Midweek Reminders from Covenant - August 31, 2010

What a great Sunday! We had a wonderful Fifth Sunday Fellowship Time. Thanks to all who brought food to share and those who helped clean up! Can't wait until we do it again! We also recognized and prayed for our Preschool and Mother's day Out Staff. Thanks for such a great ministry.

Midweek Reminders:
Wednesday - 8:00AM - Exercise with Palates
Choir Get togather at Wally Manuels in the evening

Thursday - Men's Bull Session 8:30 AM- Be here to enjoy some good food prepared by Dee Nolan. Problem solving discussion abounds.

Friday evening - a Cursillio Work Party in the fellowship hall.

Sunday, September 5- We will finish up the "We Need a Little Christmas Right This Very Minute- LOVE." I will be talking about the Labor of Love and then we will gather around His Table for Holy Communion and Share in the Elements of His Love.

Also, Don't forget our offering for ICAN Sunday to help with the UCO Food Pantry.

Covenant Preschool still has a few openings for our 4 year old class. Call Kim Havard at the school office - 988-3962.

Sincerely,
Chris Blanchard

Preschool Openings

We have just 6 openings left in the 4 year-old classes in our Preschool. All other classes are filled with a considerable waiting list.

These openings are going to go fast, so, if you know of someone who might be interested, have them call Kim or Amy at 988-3962 as soon as possible.

Tomorrow - Sunday, August 29, 2010

Tomorrow, Brother Chris continues with part 3 of his sermon series "We Need A Little Christmas Right Now" with Hope. 

Also, tomorrow is a Fifth Sunday. That means POTLUCK. So bring your favorite side-dish and an appetite. Be fed spiritually and physically. Serving begins at 11:30am. 

And finally, at 11:00am we'll be blessing in our teachers from the Early Learning Center. Join us as we lift up this crucial ministry.

See you at 9:00am or 11:00am.

From the Associate Pastor

Where did the summer go? School has started, Wednesday Night Supper and Bible studies will begin shortly, Pumpkin Patch and then it will be Charge Conference time in November.

One of the things we do at conference is to vote for those persons we want to place on various committees. We have many areas of ministry that you can serve at Covenant. Rick Warren wrote in one of his devotionals this summer is that “God has given each of us a unique emotional heartbeat that races when we think about the subjects, activities, or circumstances that interest us. We instinctively care about some things and not about others. These are clues to where you should be serving.” Warren goes on to say, “that another word for heart is passion. There are certain subjects that you feel deeply passionate about and others that you couldn’t care less about. Some experiences turn you on and capture your attention, while others turn you off or bore you to tears. These reveal the nature of your heart, listen for inner promptings that can point to the ministry God intends for you to have.”

What are you passionate about? What captures your attention? What experiences turn you on? Please pray about how you can use your gifts and talents to serve here at Covenant and then let Pastor Chris or me know where you would like to serve.

- Rev. Byron Aucoin

Fifth Sunday Pot Luck

Yes, it's that time again. This Sunday (August 29th) is a fifth Sunday and that means POTLUCK!!

Brother Chris has already begun the brisket so all you need to do is bring a side-dish or dessert and a good appetite. This would also be a great time to bring a guest.

Serving will begin at 11:30am.

Deep Reaching Roots

I just planted some new summer flowers in my front garden bed, because I want some color to pop! However the day I planted them, it was almost a 100, and before I could water that afternoon, they started to wilt a little. (Okay a lot!) I realize that we won’t get much growth from them before the fall, because they will not have time to put down a deep root system and they will depend upon my remembering to give them a healthy drink of water. The Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, shared these great words; “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord...They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they go right on producing delicious fruit.” What a great analogy of what we attempt to do in our spiritual journey: putting down deep-reaching roots so we can withstand the heat and drought.

Let me tell you some of the ways we attempt to help you put down those deep reaching roots. First, we provide two opportunities for worship each week, one with our traditional worship style and second, with a more contemporary praise service. Both are great services and I love having both opportunities to praise the Lord. We offer opportunities for Bible Study in the Sunday school hour. We will even be starting a new Bible-based class for those not now attending a class on September 12 with Rev. Bernie Shamp and Shirley King team teaching...Starting that same day, we will begin a congregational-wide focus on “The Purpose Driven Life.” Each Sunday my messages will be focused on the content of our reading for that week, and you will have two opportunities to be involved in small group discussion. Again, for those not now attending a Sunday morning class, Rev. Aucoin and I will do a short-term study on the book, OR if you now attend another Sunday school class, our Wednesday night study will be covering the material. I look forward to the new possibilities for deep roots being planted as we study together.

Then...this October, we will have our Covenant Pumpkin Patch. We will need lots of volunteers to help make this October patch the best yet. I believe that the Patch is one of our greatest opportunities to reach new people with a positive introduction to our Lord and to our church family. Be ready to serve our community...Look for more information about your opportunity. I am convinced that our church has what many are “thirsting” for in this world.

I am not convinced those little flowers will survive the rest of summer, but I know that once our roots are reaching down into the Living Water of our Lord...we will thrive and continue to produce fruit for the Kingdom. Plant your roots now!

Rev. Chris Blanchard

UMYF Update

For all you new families with kids in 7th to 12th grade, I thought I'd fill you in on what Covenant has to offer. Our youth group is a unique blend of fellowship, (meeting new people and making great friends), games (and we have some crazy ones), interactive teach- ing (group discussions about things that are relevant to the youth of today), and great group activities (mission trips, canoe trips, movies, etc.)--all lead by youth.

It's a great place for kids not only to learn more about God, but how to apply what they learn to their lives in a way to which they can relate. Discussions cover sub- jects that youth deal with every day. Why not encourage your kids to come check us out. We meet every Sunday from 3:30-5:30.

And right now our youth room is in the midst of a much needed and way overdue " face-lift". Let's just say that it will definitely look like a youth room when we're done. See, there's another reason to come and see.

In addition to youth, we also have a youth Bible Study that we began last spring. We took a break over the summer but we're about to start up again. It's called "The Purple Book". It's a great study for anyone who's ever tried to read the Bible and were left with one big question mark. It's easy to understand, no outside work, and most of all you'll finally understand what you read and how to apply it.....oh and we also have food! Come give it a try! Be on the look-out for dates and times for the fall kick off.

For questions or more info: email me @ youth@covenantum.org.

Mission Possible Kids

Covenant's own secret agents swarmed headquarters Sunday, August 1 for the first Mission Possible Kids (MPKids) meeting of the new school year. Fifteen agents showed up to stuff pumpkin seeds into bags for our Pumpkin Patch. Agents were debriefed by Intel Specialist Dr. Tracy Richardson, who shared information about how the Pumpkin Patch proceeds help the needy in our community. Agents also received information regarding a covert operation to conclude in December. If you missed this important meeting, contact Special Operations Director Jennifer Manuel immediately at 856-9462 or jenandwally@earthlink.net.

Congratulations to the following agents who were promoted to Special Agent 1st Class: Hayley Harris, Emily Keller, Ashlyn LeFeuve, Presley Nutter, and Joseph Vildibill. These agents and many of their colleagues have earned stars for completing at least six missions.

Headquarters would like to welcome aboard our newest agents, Ava LeFeuve and Bryton and Ian Norwood. Thank you all for joining the force.

Mission Possible Kids is a national organization devoted to providing children in 1st through 6th grades the opportunity to participate in hands-on mission projects. We meet the first Sunday of each month (except September, June, and July) from 3:30-5:30 in the Fellowship Hall, unless otherwise noted. We welcome all who are interested in participating. For more information, please contact Jennifer Manuel or the church office at 981-2088.

Children's Ministries Update

The big deal with children’s ministries is that the kids are back in school! August was a busy month with Bibles being presented to our third graders, book blessing tags were given to all students to remind them that they are never alone—God is with them and they have an entire church family praying for them, and we honored our Acolytes for their service to our church. We have several new ones and several who are “graduating” and are ready for new volunteer positions.

By the time you read this, our Children’s Ministries Leaders will have met to discuss the future of Children’s Ministries. We have looked at what is working well, what we need to add, and how we can improve. Keep alert for upcoming announcements about children’s programs, particularly Sunday school. Suggestions and ideas are always welcome.

These children are the future Church Council members, Finance Committee and SPR Committees. They will carry on the legacy of Covenant United Methodist Church into the coming days. When volunteer opportunities arise, please consider contributing to the future through our children.

Blessings to you as you serve the Lord in this place,

Kim Havard

New Bible Study Coming in September

Explorer’s Bible Study 

A 30-week study on Psalms of Prayer and Praise 

Beginning Wednesday, September 8, 9:30am-11:15am

Everyone is invited. 

For more information, please contact Donna Guidry at 232-7555.

Covenant Early Learning Center Update

Summer is over and our new year has begun! Summer whizzed by us real fast with a total of 145 children. Yes, we all stayed busy and the highlight of the summer was the “Fun Jumps”. The children enjoyed them immensely. Our new year has begun with a total of 150 children enrolled. Teachers and students are very excited and enthusiastic and we are all looking forward to a wonderful year together.

We welcome to our staff this year four new employees: Dana Hebert - Younger 2’s Teacher; Trisha Haley - Toddler Assistant; Mona McRae-Assistant to 2’s; Kendra Domingue - Assistant for Nursery. We are pleased to welcome these four dedicated ladies to our staff as part of the Covenant Family.

Parents and teachers alike are very thankful for this ministry of the church. We are striving to present these children with a solid foundation on which to build their lives and it’s because of you that we are able to do so. Please keep the staff, parents and children of YOUR preschool in your prayers.

Grace and Peace,

Kim Havard

Acolytes for 2010

Covenant acolytes for 2010-2011 include Brandon Guidry, Hayley Harris, Mikaila and Victoria Kinsland, Wyatt Leonards, Kate Manuel, Hannah Mattke, Sebastian Pharis, Gavin Stowe, Grace Stepanek, Grace and Joseph Vildibill, and Kyle and Will McCrain. We thank you for your dedication to this important service.

Thank you, also, to our two "retirees," Burke Bolinger and Emma Stepanek, both of whom have served as acolytes for many years. We appreciate all that you do here.

40 Days of Purpose

The Purpose Driven Life

Beginning September 12th, Brother Chris will begin a new sermon series based on the book, The Purpose Driven Life by Pastor Rick Warren. This study will help you understand why you are alive and God’s amazing plan for you both now and for eternity.

For those who have already read the book, it will be a wonderful boost as we get Brother Chris' unique insights on the already familiar text. For those who have not read the book, prepare for a wonderful, life-changing experience.

We have copies available for purchase at church or you can get your own copy in various formats (softcover, hardcover, audio, even as an e-book) from Amazon.com.

From Brother Chris:

40 Days of Purpose

I am thrilled to describe to you what I pray will be one of the most significant emphases that our church might be involved in. During this 6 week program, I am encouraging all of us to discover what God's purpose for our lives might be, using four tools.

These tools include: Sunday Worship and message, a small group study, daily inspirational reading and Scripture memory verses. What a powerful time this will be if our entire community would have a single focus and purpose during these "40 days."

We will be using a guide, Rev. Rick Warren's best selling book, The Purpose Driven Life. What do I want you to do?

• First, be praying that our participation in this program will transform our individual lives as well as the life of the church.
• Second, get the book and be ready to read one short chapter a day.
• Third, commit to attending our worship services beginning September 12th.
• And fourth, commit to attending one of the small group sessions, Rev. Byron and I will lead. For those already involved in a Sunday morning class, stay there, but join us on Wednesday evenings beginning September 15th. For those not in a Sunday morning class, we will begin with the first group meeting immediately after the 9:00am service on September 12th.

Thousands of churches, including some of my former congregations, have used this spiritual program and have seen great things happen I know you will not be disappointed.

Schedule

September 12 - What On Earth Am I Here for?

September 19 - Planned for God's Pleasure

September 26 - Formed for God's Family

October 3 - Created to Become Like Christ

October 10 - Shaped to Serve God

October 17 - Made for a Mission

October 24 - Celebration Sunday

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