ICan Reminder

Time to Remember - First Sunday in 2012 means ICAN Food Offering. Bring them in this Sunday. We heard they especially could use bars of soaps, peanut butter, jelly, toilet paper, paper towels, etc., but whatever you can bring, it will be used.

New Year Events

"O God, Our help in ages past, our hope for years to come." I can't say it any better than Isaac Watts, but here we stand ready to jump into a Brand New Year with Brand New Opportunities, knowing that the Lord has seen us through, and will walk with us through the future.

Get Fit for 2012
While this week between Christmas and New Years is kind of slow, still be thinking ahead.

This Thursday Evening our Zumba class will be meeting and once again on Monday January 2. What a way to end the year and start a new one, but being committed to getting active.

Weight Wise and Pilates will resume next week as well.

Start 2012 with the Lord in His Worship
This Coming Sunday,  January 1, 2012, we are back on our regular schedule with the First Worship Services of the year. We will participate in a time of Renewing Our Covenant with the LORD and with His Church. In my message we will look back at the history of Covenant, as we prepare to look forward to our building program. There is so much good news to report over the next few weeks.

Start 2012 with Study
Wednesday January 4th, our Wednesday Night Dinners will resume along with our Academy.
Class #1 - Financial Peace University, a 13 week class helping set priorities in your stewardship of God's resources, if you have not yet registered online, call the church office and Rev. Byron to get the information needed.
Class #2 - Dr. Ardith Sudduth and I will teach during January sessions on death, dying, aging issues, etc. Each week stands alone, but come hear about our spiritual understanding of the circle of life.

Starting 2012 by Serving  
Finally, but certainly not least, beginning in the New Year, Melissa Bowen will be helping me with our Children's Ministry. The Lord has convicted her of our need for serving as the Director of Children's Ministries for our church. She brings to this position, a love of the Lord, a love of the church, and her many gifts for planning, organizing, and serving. She has agreed to do this for a while, giving us the opportunity to take our time in seeking someone else.

The Children's Ministry is looking for a few good men, and women!  If you feel a calling to work with the future of Church of the Covenant, please contact Melissa Bowen to discover the ways you can make a Christian difference.  Melis811@aol.com or 254.1505.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

---

"O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,
be thou our guide while life shall last, and our eternal home."  
O Lord, we know this has been a year that challenged many of us in many ways, with pain, doubt, anguish, and loss, but we have held on just because at times, that is the only thing we could do. So Lord, we pray for new life, new beginnings, healing for our pains, strength to go forward, as we pray in this new year, we may move from fear into hope as we eagerly await to discover the many blessings, both great and small that lie ahead of us. Amen!

From the Music Director - end of the year

I want to end 2011 with thanks. Thanks to and for all of the volunteers in all of the music ensembles. Thanks to and for the worship leaders. Thanks to and for the instrumentalists. Thanks to and for our wonderful pastoral leadership. Thanks to and for all the church members and attendees that have supported the music ministry. Thanks to and for all the wonderful friends and strangers that stepped up to support me during (what I hope is) the most difficult time of my life. Thanks to and for wonderful in-laws that give me family where I once had none. I want to give thanks for all of these things.

But, that doesn't change all of the other emotions that I'm experiencing at the same time. I also want to focus on all the others in our church and community that are going through the holiday season in grief. Like me, the grieving may be recent. Other have been dealing with their loss much longer. In the same breath that I lift up my thanks I also lift up all of us who are struggling this Christmas. I ask you to please do the same. God DOES answer prayers. Please, send them out and send them often.

And finally, I pray that God blesses all of our families with the best possible Christmas ever.

God Bless,

December 25, 2011 Sermon Download Available

Yesterday morning's sermon, The Real Story Behind the Story, is now available for free download from our website. http://tinyurl.com/5j6nl3.

Merry Christmas!

Do not forget, Christmas Eve - two candlelight Holy Communion Services. Special music by the Joyful Sounds (a women's group) and Auriel Campbell. Plus, celebrating the Presence of Christ in our World with Communion and Lights.  4:00pm and 5:30pm.

Tomorrow, Christmas Day, one service only - 10:00am. Parents let your children bring a small quiet gift to be a part of the Blessing of the Toys. You will still have plenty of time to get home and have your Christmas Dinner.

And may the Peace of Christ find a home in your heart this busy Christmas Season. After all, Christmas is about God coming to us in our greatest need. HE offered Himself for our Salvation and our Wholeness.

Merry Christmas and May We see Jesus is the Reason!

December Youth News

I would first like to welcome Becca Wharton to Hwy. 4:12, our youth program. She is a UL student that will be helping to build our Jr. High group. She is already hard at work with great ideas and lots of energy. We are so blessed to have such a wonderful young woman.

Hwy. 4:12 (Jr. and Sr. High youth group) and CYAG (Covenant Young Adults Group) have been really busy making wreaths to raise money for Acquire the Fire. We would like to thank everyone for buying wreaths and supporting our efforts. We have several activities planned for December and January. On Sunday, December 4th, we will be going to Build-A-Bear for our annual trip to make bears for the Lafayette Police Department.

We will also have our youth Christmas Party at Jennifer Blanchard's home that evening. (Remember to bring a wrapped white elephant!) On December 18th we will sort the Angel Tree gifts immediately following the 11:00 service. After the youth meeting, we will go grocery shopping for the Angel Tree. If you have never joined us, please try and do so, you don't know what you are missing.

On Monday, December 19th, the young adults will have their Christmas party and yes, you also need to bring a wrapped white elephant. We have not finalized the plans yet, but we will go out to eat at a local restaurant. In January, instead of the same old "lock in", we will do something new. We will have a "lock out". If you want to learn more about a "lock out", then come join us at youth on Sunday afternoons, 3:30-5:30, for a great afternoon of fellowship, study, and food. I hope to see you there.

Sheri Hester

Changing of the Year - Happenings & Hope

Mind boggling and life changing. Since our last newsletter went to print, we have had several happenings to deal with. We lost two staff persons here at Covenant, as well as say goodbye to another of our young moms (Jan Knight Begnaud) who also died. Gretchen Cheshire, our beloved director of youth and young adults died on October 16th. We still are mystified and will carry the hurt of this loss to us individually and to our congregation, and we need to continue to surround Ken and Gretchen's family with this loss.

The next happening to our staff, was the resignation of Kim Goodman, which I accepted effective Friday November 18. We are so happy that Kim and Don married, but I certainly didn't realize her life change would effect our congregation so much. She and Don feel she needs to be full time married, so I reluctantly accepted her resignation.

Happening number three—hopefully by the time this newsletter is delivered to your house, we will have a completed bid package for our planned multi-purpose building. We are so excited. It has taken way too long, but know that when we get bids, we will have few if any change orders. Mike DeHart and the committee did not know they were signing up for a multi-year commitment. Sometimes in January, we will get the final price and inform the congregation as we get a final approval. But let me tell you, we are so ready. We already have outstanding pledges toward the buildings from several of our key leaders of $285,000 plus have already received some $270,000 towards the building. PRAISE THE LORD! Each of our households shall soon be receiving a brochure that talks about the Master's Plan and it has information along with a commitment sheet for you to return. We hope many of you will be able to return those to the church office, hand them to me or Mike DeHart or to Jeanne Boniol during December. Wouldn't it be great to see how we could fund this building by extra mile giving and funds already in hand, and not have to borrow too much. This is my hope!

Christmas is a season of hope! Unlike the kinds of hope found in only the right circumstances and the “stars all lining up” found in the world, the Bible emphasizes a hope that is eternal. We have hope because of the possibility of our future resurrection along with Jesus, hope in the knowledge of the unconditional love of God as evidenced in Jesus Christ and His Grace. Even when we must face the death of a loved one, we had all hoped they would get better. Our Christian faith says they did get better, and now are forever healed by God's grace. We can hope that things can get better in this world, but even if they do not....we still will live our life in the fullness of God's Kingdom here in our lives and the Kingdom of God to come. Have Hope this Christmas season....

Speaking of Christmas, here is the list of Christmas activities:

• Choir Performance—December 11th, both services 
• Redeemed Performance—December 18th, both services 
• Handbells—December 18th, both services 
• Children's Christmas Musical—Sunday School Hour, December 18th 
• Christmas Eve Services—4 Pm and 5:30 PM, Candlelight Holy Communion 
• Christmas Day—December 25th, one service at 10:00am, no Sunday school that day, “Blessing of the Toys”, and other fun things

See You at your place of worship,

Friendly Christmas Reminders

Wednesday
9:30am - Explorers Bible Study
5:00pm - Handbell Practice
5:30pm - Wednesday Night Dinner - our Christmas Dinner.
6:15pm - Holy Communion and Prayer
6:30pm - IMPORTANT - Children's Christmas Pageant Rehearsal. We need all parents and children to come, make sure the costume fits, songs learned and how to look so darn cute in those bathrobes. I hear another rehearsal is set for Saturday morning also.
6:30pm - Last class for the year - Marriage Enrichement with Bowens and Guidrys, and my last class on The Journey to Bethlehem.

Thursday
6:30pm - Zumba

Normally, the Men would meet for breakfast this Saturday but we will not. That gives everyone another day to go pick the best gift for your family.

Sunday
Another powerful Sunday full of music. At 9:00am and 11:00am, Redeemed will present their Christmas Music along with the Bells Angels ringing Christmas Music. Then at around 10:15 our sanctuary will be filled with children and the Christmas Pageant with shepherds, angels, Wise Men, baby Jesus and Mary and Joseph. Come see the old old story only the way our children can do it.

Angel Tree Gifts due this Sunday. We need volunteers who would be willing to help grocery shop Sunday evening to meet at the Walmart on Pinhook at 6:00pm. See Kathy Lewis for more information on Sunday morning.

Our Staff Parish Relations committee is also receiving extra financial gifts to be divided between the staff for Christmas Gift. Mark your check or put in an envelope so designated. This will be the last Sunday for this gift.

All the best to you and your family,

Merry Christmas

Don't forget, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Several events I want to remind you of:

Sunday 9:00am & 11:00am - our Chancel Choir will be leading us in special Christmas Music. Invite your family and friends to attend and be blessed.

Sunday 2:00pm - 4:00pm - the Sudie Lewis Circle is sponsoring a Gift Wrapping Party. Bring your Angel Tree Gifts and the paper and bows and tape will be provided. Great fellowship time to do something that can be mundane and of course, snacks will be provided.

Speaking of Angel Tree - I understand there are still 40 angels that need to be adopted. Sign up Sunday, run out and purchase a gift and then head back up to the church for the wrapping party.
 
All the best to you and your family,

December 4, 2011 Sermon Download Available

This morning's sermon, My Christmas Wish List - The Gift of Joy, is now available for free download from our website. http://tinyurl.com/5j6nl3.