Covenant News October 2026

Covenant News

Presbyterian Church USA

United Church of Christ

October 2026

Pastor Letter

by Rev. Rob Mark, Lead Pastor

Our now sixth grader has reported to us a recent science project – a spudmarine. The challenge?

Figure out how to keep a potato dry AND suspended in a column of water. Without sinking,

without rising. Use physics, math, area, weights, balloons, and lots of trial and error to figure out just the right buoyancy, and just the right tension to keep the spud suspended.

Are we feeling suspended these days? Held up and held in place at just the right level? Or are we feeling forced down, too much tension, too much weight? Anyone feeling too free and weightless?

For Rowen and his science class, the work to achieve suspended buoyancy is not magic. But trial and error. Teamwork. Questions. Actively seeking for tools and methods that might achieve the desired outcome. What are our spiritual weights and pulleys, balloons and anchors these days? Who is our “science class” team? Do we feel we have what we need?

If God is our science teacher, look around. I think She may have already provided us with things we need to engage is some spiritual trial and error.

How are you properly anchored – and properly lifted up?

What things ground you?

What things uplift you?

Things that ground us are often things that bring us a sense of meaning and purpose. Things that uplift us are often the things that bring us joy. I sense that God wants us to be rooted, grounded and uplifted in divine love just like a spudmarine.

So, as the leaves change, I invite you to spend some time contemplating and even writing out some of the things that ground you and uplift you in this specific season of life. They may be from within our church community or beyond. Maybe share these answers with someone else. Look all around the science classroom, and trust our Teacher has provided us all we need to try, fail, learn, try again, and see what might just become.

One way we can help you feel grounded and uplifted this year is our annual church retreat. Please join us on Saturday, October 24, from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, as we return once again to Glastonbury Abbey in beautiful Hingham near the sea. We will embody our season of Jubilee theme of rooted remembrance together enjoy a tasty lunch together and some precious open space time together at this sacred place. It is not too late to register here.

The peace of right buoyance and foliage-Jesus to you,

Rob

I pray that, according to the riches of God’s glory, that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through the Holy Spirit and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

~Ephesians 3:16-19

Climate Jubilee Team Update

by Barbara Darling & Betty Southwick

The Climate Jubilee Team hosted the Autumn Equinox celebration at the Arthur Fiedler Dock at the Quinobequin River on September 22 (photos below). Thirteen people attended, including several new people! We watched a glorious sunset and gave thanks for the summer that was and the autumn that’s coming.

The Boston Interfaith Climate Allies (BICA) met on Sunday, September 20. BICA is one of the organizers for the MA Solidarity Summit happening on October 6, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, at the Boston Teachers Union Hall in Dorchester. The Summit will be one month before the election and the hope is to join other faith groups to build connections, build readiness in defense of elections, and build hope and inspiration for a democracy that works. Please contact Betty (southwickbetty@gmail.com) if you have any questions and/or would like to attend.

Sacred Reckonings Team Report

by Kathy Bull

Stories about how harm continued after slavery ended were part of the September 13 Sacred Reckonings Spiritual Education class. This was prompted by a question: How do you talk to a white person whose first reaction to the idea of reparations is to point to the fact that they, as individuals, have no direct connection to slavery, and so do not see a role for themselves in any act of reparations?

Stories were told that illustrated how attitudes and practices of discrimination that were borne of the institution of slavery—racism, injustice, and inequity— continue. One story was about describing to a family member how the GI Bill was not distributed equitably after WWII. Another was about witnessing, as a child, segregation in schools and whole swaths of the country, and the corresponding inequitable distribution of resources. A third was a noting of how the experience of ancestors in an ancient conflict was carried on at a cellular level.

Since this reality calls on us to be active on the part of anti-racism, justice, and equity, we moved into looking at how we can practice anti-racism. Here are a few selections from the document that was our reference, “Practicing Anti-Racism”, which you can find here.

Practicing anti-racism is a continuous process of learning, reflecting, and acting to create a more equitable society. It entails an active, ongoing commitment to identifying and dismantling personal biases and systemic racial injustices, moving beyond passive “non-racism” to active anti-racism.

One of the harder things to do might be in person-to-person encounters— sharing what you’re learning with fellow sojourners when you notice racist jokes, stereotypes, language, or behavior, including microaggressions. We talked about some phrases that might make it more approachable, such as, Something I’m learning is ____, or Wait a minute… or That’s not my experience...

At our next Spiritual Education class after church on November 1, the Truthdiggers will be sharing what they’re learning about where the wealth that built our church came from, and more! Hope you can come!

News from the Pews

compiled by Linda Pursley

Liz Vizza is thrilled to announce the arrival of her second grandchild, Anika Jay Subhas-Hines. Her brother Kiran has been enjoying having Grandma there to help the family. Kiran means Beam of Light in Sanskrit, and Anika means Fearless in Sanskrit, a nod to their grandfather on their Dad’s side who grew up in India.

Rev. Rob shared that Rev. Kate was unanimously elected to another term as the Stated Clerk of the Boston Presbytery. The Presbytery meeting was hosted by COTC and soup provided by soup maker extraordinaire, Trudi Veldman.

The Crane/Perreault Family shared two news items:

Our three-year-old grandson Elias completed his first week in nursery school at the Henry Grew Elementary School in Boston. He loves it and seems to be adjusting to his new schedule (8:00 am to 3:00 pm) very well.
Our other “son” in the Congo, Yusuf Badibanga, age 25, has successfully completed his bachelor’s degree in financial resource management. This is an enormous achievement and is a tribute to his determination and resilience in the face of many setbacks and challenges. He is now beginning the task of preparing his resume and submitting job applications, a process that would be facilitated if he could buy a laptop. He is looking forward to being able to better support his wife, Catherine, and their three-year-old son, Jeffrey. Yusuf has fond memories of the times he spent in Boston, where he came for treatment of his severe burns at the Shriners Hospital for Children in 2012 and again in 2013-2014.

Holly Humphreys reports: Anita Gram and I had an amazing experience this September when we sailed with Road Scholar down the Italian coast from Venice to Ravenna where we saw for the first time the famous mosaics of small bright stones in two churches. Then we sailed across the Adriatic to the Dalmation coast of Croatia, a country that Anita had long wanted to visit. We enjoyed daily stops with local guides down the coast to Dubrovnik and returned to sleep on the ship each evening. The paintings, the sculptures, the town squares were beautiful and interesting. The history of one nation after another conquering this commercially desirable coast and subsequently destroying the hallmarks of each nation state were complicated. We sailed on a three-masted schooner called the Sea Cloud II. Some of our group actually climbed up to the the first platform on the tall square-masted sails. All the sails were manually raised and unfurled by the impressive crew. The food was incredible. We had daily lectures on art, history, and local music. There were fewer than 50 guests on the ship and we made friends from all over.

Under the Mango Tree

by Karen Henry

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

On September 10, we received a community letter from our beloved friends in Dulce Nombre de Jesus. As you know, we share good news and bad news with each other through our community letters. In this one, Mildren, speaking for the community, told us about the water project that is under construction and should be completed by December:

“We are very happy and grateful to God for the new drinking water project that has been provided for the benefit of our community. However, we want to clarify that the project has not yet been officially inaugurated or handed over. At this time, we are trying to support the community by using the pump from the previous project to supply water to families, but unfortunately, this pump does not have sufficient capacity to serve the entire community, so there are still areas without water service.

“We hope that . . . the remaining work will be completed to put the new system into operation: the electrical installation, the pump, and the other equipment necessary for the project to function. We continue to wait with faith and patience for these final works to be completed soon, so that we can finally have the drinking water our community so desperately needs. We thank God for this project and ask that He allow everything to be completed successfully and that water can reach every family.”

We learned from a conversation with Luis, Eduardo, and Memo of Entre Culturas, that the water project is being tested and probably won’t be fully functional until December. In the meantime, Mildren also wrote about the current drought and its effects in Dulce Nombre and the surrounding towns. This area is in what has been called the “Dry Corridor,” a part of central America that is exposed to extreme climate events including long periods of drought, resulting from climate change.

Here is another excerpt from Mildren’s letter to us:

“Numerous wells have already run dry, and many families have to wait in long lines to get water. In some places, people have been forced to buy it [at a high cost]. The situation is also greatly affecting livestock. We were told that in one community, a single person had already lost around fifteen cows or calves due to the lack of water and feed.

“It’s very painful for me to receive calls from families in areas [close to Dulce Nombre] like Cuatro Esquinas, Las Mercedes, Los Mairenas, and other places, even from families near the Los Lirios water tank, saying, ‘We’ve been without water for several days now, what can we do?’ And often we’re left without an answer, because what can we do in a situation like this? Our well is getting weaker every day. Those of us who live closer to the source still have a little more access to water, but there are areas where the situation is truly critical.

“We are experiencing something we perhaps never imagined we would have to face. The lack of rain, the deterioration of our water sources, and the effects of climate change are showing us that we must take much better care of our environment. Human beings also bear a great responsibility when we don’t

protect our natural resources.

“It’s a heartbreaking situation, because behind every dry well is a worried family, behind every lost harvest is a farmer who worked hard and placed their hopes in the land, and behind every affected animal is a family that depends on it. We don’t know what will happen in the coming days, but we do know that we must do our part: conserve water, not waste it, protect our water sources, and raise awareness among everyone.

“And as people of faith, we also know that there are times when our strength is not enough. That’s why we continue to pray and place this situation in the hands of our Creator, asking Him to have mercy on our communities, to send the rain we so desperately need, and to give us wisdom and strength to face these difficult times.”

Formation via Zoom on Wednesday, October 7, 4:00 pm

I quote extensively from Mildren’s eloquent letter because we at Church of the Covenant accompany the Church of the Poor in Dulce Nombre as they accompany us in our joys and sorrows. We need to understand their situation. We will have an opportunity to learn more about how the village is coping with the drought at our second formation on Wednesday, October 7, at 4:00 pm. Our first formation in June was well attended by both Covenant and Dulce Nombre, and we look forward to many people attending via Zoom again. We have discussed with Entre Culturas how to make the formation more focused and accessible to the wider audience at Covenant. The Zoom link will be sent out shortly; in the meantime, please put the date in your calendar.

Delegation to Dulce Nombre in January 2027

We are excited to announce that there will be a delegation to Nicaragua early in January 2027. An information session for those interested in taking part will be held in late October or early November. We will announce the date in This Week at Covenant as soon as it is confirmed. In the meantime, reflect on whether it is your time to meet our friends in Dulce Nombre in person.

Council Report

by Harry Forsdick

September 2026 Meeting

Church of the Covenant Council met by Zoom on September 8, opening with devotions and prayer led by Barbara Darling. The Council approved the minutes of its July meeting and made plans for a busy fall of worship, community life, and shared ministry.

A key action was approval to host the Boston Presbytery’s hybrid stated meeting in Bates Hall on Thursday, September 24. Covenant welcomed participants beginning at 5:30 pm with a meal before the 6:30 pm meeting. The Council also noted several upcoming wider-church events, including the Southern New England Conference annual meeting in Worcester where the keynote speaker will be US Senator the Rev. Dr. Raphael Warnock, and the installation and ordination service for Rev. Chase W. Grogan at Roxbury Presbyterian Church.

Council celebrated the arrival of Rev. Dr. Sara Garrard as Transitional Associate Pastor. Earlier email votes confirmed her nine-month appointment, from September 1, 2026, through May 31, 2027. The Council also approved designating her salary as housing allowance for the remainder of 2026. Rev. Dr. Leah Parsell Rumsey was warmly received as a UCC member of Church of the Covenant by letter of transfer from First Church in Sterling, Massachusetts. Council also remembered with sadness the deaths of longtime members Joan Tighe and Nancy Hollomon.

The Treasurer’s second-quarter report identified significant pressures on the building budget, including high HVAC costs, additional snow removal, roof project overruns, and the recent Bates Hall flood. The flood—caused by a dislodged sprinkler system—required substantial cleanup and repairs and is expected to cost the church its $10,000 insurance deductible. The Building Committee also reported that GreenerU will prepare an estimate of ways Covenant can reduce its carbon footprint.

Council continued its discussion of “right-sizing” the personnel budget in ways consistent with Covenant’s missional priorities. Possibilities under consideration include expanded rental use of church space, adjustments to children’s program staffing and location, and moving the Building Manager salary to the building budget. Rev. Sara will review the church’s current use of space, budget, and staff. In related personnel news, Bill Brown plans to retire at the end of December; the church hopes to have a new 24-hour-per-week, in-person Building Manager in place by January 1.

The Council heard updates on fall ministry: the Season of Jubilee, an all-church retreat at Glastonbury Abbey on October 24, possible collaborative or Zoom-only worship on October 25, children’s church school plans, and a full fall Spiritual Education program. The Climate Jubilee Team invited the congregation to celebrate the Fall Equinox at the Arthur Fiedler Dock on September 22, while the Sacred Reckonings initiative reported on its continuing “Truthdiggers” archival research into Covenant’s early history and the people who financed the present church building.

The next stated Council meeting will be Tuesday, October 20, at 6:30 pm; Jon Schwarz will lead devotions.