Presbyterian Church USA
United Church of Christ
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This newsletter is best viewed as a web page, or you may miss sections clipped at the bottom Please view as webpage.
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Pastor Letter
By Rev. Rob Mark, Lead Pastor
Spring cleaning. Time to give away more kids’ stuff. How does it accumulate? Open up that one jammed closet, you’ll see.
A once bright, red radio flyer.
It was yesterday that I was pulling toddler Rowen around in that retro wagon.
You blink, 8 years zip by. How does this happen?
The pandemic robbed us of 3 years. Yes, while deeply grateful life remains intact while for too many this tragically was not the case, it is important to recognize things were still lost. And time, experiences, nostalgia – they all swirl together and gel like fruited Jell-O with all the emotions solidified in place when you pick up a chest baby carrier now ready to pass along to Caitlin & Austin’s Julian. And for those of you who find something in the closet belonging to someone who has passed on, words I am guessing, can’t fully capture the feelings.
So, here’s one spiritual application among many – when we pick up items that remind us of time passing, look at the emotions as fully as you can. Loss? Regret? Sadness? Ok, these are real. Make time for them, be ok with them. And, what about gratitude? Smiles? Progress? Joy? Make time for them too. Yes, tempus fugit. And so does grace. So, siblings in Christ, for whom 1000 years is as a day, and a day as a thousand years – the Divine One Who is both Within and Beyond Time, who holds our past, present and future – most assuredly holds us in the palm of Their hand. So this spring, go find a closet and do the spiritual and environmental work of de-cluttering. There will be blessings. Another kiddo awaits the now washed-as-almost-new radio flyer. More joy is yet to unfurl. Let it go, so it can.
Spring Easter risen peace,
Rob
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Building Committee Update
Women's Lunch Place
By Lucy Williams
We are delighted to report that Church of the Covenant and the Women’s Lunch Place (WLP) have negotiated a new ten-year lease, with the option to extend it for an additional ten years. This continues our partnership of over 40 years.
Back in the late 1970’s we were the only church in the Back Bay that was
willing to house them. Over the years, WLP’s programs have grown dramatically. This new lease offers both COTC and WLP long-term stability.
WLP will have use of its space from Monday morning through Saturday afternoon, allowing for church use on Wednesday evenings. This means that we will lose the Tuesday AA group, but Coro Allegro will continue to use Bates Hall for their Sunday evening rehearsals. The Creative Art room and the Swing or Flex room will continue to be shared space. The COTC nursery will continue to be for the church’s exclusive use.
We are extremely excited that we are continuing our building as mission in this way.
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Generosity Generators
By Christine James
As part of celebrating Easter Season, your Generosity Generators are sharing “Moments for Generosity” during worship services in May.
Did I hear somebody say, “Alleluia!”? I sure hope so since the generosity of the Covenant community is truly something worth celebrating!
During Lent, we stretched our curiosity muscles. For this Easter Season of Generosity, your GGers encourage you to keep stretching them by exploring with us how generosity makes our church stronger.
Here’s something to ponder: Did you know that the generosity of our congregation—members and non-members alike—will cover 65% of our annual operating budget this year?
Can I get another “Alleluia”?!!?
We at Covenant are blessed with wise, empathetic and prophetic clergy. How many of you reading this article have been inspired by a sermon by Rev. Rob to pursue your role in stewarding the gift of God’s Creation with more vigor than before? Or encouraged by a sermon by Rev. Kate to embrace more fully the broad and beautiful diversity of all of God’s children? Or challenged by a sermon by Rev. Joshua to more fully enact the mandates of our faith to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God? Our financial gifts to the church allow us to support Rob, Joshua and Kate in their ministries among us.
We are also blessed with dedicated, talented, and hard-working staff. The generosity of our faith community is the reason we get to hear Tom Handel’s amazing musicianship every Sunday, that our building is stewarded so conscientiously by Bill Brown and our wonderful Sextons, Jesus Vargas and Simone Devito, and that our youngest are nurtured in the nursery by Kelsie Lawhorn.
The generosity of our congregation is not restricted to financial giving, of course. From our Council members to our Worship & Music Committee, from our GBIO delegates to our Deacons, from our Climate Jubileers to our volunteer Treasurer and Financial Secretary, from our volunteer Audio-Visual Team to their partners, our Digital Ministers, to our ushers and so many others—the gifts of time and talents that members of our congregation give on a regular basis are beautiful manifestations of our dedication to being Jesus’ hands and feet, eyes and ears, heart and soul in today’s world.
Here’s another curiosity stretching question: How many of the people you’ve come to know and care deeply about through your connection to Church of the Covenant might not have come into your life except for COTC?
I know that my life has been enriched beyond measure because my friend Nancy Stockford encouraged me to accompany her to church one Sunday some fifteen years ago. If I hadn’t accepted her invitation, I think it quite likely that Nancy would still be the only Church of the Covenant member in my life. Because I have a church, I have the comfort of knowing that there is a community that cares about me. What an invaluable gift!
None of us ever wants to receive a condolence card from the Deacons or ask for prayers during “Celebrations & Concerns” for the strength to confront a dire diagnosis. But thank God we have Covenant when tragedy befalls us! By the same token, how lucky we all are to have a faith community to share in our joys, in our accomplishments, and in important events in our lives.
Finally, I think it’s worth pondering the fact that Covenant can only be there for us if we are there for Covenant with our financial support.
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Rob often reminds us of the dozens of wooden pilings holding up Church of the Covenant from deep below street level. With no disrespect to either our wonderful pastor or those sturdy pilings, I submit that Generosity—of time, talent and treasure—is the true foundation of our church community. The generosity of our current congregation, and the generosity of the many COTCers who came before us (re: the latter, see the photo above of the front cover of Issue 206 of Covenant News, from November 1952!)
It’s no wonder, really, that we GGers see Easter Season as a fitting time to celebrate and encourage the generosity of our Church of the Covenant community. So you’ll be hearing more from us and other COTCers this month, and we look forward to hearing from you in return.
THANK YOU!
Yours in faith and on behalf of the Generosity Generators,
Christine James
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Climate Jubilee Team Update
On April 29, CJ-ers did our second annual Speak for the Trees /Arbor Week giveaway of tree saplings, along with an information sheet about how to plant and care for trees to help them survive and thrive. From our great location on Newbury Street interacting with passersby, fifty tree saplings found homes. Thank you Betty, Merlin, Rob, and Barbara for pitching in on this!
On Sunday, May 7, join us following worship for a hybrid adult ed on how we can reduce our carbon footprint, reduce our reliance on fossil fuels, and make our kitchen a safer and healthier place to cook and breathe in as we learn about Induction Stoves. All those who attend will have a chance to join in a free drawing to win an Induction Stove Top!!!
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CLIMATE JUBILEE ALL-CHURCH READ
We will host a Zoom all-church book discussion in June (exact date TBA). We've bought copies of Cathedral on Fire, by the Rev. Brooks Berndt (Minister of Environmental Justice for the UCC). Contact Barbara Darling for your own free copy of the book! |
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News from the Pews
Compiled by Linda Pursley
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Charlene James shares these photos that she took of the baptism on March 12 at Covenant of Julian Kieran Vest-Burns, with his parents Caitlin Vest and Austin Burns, and their families and friends. Though plans had changed with Rev. Rob at home with Covid, the baptism was absolutely wonderful thanks to Rev. Joshua and Rev. Kate.
Austin happened to be visiting Charlene and Ed James in Rockport when a text came in from Mocky Day requesting baptism photos to share with our sister community in Nicaragua. Austin was happy for these photos to be shared with them and with you all. Charlene says, "I celebrate staying connected to each other across the years and across the miles."
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While visiting Tim's sister in a nearby community, Tim and Betsy Groves got to meet with Memo and
Amanda Jones-Dominguez of Entre Culturas near their home in Damascus, MD.
Here they are with Memo, who also accompanied our most recent delegation to Nicaragua.
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Holly Humphreys and Anita Gram share photos of “creatures in trees” from their recent trip to Costa Rica. Capuchin monkeys, Resplendent Quetzal, and Sloth. They enjoyed the natural wonders of Costa Rica, including Zip-lining through the trees, Holly shown here!
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Under the Mango Tree
Nicaragua Companions
This column will be a monthly sharing of stories from our sister church community, Dulce Nombre de Jesus, in northwest Nicaragua.
Mango Tree will return in the next issue of Covenant News.
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Council Report
By Kathryn Barry for Council
April 2023 Meeting
Council approved Sierra Mink to join Church of the Covenant as an Affiliate Member. Council approved the new 10-year lease for the Women's Lunch Place.
Presbytery Doings:
The Synod of the Northeast 2022 Annual Report is available. It addresses two questions--"When Did We See You? And "What Is Your Highest Dream of What Church Should Be Today?" The report includes stories of bold faith as congregations and presbyteries embraced current challenges with appropriate risk-taking and a spirit of experimentation. To read the full Annual Report, click here.
Report On Staff From The Pastor:
Season of Generosity: May 7– May 21
Committee Reports:
Climate Jubilee Centered Innovative Outreach – Speak for the Trees – Arbor Week. Handing out tree saplings with educational tips about COTC and caring for trees. April 29.
Building Committee – We are working to complete the Renew the Light Campaign and continue to receive pledge payments. The remainder of the clerestory windows are projected to be reinstalled by July, and we will begin planning for a rededication ceremony, presumably in the fall. The total number of windows restored is 20.
We have $40,000 for lantern restoration and will be getting a cost estimate for a winch that will allow us to lower the lamp to replace bulbs or do repairs.
Personnel Committee – AV Tech will be covered by Abhishek throughout the summer. Jesus has taken over as sexton.
Membership Development Committee – "Porches/dinners for 8" planned for May.
Mission and Advocacy – A donation was made to VIP Malawi in response to the devastation caused by Cyclone Freddy.
Adult Education – May 7 – Climate Jubilee Induction Stoves.
May 21 – End of life planning
Nicaragua companions – Drafting a letter on immigration policy
Finance Task Force Members: Christine James, Ron Lacey, Faith Perry, Betty Southwick, Trudi Veldman, Marnie Warner. First meeting was reviewing membership, income, pledges, withdrawal from investment, expenditures, deficits, operating surplus for the period 2017-2023.
Membership has gone down steadily (from 110 to 88 members since 2017). Pledging remained quite strong (54 pledges for $267,095).
New Business – Council agreed to have in-person Council meetings 2-3 times per year. No Council meeting in July.
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May Birthdays
11 Charlene James
16 Shirley Azuma
20 Sunny Davidson
21 Darcey Surette
28 Becky Evans
29 Nancy Stockford
If your May birthday does not appear above, please hit Reply and notify us so we can include you next year!
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May 2023 Calendar
most up-to-date church calendar.
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About This Issue
May 2023 Covenant News
Editor and Graphics: Evelyn Kimber
Deadline for the June 2023 Covenant News is Thursday, May 25. Please email your submissions to Evelyn Kimber at [email protected].
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67 Newbury St.
Boston, MA 02116
617-266-7480
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