Weekly Reminders - November 28, 2012

Don't get so busy putting out your decorations that you don't prepare your heart for Christmas!

Susie has already decorated our house, I am in charge of hanging lights outside, so that will be done sometime before Christmas Day.  But, Advent is more then just decorations, it is  the time we prepare ourselves for the Coming of Christ into our Hearts and Into our World.  I hope you avail yourself of every opportunity to do so.

Wednesday
9:30am - Explorers Bible Study
5:00pm - Hand Bells
5:30pm - Dinner: Gumbo weather and chicken and sausage gumbo with potato salad
6:15pm - Prayer and Holy Communion
6:15pm - Children's Mid Week Program
6:30pm - Young Married Class with Sheri Hester
6:30pm - Brother Byron and I will lead a 3 week Advent study - What is Advent? Finding Jesus in the Old Testament

Friday
10:00am - Hanging of the Greens- help decorate our sanctuary for the Christmas Season. I will have Hot Chocolate and Christmas Music.

Sunday, December 2nd
Stewardship Sunday & Holy Communion - so don't forget your I CAN food offering for UCO food pantry.

A Busy Week

Dear Covenant Family -

What a great weekend. The services were a blessing, as we honored those veterans among us. Thank you for coming. Once again we had over 375 in worship. One of the activities we did, was to allow our children and our adults to go over to our new building, and to write their name, or favorite passage, in the wall, that will soon be covered with sheet-rock, but they will stand forever with your mark in the new building. If you did not do this Sunday, come by soon, and add your mark.

Many of our flock went to help us host the homeless community. Covenant, as always, made a great showing. Thank you for your participation and your food and your prayers and your socks, and hats, and gifts the community enjoyed.

If you were in services yesterday, you heard another great report from the Pumpkin Patch. All your hard work, lead by the Mason's gave us another banner year. $68,000 that can be used for missions. You also heard the Masons are passing on the baton. They have laid the foundation of a great patch, but we will pick it up and do the best we can.

We had one funeral today, remembering Daisy Mellington. Tomorrow, from 11:00am-2:00pm, we will have visitation here in the church of Mrs. Sally Blaine, another member and mother of Laura Wiggins. The service will be held at 2:00pm. I hope you will come by and pay your last respects, as we celebrate her resurrection day.

We also had another one of our Saints make the journey to her heavenly home, Mrs. Bonnie Ward, a faithful member for many years. After a long hosptial stay, she went home on Sunday morning. Visitation will be at Delhommes Funeral Home on Tuesday evening  4:00-7:00pm, But in lieu of any church services, we will have a short prayer service tomorrow evening at 6:00pm at Delhommes. On Wednesday I will travel with the family to have Ms. Bonnie's graveside down in Sweeney Texas.

So on Wednesday - we will have another full day -
9:30am - Explorers Bible Study
5:00pm - Hand Bell practice
5:30pm - Wednesday Night Dinner with our Thanksgiving Dinner with Ham, Turkey, Cornbread Dressing and Pie
6:15pm - Children's Program, Prayer and Holy Communion
6:30pm - Brother Byron will teach. We will not have our Daniel Study....since I will be headed back Texas

Sunday, November 18th, we will gather for worship and offer our Thanksgiving Praise to God. Even before you fill your belly with turkey.

I am so blessed to be your pastor. You are one of the main reasons I have to be grateful!

St. Jude's and All Saint's Day

The Patch is now closed, and work is going on as I write (of course that means I am not doing the work, just supervising), but I am reminded of what a team effort it takes, thousands of hours donated. While it will indeed be different next year, we will do Pumpkin Patch, pray now how you can help with the wonderful endeavor. The Mason's - Keith and Shirley, Steve & Cindy have worked very hard for these past years and joined by many others who unloaded pumpkins, who sold pumpkins, did the tours, cooked for the visitors, arranged the special events like Family Fun Day and the Gigantic Craft Sale, and on and on, but a Big Thanks from all of us.

Saturday
The last final hurrah of Pumpkin Patch is the St. Jude's Bike and Walk-a-Thon. Plan now to come out, walk a little, ride a little, ride a lot, or just hang out and help us greet those who come our way to help us raise funds for the wonderful program of St. Jude's Hospital for Children.

Rice Bowls are due this Sunday. Change the world for the children that will be fed by this project.

Sunday - All Saints Sunday
Join us as we honor our loved ones who have entered the Church Triumphant since last year, and I will preach on The Great Cloud of witnesses that surround us, both living and eternal living Saints.

Sunday afternoon
Our church council meeting is important, it is where most of the annual business is conducted. Leaders that have been nominated for next year, and salaries that will be paid for the pastoral staff will be set. All invited to attend, church council members expected to vote. 4:00pm Sunday.

Trustees will meet briefly at 3:30 to discuss a few items of maintenance.

For those of you who missed our Wednesday Night Solace, we prayed fervently for our nation. I will have extra copies of the service available on Sunday morning.

Sincerely,

Young Adult Ministry

October was a busy busy month, which has become the norm for our church. I want to thank everyone that supported us by taking a manna bag to hand to those in need. We are working on trying to keep some on hand to replace the ones that you hand out.

Trunk or Treat was a great success, and I want to thank all of those that helped to organize it and those that participated. We are looking forward to making next year’s even bigger and better than this year.

The young married group will be having their Christmas party on Friday December 14th, so mark your calendars. If you haven’t come to our Wednesday night Bible study, please consider giving us a try. I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Sheri Hester

From the Associate Pastor

As we were doing our overview of the Old Testament on Wednesday night a couple of weeks ago, we were in the book of Psalms. We were talking about our favorite Psalm and we all agreed that the 23rd Psalm was the most recognized scripture in the Bible. It reminded me of a hymn we don’t sing very often “The King of Love My Shepherd Is”. The six verses of the hymn were written from the 23rd Psalm and is about God's abiding presence, our desperate need for Him, and a promise that even through "death's dark vale," there is a cross to guide us. That is the good news of the Gospel. Take some time and look it up in a hymnal (138 in UMH) or Google the lyrics. It will bless you as much as reading the Psalm.

Think About Such Things

In Philippians, Paul closes out his letter by exhorting and encouraging the church to spend their time and to focus on things that will enrich their lives, not distract from them. We all look toward having a more positive outlook while the world seems to want to do nothing more than to steal our joy. It becomes very easy to fix our minds upon all that is negative around us. And why not, the air is filled with negative political campaigns, and the news is full of bad news, and yes, we do not always get our way. I can think of nothing more to say, than to allow Paul to say it His way:

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in every thing, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers (and sisters), whatever is true, whatever is noble,
whatever is right,
whatever is pure,
whatever is lovely,
whatever is admirable -
if anything is excellent or praiseworthy- think about such things.”
- Philippians 4: 4-8 NIV

The choice is ours. What will you focus on? What will occupy your brain cells?
I am choosing to have a more positive attitude by listening to the Word of God and to draw upon His power. In addition, you might just decide to spend some time at worship, in fellowship, in study of God's Word, and in serving our Lord by serving His church.

See you in your place of worship often,