Covenant News January 2026

Covenant News

Presbyterian Church USA

United Church of Christ

January 2026

Pastor Letter

by Rev. Rob Mark, Lead Pastor

You indeed O God, are my rock… ~Psalm 31:3

Dear Friends,

Happy, blessed New Year!

In this awakening new rounding of the Sun, I’ve been thinking a lot about land. Fresh off the story of Jesus emerging from not only Mary’s Womb, but a Palestinian Cave with a specific latitude and longitude–a sacred nativity story many celebrate with trees and greens taken (hopefully with gratitude and respect) from Northeastern Forests–our Christmas story is deeply place-based. And now, on the cusp of this year, as the criminally corrupt Administration “running” of our United States illegally grabs land from beloved Venezuela (as we know, this is not about drugs, but imperial distractive, extractive power, primarily linked to geology = land, gold, oil)–we are brought to reflect:

• How does our spirituality link us to land?

• What role does place play in our faith?

• What does it mean to follow Jesus (the one who prayed “on earth as it is in heaven”)–on earth?

Jesus is the one who climbs up a small mount to offer a new sermon to those who would follow: “Blessed are the meek, for you will inherit the earth.”

How does the word “meek” feel like to you? Where does it land?

Does it feel weak? Does it feel unimportant? Fleeting? Nothing?

I wonder if this what Jesus meant by it.

For if so, how could someone who is weak-meek-nothing inherit that which is so significantly everything?

Maybe he meant something different. Maybe more akin to gentle? Maybe more akin to humble? Maybe more akin to humus-of-the-earth, putting others first? In my experience, those who put others first are much stronger than those who put themselves first. The contrast couldn’t be more stark right now between Jesus of the Earth, and Billionaire Authoritarians of the USA. And a very helpful spiritual directive as we plunge into 2026.

I doubt I am alone in the daily headlines of cruelty spewing from what seems like our increasingly irrational, frightened corrupt “president” still land. I find it so easy to be triggered into anger by it all. And so, I crave this new year the enjoiner of the psalmists to see God as rock. God as land. God as place. God as ground who invites us to join Them right down here. Here and now. Not up in the thrones of power over others. But down here in the humility of it all. Together, as meek ones. Ready to inherit the very earth we join in solidarity with now.

So, Sun-Rounders in place, let’s dedicate the next 365.25 days (plus or minus) to being meek with Jesus. May we land together in the wake of Nativity’s humble power. The story of the one born into poverty in a forgotten cave corner of the land–the story of the one who will change everything. Not by powerful land-grabs and cruelty but by a bold new vision of jubilee. This year–may each step; each walker or cane placed; each wheelchair roll; each breathe, each thought, each prayer, each intention, each tear, each smile–may each moment be met with gratitude for the land upon which these actions unfurl. The land that grounds us. The land that loves us like God. God our rock. God our land. God our dirt-y, soil-y, sand-y, refuge.

And may we commit ourselves once again to the ways of Jubilee that focus our worship and work so that all who are displaced from the lands that divinely hold them find justice and refuge, emancipation, and liberation. Less refugees–more refuge. Less cruelty, more compassion.

In peace – still – on earth,

Rob

P.S. – And here are some helpful prayer & action steps along the way:

January 6: Prayer Rally for America, 8:00 pm. Click here for more information.

January 24: Change the Name of Faneuil Hall Community Led Hearing, 2:00 pm, Grove Hall Public Library. Click here for more information.

Each Wednesday 11:00 am-1:00 pm, Bearing Witness Prayerful Rallies, Burlington. Click here for more information.

Climate Jubilee Team Update

by Betty Southwick & Barbara Darling

The Winter Solstice (photos below) was celebrated on the Fiedler Dock on Sunday evening, December 21. Despite the brutal wind and cold, fifteen people gathered to watch the beautiful sunset and to share poems and readings celebrating our sun.

Our next ALL-CHURCH READ is Wednesday, February 25, 6:30-7:30 pm, via Zoom (after Evening Prayers). We are trying a new time as our Sundays are full and several have said that the time doesn’t work for them. The book is 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–the sun warming us every day. Buy the book or take it out of the library.

At the last BICA meeting, the group learned that Bill McKibben has agreed to come to Boston on Sunday, April 19, to honor Earth Day. So save that date! Details need to be confirmed, but the group is excited about a possible gathering on the Common with all our faith communities, and we will discuss that at our next BICA meeting in January. More details to follow!

Sacred Reckonings Team Update

by Christine James

The Sacred Reckonings Team wants the Covenant community to know that we will have a day-long retreat on February 4, 2026, at Betty Southwick’s home in Jamaica Plain. Thank you, Betty, for hosting us!

One of our key goals for the retreat is to prepare the topics for our regular Sacred Reckonings Spiritual Education sessions for 2026. With that in mind, we invite anyone with questions or concerns or curiosities about the Sacred Reckonings process and curriculum to send your thoughts to our Chair, Kathy Bull (kaxianna@yahoo.com), no later than February 1, so we can include your ideas in our retreat agenda. Perhaps you have questions about the concepts and ideas that the Sacred Reckonings team has shared with the Covenant community via previous Covenant News articles or our many Spiritual Education sessions over the past few years. Or maybe you have thoughts on the Sacred Reckonings themes of White-Settler Colonizer churches, the “petals” on the Reparatory Eco-Map--Truth-telling, Spiritual Practice, Relationship, Political, Wealth Return (see illustration below)—or the Boston Peoples Reparations Commission’s “10 Demandments” that we shared in our December 2025 Spiritual Ed. session and our team’s response to that document. (By the way, we’ll share more on this at our January Spiritual Ed. after worship on Sunday, January 11—please attend!) We are open to anything you’d like to share with us. As mentioned above, please send your ideas or questions to us via our Chairperson, Kathy Bull, no later than February 1 so we can add them to our February 4 retreat agenda. We’ll be sure to report back to everyone on the outcome of our retreat!

The Sacred Reckonings Team: Kathy Bull, Betty Southwick, Holly

Humphreys, Rev. Rob Mark

News from the Pews

compiled by Linda Pursley

Diane Lauber Doherty shared this photo of her sons, Jon and Josh, finally flying together in Charleston, SC, where Josh lives and where Jon drove up to from Melbourne, Florida, for the holidays. Diane and her husband Jim were happy to also be in Charleston to spend a week with them both!

In December Mark Huston and Nancy Stockford held their annual “Gingerbread House Extravaganza” with about 30 people making gingerbread houses. The photo below shows Mark and Nancy’s Wizard of Oz creation, complete with the yellow brick road made out of yellow M&Ms, Dorothy’s house on a fondant tornado, and the Emerald City made from green rock candy.

Under the Mango Tree

by Diane Lauber

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

Purísima

Every year, Nicaragua celebrates La Purísima on December 7, a unique celebration of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary. You can read about Rick Steve’s experience of it here, and in new news, you can learn about why it’s celebrated in Nicaragua in this fascinating Wikipedia entry.

We wanted to share a few photos that were sent to us of the celebration in the Church of the Poor, our sibling church in Dulce Nombre de Jesus, Nicaragua. The church community organizes all year long to fundraise so that for La Purísima, they can give gifts to everyone who travels to the celebration from all the nearby communities. You can see in the photos that they are giving away big plastic buckets for all the households. The church was beyond packed, and people were waiting outside–all received. Children received candy, and the singing went on and on and on. Before this big event, there are multiple smaller events just for the community, hosted by different families.

Soup Sale!

Get your cooking muscles and/or your taste buds ready for the annual soup sale! At the Annual Meeting, on February 1, the Nica Companions will be taking orders for quarts of soup that will be lovingly made by our hands–and perhaps yours! Please contact Karen Henry at kams.henry@gmail.com to sign up. Otherwise, dream about soups from the past few years, and at the Annual Meeting you can sign up for many different varieties. This sale supports our sibling relationship with the Church of the Poor.

Council Report

by Anne Crane

December 2025 Meeting

At the Covenant Council meeting of December 9, Barbara Darling reported on the progress being made by the Environmental Ministries Team of the UCC’s Southern New England Conference as more churches are meeting the Green Congregation Challenge. She also talked about the Covenant Climate Jubilee Team’s recent activities, which included an all-church book read, hosting a meeting of the Boston Interfaith Climate Allies (BICA) and helping with the celebration of Solar Justice Sunday on November 23.

Karen Henry reported on the Advent activities for the children, including wreath making on November 30, plans for the instant Christmas pageant on December 21 and the focus in Godly Play on the way to Bethlehem.

Linghua (Ciara) Zhang, who has a small business on Newbury Street, came before Council with a request to join the church after meeting with Rev. Rob several times. After talking with her, Council wholeheartedly approved a motion to accept Ciara for baptism and full membership. The sacrament of baptism was scheduled to be celebrated during worship on December 14.

Council also endorsed the request of the Mission and Advocacy Committee to designate the Christmas Eve offering to the Boston Immigration Justice Accompaniment Network.

Much time was devoted to discussing the draft Financial Report for 2025 and the draft 2026 Operating Budget, including the proposed 2026 Personnel Budget. It was noted that fewer than half of the per capita payments for 2025 have been received, and Harry Forsdick offered to draft a reminder to send to the congregation. It was still too early to estimate the size of the deficit in 2025, but the draft Operating Budget for 2026 shows a significant deficit. It was agreed that the January 13 stated meeting of Council will be used to discuss the final 2025 Financial Report and propose a 2026 budget to be voted on by the congregation at the February 1 annual meeting. In addition, a motion was passed to call a special meeting of Council on January 20 to discuss what it means to match the budget with Covenant’s missional plan. Motions were also passed to approve housing allowances for Revs. Rob Mark, Kate Carlisle, and Joshua Lazard.