Covenant News
Presbyterian Church USA
United Church of Christ 
June 2022
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Pastor Letter
By Rev. Rob Mark, Lead Pastor
 
Dear Friends,
 
I find myself describing these days as splintered. Not in the “we are divided” kind of way – though we are – but in the shattering-that-causes-hurt-that-gets-inside-of-you kind of way. We know the sources: most recently on our hearts are the horrific, senseless, preventable-if-we-simply-turned-all-guns-into-plowshares massacres of beloved children and Black grocery shoppers. We lament. We rage.

In this, I offer no simple answers – but point to some voices and resources as we move along:

I conclude with the sharing of the memory of Covenant and Newton Presbyterian members coming together this past Wednesday for evening prayers as we both lamented, raged, and lifted up hopes together – we began and ended that prayer time focusing in on Irises. Their beauty. Their poetry. Their power.

Friends, as we press on in prayer, action, lamenting, raging – let’s keep looking to the flowers, and their Author,
Rob
Annual Meeting of the Southern New England Conference of the UCC
By Barbara Darling
 
The Southern New England Conference of the UCC is having its annual meeting virtually on June 18, 2022. Here is the link to learn more information and to register:
UCC Response to the Supreme Court's Leaked Comments about Roe v. Wade
By Barbara Darling
 
On May 3, The Rev. Traci D. Blackmon, Associate General Minister of the UCC for Justice and Local Church Ministries, wrote the following to the UCC:

"Dear Siblings,
In this moment when abortion rights are under assault, please know this: the United Church of Christ faithfully supported access to safe abortion before Roe v. Wade and we will faithfully support it now. This is not a draft for us. This is discipleship."
Tiffany News Nuggets from the 1890s
By Charlene James for the Building Committee

As we begin to open the doors and look around in person at our beautiful Tiffany sanctuary with its spectacular stained glass windows, we invite you to travel back in time to the 1890s. Newspaper and journal reports from the time bring a richness of detail—and opinion—about the stunning redecoration and the Tiffany windows when they first sparkled in the sanctuary. As we look forward to the reinstallation of seven of our beautiful clerestory windows and continue our work on fundraising for the rest, we would like to share some news.

Two articles—one from 1894, the other from 1897—are especially rich resources for the Tiffany redecoration that transformed the sanctuary.
A March 1894 Boston Herald article was written as construction was just beginning, with a long description of the changes envisioned by Rev. Edward L. Clark, D.D., the new pastor. The reporter ended with a discussion of the windows—the two (of 22) Tiffany clerestory windows already in place and the accepted designs for several memorial windows to be installed later. The contrast
between the old and new clerestory windows is interesting. “There will be 22 clerestory windows, stained, not painted. The old windows, beside being rather ugly, let in very little light, but the new ones, as can be seen by the two already in place, will admit, through their delicately tinted glass, all the light that is needed.”
Then in June 1897, the Boston Evening Transcript gave a glowing review of the quality and significance of the Tiffany stained glass windows and the decoration as a whole. Exuberant in its praise, it described every Tiffany figure window currently at Church of the Covenantnearly all of them installed by thenwith the last two designed as John’s view of Heaven (also known as the music windows) and later installed in October 1897.
If you are interested in reading the 1897 article, click here.
We are excited to have found these nuggets of news that help tell a fuller story of the building and the history we all share, whether we are in Boston or far beyond.
Climate Jubilee Team Update

Earth Day: Every Day
Coming up! Join us for these events hosted by Climate Jubilee:
Sunday, June 5 - Adult Ed on Democracy & Climate - After church hybrid class. Drawing on both historical precedents and recent events, Christine James will lead a discussion of how our faith requires us to protect our democracy as a prerequisite to effectively addressing climate change and other threats to God's creation.
Tuesday, June 21, 7:30-8:30 p.m. - Summer Solstice Sunset Evensong - Join us for this first ever, simple outdoor prayer gathering along the sacred shores of the Quinobequin (settler named Charles) River to give thanks to God for this longest day as together we watch the sun set. Sign up here to receive specifics on how/ where to gather.
Sunday, June 26, 1:30 p.m. - Jubilee Jaunt in the Arnold Arboretum - Mark Huston and Nancy Stockford will lead a walk in this 281-acre jewel of the Emerald Necklace park system. This botanical garden is the oldest public arboretum in North America. Sign up here and details will be sent to you.
Sunday, July 10 - Heat Pumps/Electrification in Homes - After-church hybrid class discussion led by Rev Rob.
Sunday, July 24, 3 p.m. - Jubilee Jaunt in Middlesex Fells Reservation north of Boston, led by Holly Humphreys. Sign up here and Holly will send details to you.
The City of Boston has launched a new program to compost food scraps, to keep them out of landfills where they give off significant methane emission as they rot, contributing to climate change. EPA data show that food waste is the single most common material landfilled and incinerated in the U.S. The new Boston program will have drop off locations throughout the city, and curbside pickup for buildings of six units or less.
The Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe in Plymouth has invited us to join in a work day clean-up of some of their sacred lands. The date is Saturday, June 11, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Our Climate Jubilee Team sees this as a wonderful chance to begin building some relationships with some of our indigenous neighbors who are actively working to protect the sacred Pine Barren Forests in southeastern Mass. Contact Rev. Rob at revrobmark@gmail.com with questions or to RSVP.
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News from the Pews
By Linda Pursley
Celebrations
Charlene and Ed James had a wonderful time celebrating their beautiful granddaughter Helen’s college graduation from St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, on Mother’s Day.
Photo at right.
Mark and Stacy Smith write, "We are happy to announce that we will be celebrating the wedding of our son Teo and his beloved, Jerilyn Kaye, on Friday May 27. We are so happy!
Barbara Darling happily announces the adoption of a new member of the family...whom she has named Teddy Charlie Darling (photo at right.) He likes to sit on the futon, on the chair, and on her lap. Barbara says, "He is such a cute bunny in terms of his appearance, but his personality is even more amazing! He is so lively and affectionate!" Barbara hopes he and resident bunny Daisy will become good friends. (Those who attended Zoom church Memorial Day weekend got to meet Teddy Charlie in person during the after-service social time! )
Under the Mango Tree
By Tim Groves for Nicaragua Companions

This column will be a monthly sharing of stories from our sister church community, Dulce Nombre de Jesus, in northwest Nicaragua.
 
In addition to sharing news we receive from our siblings in Dulce Nombre, we recount descriptions of our faith lives at Covenant through which they learn more about our realities. Our most recent Community Letter written by Kathy Bull shares our lives in a way that we too can remember and reflect on our own community life.

For example, Kathy shared our recent connections with beloved past pastors from Covenant: Julie Rogers' preaching with her family here; Rick Spalding, who joined Covenant worship in the Public Garden; and Beth Weiman's retirement from minisitry. The village of Dulce Nombre knows all three. Julie accompanied annual delegations to Nicaragua and helped host the 2015 visit from the Nicaragua Delegation here. Rick participated in several delegations to Dulce Nombre and then in many subsequent years as Chaplain at Williams College took delegations of his students to the village. Beth did not have the opportunity to participate in a Covenant delegation, but her husband Mark and son David did and shared their experience with our congregation. Kathy shared Julie, Beth, and Ricl's photos in this month's letter via WhatsApp.
Kathy also shared in her letter Covenant's Lenten charge to take action for justice. Each week, we learned about a different action to take. The first week we focused on climate justice, and Diane [joined by her son Josh] and Anne Covert planted trees. The second week, we focused on immigration justice. One action we did was to thank our representatives for supporting a bill to make it possible for immigrants without documents to get a driver's license. The third week, we focused on fair housing, the fourth week, on voting rights, the fifth week, rights for people who are transgender, and last, getting people out of prison.

On Easter, there was celebratory music and the church was full of people. There were many runners there, who came to Boston to participate in the Boston Marathon the next day. A special visitor was Selma, Rebecca’s daughter, and Tim and Betsy’s granddaughter.

Memo of Entre Culturas translated Kathy's whole letter for the village, and Mildren, one of the community leaders in Dulce Nombre has replied that she will share our letter with the whole community in their Thursday evening worship service.

Our experiences together as the Covenant community are indeed rich ones, and by sharing them with Dulce Nombre we strengthen the bonds that inspire us to walk together into the Reign of God.
Council Report
By Kathryn Barry for Council

Meeting of May 10, 2022

Hybrid Ministry (including hybrid worship, how to build community, staffing requirements and website reconfiguration). Christine James and Guy Herman joined the May Council meeting for this topic. Christine provided a distillation of the 50 survey responses that had been received. There was no clear difference in responses from those who have been 10+ years versus newer members. The sub team will decide on the next steps to distribute the survey results to the congregation. Christine and Guy will create an example of a website enhancement

Report from the Pastor – Abhishek John has joined the AV Tech Team and agreed to be the interim AV tech for July and August. Council voted to approve the staff's recommendation that the nursery will be open for the next period until we suspend for the summer.

Missional Focus Update
  • Congregational Vitality - Council's meeting with Christine and Guy is an example of the vitality of our congregation

  • Creative Income Generation - the new renter is in place

  • Christian Formation for Children and Youth (CFCY) and all ages - Rev. Kate continues to communicate with families to determine the best way to support them. We have begun to offer Godly Play and Youth Class every Sunday that we have hybrid worship. We will also open the nursery for one family at a time on these Sundays. The Godly Play teachers are planning to offer classes through June 19.

  • Climate Jubilee Centered Innovative Outreach - The upcoming Adult Ed Democracy and Climate is on June 5. We are offering our monthly Jubilee Jaunts again this spring and summer. The next planned Jubilee Jaunt is at the Arboretum on June 26, and the following months will be confirmed in June.

Committee Reports

  • Building Committee: Women’s Lunch Place is proposing to add raised planters and landscaping on the Berkeley/Newbury edge of the church garden. They are exploring herbs and vegetables and have had a design– similar to their garden on the other side of the yard. Concerning the garden, we need to work on some clean up and improvements. Some shrubs have died, and the Newbury Street side needs great care. Liz arranged for two trees to be pruned by the Garden Club of the Back Bay.

  • Worship and Music Committee: Ed James has agreed to join W&M committee

  • Committee on Youth and Children’s Education: We continue to follow Covid protocols -- masking and using air purifiers in the nursery and Bates Hall. We are not including snacks as part of Godly Play until it is safer to do so. We hope that we can return to the tradition of the all church picnic on the Boston Common on a Sunday in June
June Birthdays

5       Shelly Rambo, Betsy McAlister Groves
20     Devin Hansen
24     Ed James
25     Kathy Bull
27     Simone DeVito
30     Alicia Bull

If your June birthday does not appear above, please notify the church office so we can include you next year!
June 2022 Calendar

Click here for the
most up-to-date church calendar.
About This Issue
June 2022 Covenant News

Editor and Graphics: Evelyn Kimber 
 
Deadline for the July 2022 Covenant News is Thursday, June 23. Please email your submissions to Evelyn Kimber at ebkimber@gmail.com.
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