sheep, cows, and human mothers; and protection for all bodies of water. When one thinks of Brigid, one envisions fire. In Kildare (her place of birth) reaching back into Druidic times, a perpetual sacred fire was kept to invoke Brigid to protect flocks and ensure fruitful harvests. This fiery goddess already stood for wisdom, poetry, healing, therapy, metallurgy, and the hearth.

These attributes then carried over into the Christian Celtic Saint Brigid, who some scholars theorize may have begun her life as the last high priestess of the goddess, before conversion to Christianity. She became known as the “midwife of Christ,” the “the foster mother of Jesus,” and “Mary of the Gaels.”

Friends, we need Saint Brigid this year perhaps more than ever. As we face not only these frigid temperatures keeping the snow still foot-plus deep all around, but also the immoral and cruel practices of ICE all around—we need some holy fire. Our cold toes and fingers need warming. And far more so, our Jesus-infused desire for justice longs for embodied evil to go up in smoke. So this February, let’s remember Brigid. That daughter of a pagan Scottish king and a Christian Pictish enslaved woman, who was from her childhood filled with a generous spirit of compassion and radical hospitality, especially for the poor. Her father decided she needed to be married off as her excessive generosity to the poor was rapidly draining the finances of his homestead. She reportedly gave away his prized jeweled sword to a visiting beggar so that he could provide food for his family. However, Brigid boldly rejected her father’s plans to marry her off, and instead, founded a double monastery for nuns and monks in Kildare, named “Church of the Oak,” at the same location previously sacred to her divine namesake. Brigid and her nuns kept a perpetual fire burning there as a symbol of radical hospitality to the poor, and radical devotion to God.

Let’s be like Brigid, make our own way against the powers that be, and do all we can to kindle warmth by “following Jesus in our world through accompaniment, compassion, peace, joy, and creative beauty” (COTC Vision Statement). Let’s find encouragement in each other by coming together on Sundays this month to celebrate: God’s guiding us through another year at our Annual Meeting Potluck; the power of solidarity as we walk in the Winter Walk to end homelessness; the mystery of Transfiguration; and the beginning of Lent with a soon-to-be-revealed original theme.

May we find inspiration from Brigid to weather the cold. And may we remember that Jesus calls us to be the salt of the earth (and salt melts ICE) and the light of the world (fire also melts ICE—and welcomes the stranger).

With Brigid, we would like Jesus to be present,

Rob

Climate Jubilee Team Update

by Betty Southwick & Barbara Darling

The next Climate Jubilee all-church read conversation will be Wednesday, February 25, from 6:30 to 7:30 pm, over Zoom. We’ll be discussing Bill McKibben’s book Here Comes the Sun. Bill talks about the Solar Revolution and the spirituality of knowing that God will take care of us—just as the sun warms us every day. Click here for the Zoom link (it will also be sent just before).

Also, we may be in the midst of winter now, but we’re already planning our Spring Equinox celebration for Friday, March 20, at 6:30 pm, at our beloved Fiedler Dock!

And the Climate Jubilee Team, along with BICA (Boston Interfaith Climate Allies), is making plans to celebrate Earth Day on Sunday afternoon, April 19, with another large interfaith outdoor rally. We’ll keep you posted!

Villages in Partnership Friendship Trips

by Trudi Veldman

As a church partner, Covenant supports Villages in Partnership’s work to provide our brothers and sisters in Malawi with the tools to lift themselves out of extreme poverty. VIP invites you to join one of their upcoming trips to Malawi and to connect with people in the community firsthand.

Meet, work, and worship with our friends, sharing blessings and burdens. Contact Trudi Veldman (trudi.veldman@gmail.com) or click here for more information.

News from the Pews

compiled by Linda Pursley

Jan Gough shared the following invitation and news: “If anyone plans on seeing the Broadway National Tour of Suffs at the Emerson Colonial Theater March 17-29, I encourage you to stop at the stage door and greet my daughter, actor-singer Marya Grandy. She plays the second lead, Carrie Chapman Catt, in this powerful, timely show about the US Women’s Suffrage Movement during the Wilson era. Hillary Clinton was one of the original producers and it won Tony Awards in 2024 for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score. They have partnered with League of Women Voters groups around the country to promote voter registration and education.”

Barbara Darling got to take a trip of a lifetime to New Zealand and Australia in January. She saw gorgeous waterfalls and spectacular mountains in New Zealand, and even many sites where the Lord of the Rings trilogy was filmed.

In Australia, she snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef, went careening through a tropical rainforest in a cable car, saw the post-sunset parade of Little Penguins on Phillip Island, and saw three koalas and one kangaroo enjoying life in the wild. She also visited two animal sanctuaries. At Moonlit Sanctuary, caring staff affectionately provide haven for animals who can’t return to the wild because they’re injured or had become too acclimated to humans. Barbara got to feed wallabies and pet a koala named Frosty. She also visited Edgar’s Mission Animal Sanctuary, where compassionate staff and volunteers lovingly meet all the needs—social and emotional and physical—of 350-400 pigs, goats, donkeys, sheep, cows, chickens, turkeys, and mini-horses.

Under the Mango Tree

by Tim Groves

This column is a monthly sharing of stories from our sister church community, Dulce Nombre de Jesus, in northwest Nicaragua.

As we have written in earlier Mango Tree articles in 2025, we had a wonderful in-person delegation to Nicaragua last winter and much more recently on October 1, we had a shared Evening Prayers Service on Zoom with Newton Presbyterian, Covenant, and Dulce Nombre.

Below is a photo of the gathered community for the October 1 Evening Prayers in Migdalia’s house in Dulce Nombre, facilitated by Eduardo and Luis visiting with the village and by Memo from his home in Maryland.

Given this new reality of connecting virtually between Boston and Nicaragua, our Nica Companions group is exploring with the village and Entre Culturas the possibility of Direct Formation sessions to explore our mutual faith journeys and learning. Such learning together has always been the basis of our hermanamiento. If we could learn how to participate virtually, what a great advance!

Of course, we rely on Entre Culturas to facilitate such Formations, and they have asked us at Covenant and those in Dulce Nombre what topics may be most meaningful. Entre Culturas has learned from both communities and is proposing one of the following areas of joint learning: components of Reflection on the Word, the Liturgical Year, or Climate Change. Their motivation as always is to help to build both communities.

Covenant supports our hermanamiento through our Mission and Advocacy budget, with a big focus on supporting in-person visits, community to community. We at Nica Companions are excited to realize that such support could now include virtual visits. In particular, we do not anticipate being able to plan an in-person visit in 2026, planning instead to have such a visit sometime in 2027. But a virtual visit for Formation could be possible. We have asked Entre Culturas if they have the capacity to take on arranging such Formations and what financial support from Covenant’s budget would be needed. As always, Entre Culturas can arrange to keep costs remarkably low, since they are motivated to sustain this community-to-community relationship. They have estimated that they can afford to lead a virtual Formation session for $410. Clearly such costs can be covered through Mission and Advocacy support, and we are all excited to see how planning can advance. Stay tuned for specific dates and times. Nica Companions will share with the whole Covenant community specific times and dates for these Formation sessions. We welcome all interested to join. Perhaps you too will find such methodology to be important in your spiritual journey.

On a related topic, Nicaragua Companions are holding our annual Soup Sale to share the delicious soups that many of us make, donate, and sell to support our hermanamiento. Karen Henry is organizing us, and we will have Order Forms to pass out at our Annual Meeting after worship on February 1. For those who would like to order soup online, please look for links in our upcoming bulletins or email Karen Henry, Kathy Bull, or Debbie Howland. Thanks especially to the fifteen folks at Covenant who have volunteered to make soup.

Council Report

by Harry Forsdick

January 2026 Meeting

The new year began with an active and hope-filled start for Church of the Covenant. Across two January Council meetings—on January 13 and 20—Council members reflected on ministry highlights, prepared for the upcoming annual meeting, and made key financial and missional decisions as we continue to live into our Braiding Jubilee five-year plan (2025–2030).

Celebrating Ministry and Community Life

The Council opened in prayer and reflection, grounding discussions in gratitude for the energy and compassion within our congregation. Pastor Rob Mark and Rev. Joshua Lazard shared updates on ministry life:

Digital Ministry: New connections continue as the church refines its approach to online worship and outreach.
Lenten Planning: Two meetings held so far, exploring “ExChange” as a possible theme.
Climate Workshop: Rev. Joshua represented the congregation at Harvard’s climate change symposium, linking advocacy to our ongoing work with Boston Interfaith Climate Action (BICA).
Pastoral Care & Fellowship: December was marked by strong pastoral support and programs, including the Life Alive Saturday Bible Study and a lively Life Alive dinner with nine attendees.

Worship, Learning, and Spiritual Growth

Worship planning remains vibrant, with approval to celebrate Communion on the first and third Sundays each month and on key holy days (Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, Easter, Pentecost, and Blue Christmas).

The Children and Youth Committee reported that Godly Play continues to attract families, and January’s Epiphany celebration was a joyful highlight, ending with a procession that brought light to every corner of the church.

Our Climate Jubilee Team hosted a Winter Solstice celebration on the Arthur Fiedler Dock, braving the cold to read poetry and share gratitude for creation. The next All-Church Read on February 25 will focus on Bill McKibben’s Here Comes the Sun—and McKibben himself is expected in Boston this April to honor Earth Day.

Leadership and Council Changes

As we approach the Annual Meeting on February 1, the Council expressed appreciation for outgoing members, including Deacons Alicia Bull and Dan Evans, and Council member Karen Henry.

Financial Stewardship and Mission Alignment

Treasurer Faith Perry presented updated 2025 financials and the draft 2026 budgets. Despite budgeted challenges, the church ended 2025 with a $4,000 surplus, driven by higher income and prudent spending.

At the special meeting on January 20, Council reaffirmed the Braiding Jubilee Missional Plan and reviewed how best to align it with next year’s budget. Key actions included:

Approving the 2026 Operating and Building Budgets for presentation at the annual meeting.
Transferring an additional $30,000 from the investment portfolio to reduce the deficit from $70,000 to 40,000.
Committing to explore ways to “right-size” staff costs with mission goals—through potential adjustments in COLA increases, staffing hours, or portfolio draws.

Other highlights from January include:

Per Capita Renewal: Council approved a 2026 per capita payment of $59 per member.

Upcoming Events:

Annual Meeting (February 1) – featuring a potluck and hybrid format.
Ecclesiastical Council for Kat Woodard (January 26, Somerville).
All-Church Read (February 25).
Earth Day Gathering (April 19).

The Council also voted to call a congregational meeting on March 29 to respond to the proposed call agreement for the Associate Pastor.

Throughout the January discussions, a consistent thread wove through all business: gratitude for the creativity, compassion, and resilience of the Church of the Covenant community. From celebrating the Epiphany light to advancing climate-focused faith action, the congregation remains rooted in both care and courage as we begin another year of shared ministry and witness.