Covenant News November 2026

Covenant News

Presbyterian Church USA

United Church of Christ

November 2026

Pastor Letter

by Rev. Rob Mark, Lead Pastor

This election. The “most important” of our lifetimes. True? True. It shouldn’t be this way, but I would argue, yes, it is. As people of faith who follow a marginalized brown-skinned Jewish Palestinian messiah – we know full well democracy (nor any political system) has never worked for everyone. But for now, we believe democracy is the best imperfect chance we have as a societal construct to unfurl climate jubilee, racial justice, LGBTQ full affirmation and so many more core Christian values in our country. For we have seen the utter damage that a greed-driven, narcissistic, unhinged, disembodied non-empathic (what is the opposite of empathy??) group of mostly white men hinged on usurping “Jesus” can do to all we care so deeply about. And so we vote. And so we organize. And so we protest and pray.

I want to also celebrate the incredible work so many of you have been doing to embody the beatitudes of Jesus in the run up to this most important election. The phone calls, the messages, the postings, the canvassing, the Get Out the Vote, poll watching, the conversations across the family “table,” the embodied opposition to ICE’s deplorable presence. Many of these actions represent real

sacrifices of time and involve risks. I am so deeply moved by all these actions this deeply faithful congregation has been up to in the realm of good trouble and just being good neighbors in these days.

And we know the work is not done post November 3. We know that no election can tell the full story. There will still be love in action called for. The corrupt empire might choose to get even more fascist. And we’ll have to shift to the streets. Or, the resistance might get some great news and some balance of power might be restored. Whatever unfurls, let’s remember this: there is always the call of love. There is always the call of braiding jubilee. Of taking the things we feel called to by God and weaving them together with other good things. To commingle our efforts. To be curious together and mesh Truth-Digging about the racial justice touchpoints of our congregation’s history to the current climate justice movement. To embed queer-affirmation into our historic building stewardship. To more fully incorporate spiritual practices into our meetings, our first morning coffee sips, our workouts, our pastoral care of each other, our inhales and exhales.

So dear friends, this election and beyond, let’s remember jubilee. Let’s remember sabbath’s call that we are not the center of the world, and we can’t do it all. And let us remember, always remember, we are the light of the world. In God’s view, we are the center of it all because we are beloved children of the One Divine Artist. The one who holds it all. The one who crafts all we need.

In the peace of Christ,

Rob

P.S. – Let’s continue to give thanks for our beloved Partners who share our building: Women’s Lunch Place – check out this recent Boston Globe article; and Coro Allegro (we are official faith sponsors of their upcoming

Boston premiere of Andrew Yee’s Trans Requiem on Sunday, November 22, at 3:00 pm at COTC – please consider attending.

Climate Jubilee Team Update

by Barbara Darling & Betty Southwick

All-Church Read

The Climate Jubilee Team will host a Zoom Celebration of Wendell Berry, who passed away recently, on Thursday, November 12, at 6:30 pm. In preparation, we encourage COTCers to read a Berry novel (such as Hannah Coulter) and/or his poetry collection (Given), a short interview entitled “Wendell Berry on Small Farms, Local Wisdom, and the Folly of Greed,” an article about his legacy by a friend of Rob’s (Willis Jenkins), or a video of him speaking his truths.

Solidarity for Democracy

Rob and Betty attended a MA Solidarity Summit on October 6 with several of our BICA colleagues. The purpose of the Summit was to come together as faith/spiritual, labor, and community partners to build readiness in defense of elections and to build hope and inspiration for a democracy that works for all. National organizations like ACLU and AFL-CIO, statewide groups like JALSA, RAC MA, and UU Mass Action, and local groups like BICA, GBIO, and the Boston Teachers Union attended. Faith communities were celebrated at the summit, recognized for sharing values and morals, and for collectively supporting each other.

If/when a red line is crossed regarding our elections (between November and the swearing in of a new Congress) and the call is made, we will gather at City Hall Plaza for our rapid response action. Plans discussed include a two-week standout. No one wants this to happen, but as the Minnesotans showed us, organization and presence can make a difference. It may be that our response won’t be needed this time, but preparing ourselves and organizing is key to the unknowns we face. For more information, please contact Betty at southwickbetty@gmail.com.

Sacred Reckonings Team Report

by Kathy Bull

What is Sacred Reckonings (SR)? A process that guides us on the sacred task of

reckoning with the histories of colonization and White supremacy that have traumatized and deeply broken bodies, lives, relationships, and the earth. It calls us to the promise of liberation that is woven into the work of reckoning. SR was developed for historically White Settler-Colonizer churches.

How did we get involved? In the Fall of 2023, six of us from Covenant attended a virtual SR training led by contributors to the curriculum, Rev. Dana Neuhauser, Jessica Intermill, and Julica Hermann de la Fuente, all based in the Minneapolis area. There were attendees from churches around the country. It was challenging and eye-opening, and we learned a lot. Our learning centered on five interconnected strands: Truth-telling, Spiritual Practice, Relationship, Political Solidarity, and Wealth Return.

Are there other local churches involved in the SR process? Yes, there are other

churches in the Boston area who are engaged in the process.

What has the Covenant SR team been doing since then?

Holding regular Spiritual Education sessions to share lessons from the Sacred.
Reckonings curriculum and beyond, and to learn from the perspectives and experiences of the people attending. An early example: learning from Liz Vizza about the indigenous people who settled the area now called the Back Bay. A recent example: Practicing Anti-racism in Daily Life.
Responding to the 10 Demandments issued to historically White churches by the Boston People’s Reparation Commission (BPRC), for example, by issuing a statement of atonement and making a commitment to financial repair.
When invited, attending hearings and meetings led by the BPRC, for example, to hear from members of the Black community about the harm caused, ideas about what reparation should look like, and how monetary reparations should be received and used.
Digging into the history of our church to learn about the sources of wealth used to buy the land and build our church, in order to tell a more complete and inclusive story about our church and give close-to-home examples of why repair is necessary.
Conducting a Physical Audit of the outside and sanctuary of our church to learn from different perspectives about what we can do to make it more broadly welcoming and accessible.

What’s coming up?

Work to bring together historically White downtown churches who want to work toward making reparations.
Hold more Spiritual Education sessions
Address two more of the 10 Demandments by the end of 2026.
Keep excavating the history of our church.
Attend BPRC gatherings and practice followership, that is, participate in ways that we are asked.
Learn about other reparation pathways from members of Boston’s Black community.
Add Sacred Reckonings to our website.

Who can join in?

All who are interested! The SR team gladly welcome participation in any form, including more members!

News from the Pews

compiled by Linda Pursley

Linda Pursley was so busy showing out of town visitors the fall colors in New Hampshire, Vermont, and Massachusetts, and Halloween happenings in Salem (photos below), that she neglected to solicit your News from the Pews. She hopes that means twice as much news next month!!

Mark Huston and Nancy Stockford joyfully celebrated their daughter EJ’s wedding to Matt Warren in Sunapee, New Hampshire, on October 17. It was a brisk, some might say cold, day, but the sun was out along with spectacular fall foliage. Barbara Darling (EJ’s godmother) did a wonderful job officiating.

Under the Mango Tree

by Nicaragua Companions

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

In this month’s article about our hermanamiento, or sibling relationship, with the Church of the Poor in Dulce Nombre de Jesus, Nicaragua, we write briefly about recent news and information.

The community of Dulce Nombre de Jesus usually plants their crops with the rains of May and September, but this year, they suffered a devastating drought throughout most of their growing season. This means they don’t have enough food to eat. On October 7, there was a formation with the community and anyone here who could attend, to hear from them about what the drought has been like. It was organized by Entre Culturas, the group that facilitates our relationship. We are in communication with the community about how we can respond. More on that in next month’s Under the Mango Tree.

On a different but related note, we’re very excited to say that a delegation from

Covenant to Dulce Nombre de Jesus is being planned for early January 2027. If you have curiosity about what a delegation is like, we hope you’ll come to an Information Session on Sunday, November 8, after worship. Bring your curiosity and questions and enjoy snacks and drinks.

If you have questions, please contact Diane Lauber (dianelauber@comcast.net), Debbie Howland (dhowlandgrowl@gmail.com), Anita Gram (anigram781@gmail.com), Karen Henry (kams.henry@gmail.com), Mocky Day (mockyday@gmail.com), Tim Groves (tim.w.groves@gmail.com), or Kathy Bull (kaxianna@yahoo.com).

Council Report

by Harry Forsdick

October 2026 Meeting

Council met on October 20 with devotions led by Jon Schwarz, followed by a full agenda. Here are the highlights:

Nicaragua Drought Relief

The village of Dulce Nombre de Jesus lost its first harvest to drought, and September brought no rain for the second planting. October rains are helping, but food prices have climbed sharply. The village has asked for $1,500 a month for four months to buy rice, beans, oil, sugar and soap, until they know in January whether the second harvest will come in. Council voted to support an Advent fundraising effort of $15,000 among the congregation and the wider diaspora. The Nica Companions will cover the first two months ($3,000) from their own accounts, and the congregational appeal will follow the Stewardship season.

Building Manager Transition

Bill Brown will end his work as Building Manager by the end of 2026, and has offered to stay up to 90 more days if no replacement has been found. Council approved the new Building Manager position description for posting, and the search is just beginning. Council also thanked Brian Bigler and Bill for their work on the basement flooding and mouse problems.

Gifts and Community Partnerships

Needlepoint of Queen Esther. Joan Tighe’s estate has offered the church a needlepoint made by her great-grandmother, Maggie Weir. Council voted to accept it with honor, and it will be recorded in the Memorial Book.
Trans Requiem. Council voted to sponsor Coro Allegro’s Trans Requiem event on November 22. Worship that Sunday has been shaped to fit with it.

Around the Church

The steeple entrance and a back corner of the Sanctuary have been tidied in response to the physical audit. Thanks to Nancy Stockford for organizing this.
Gallery Naga approved greening the entry hallway.
Sunday School and Godly Play are under way. A child safety policy work session is set for November, and a First Aid/CPR class for January. Kate Carlisle and Karen Henry were accepted to the fully funded WINKS Fellowship on children in worship. WINKS stands for Worshipping Intergenerationally and Nurturing Kids through Storytelling, and the program is designed to equip leaders and congregations to more fully center children in their worship and ministry.
Memorial services for Nancy Hollomon and Joan Tighe were powerful. The Hollomon family would like to create a memorial in Nancy’s memory.