View PDF - Covenant Presbyterian Church
Transcription
View PDF - Covenant Presbyterian Church
Covenant Matters Teacher Appreciation Breakfast Equal Exchange Coffee is Back! Let's show the teachers at Webb Middle School, Covenant's adopted school, how much we appreciate all they do for their students. We'd like to provide a special breakfast on May 5. Contact Kathy Willis at kathy71willis@gmail.com or (512) 826-6309 to make a contribution, to help set up or to serve. Due to your support of the Presbyterian Coffee Project last fall, Covenant members again have the opportunity to purchase delicious, fairly-traded coffee at wholesale prices. On April 26, place your order at Equal Exchange table on the patio. To help with this effort, contact Lynn Bell (512) 454-3990. Covenant can make a difference for small farmer co-ops around the world! Austin Mayor Steve Adler at Covenant Raising a Modern Day Knight Coming this May Austin Mayor Steve Adler will be at a Covenant Town Hall meeting on Wednesday, April 29, at 6:30 p.m. in FE 200. Adler will be here to help us determine how Covenant can be a "love letter to the city," as we discussed during Darrell Guder's visit in January. Covenant members are encouraged to submit questions for the mayor to find out from him what he sees as the needs of Austin and to learn how Covenant can help. Submit your question at covenant.org/mayor or put it in the basket in the church office. Childcare will be provided. Make a childcare reservation at childcare@covenant.org. What does it take to raise our sons to be masculine, polite, generous and kind? Men of Covenant will go about figuring that out in the class "Raising a Modern-Day Knight." The curriculum focuses on fathers with sons from 6 to 20 years. The class will run Thursdays 6:30 –7:30 a.m from May 7 through June 11 in FE 200. For more information and to register, contact Skip Crowe at skip.crowe@searchministries.org. All-Church Picnic is May 3! VBS 2015, Everest: Conquering Challenges with God’s Mighty Power, is June 15–19 from 9 a.m. to noon. Get ready for a week of faith, fun and friends. Each family must provide an adult volunteer for at least two days. Camp Everest is for kids ages 2–4; Everest is for pre-K to incoming 5th grade; youth volunteers are incoming 6th graders and up. Register and get more information at covenant.org/vbs, or contact Ashley Ellison at ahellison@yahoo.com. Armchair Travelers will meet on Thursday, April 23, at 7 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Jerry and June Beck will present their 2014 trips to Grassy Valley, Calif., and Ashland, N. H. Around Grassy Valley, they explored Empire Gold Mine State Park, Nevada City, Sacramento, NAPA Valley wine country and Redwood Forest State Park. Around Ashland, they toured the lake area where "On Golden Pond" was made, and drove north to the mountain area near Sugar Hills and Mount Washington. The purpose of these trips was to attend weddings for two nephews. Contact Fred Hartmann at (512) 345-4181. Children's Musical: God is my Anchor VISIONS LUNCHEON is APRIL 21 The Covenant children's choirs will present "God is my Anchor" on Saturday, May 2, at 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. The group will give an encore performance on Wednesday, May 6, at 6:15 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Join us on Tuesday, April 21, at 11:45 a.m. in FE 200 for the VISIONS (Very Interested Seniors Investigating Our New Season) luncheon. Enjoy a tasty lunch and fun fellowship followed by a message and beautiful music presented by the Rev. Tom Mitchell. Tom will share his knowledge of church music with a program he calls "From Grief to Gratitude—Great Hymns of the Church." Call the church at (512) 454-5231 to make a reservation. Cost of lunch is $6 at the door or whatever you care to donate. Covenant's Annual All-Church Picnic is Sunday, May 3, at the Skaggs ranch (13600 FM 1826). The fun starts at 4 p.m. and goes until about 8. Drinks are provided. Bring food for your family. Music will be provided by Sons of the Saltfork. Come prepared for horseshoes, kickball, running around, water fun and more. Find directions at covenant.org/annual-church-picnic. Godspell Jr. Is This Sunday The Journey Youth Choir will present Godspell Jr. on Sunday, April 19, at 1:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Based on the gospel of Matthew, Godspell is the story of how Christ's loving message transforms lives, builds communities and grants salvation to all of us. Admission is free. A light lunch will be served in Eaton Hall immediately following the 11 a.m. worship services and prior to the musical. Please stay, eat and enjoy the fellowship and the show! Explore Membership in May Are you considering membership at Covenant? Covenant is offering an Explore Membership class in May. This class will be two Wednesday nights, May 13 and 20, from 6 to 8 p.m. in CO 208. Covenant provides childcare for the meeting times. For more information, contact Amy Skaggs at askaggs@covenant.org. April 19, 2015 covenant.org covenant.austin @cpcaustin Vacation Bible School: Register Now Preschool and Summer Camp Now Enrolling Covenant Presbyterian Preschool and Child’s Day Out is a part-time program created and supported by a community of parents, teachers and children working together to provide high-quality experiential learning in a Christian environment for ages 9 months through 5 years. Space is available for 2015– 2016 in our three's and five’s classes. We are also registering for summer camp for kids ages 2-6. Find more information and applications (accepted year-round) at: covenant.org/preschool or call (512) 454-8370. Folk-Celtic Concert is May 13 Covenant’s Folk-Celtic Band is having a special concert and hymn sing— “How Can I Keep from Singing”—on Wednesday, May 13, at 6:15 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Come, enjoy a musical evening with this unique ensemble that takes advantage of fiddles, cello and other acoustic strings as well as hand percussion. The group looks forward to presenting some of its favorite songs in an evening concert and hymn sing. Bring your voices with you! MAY ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS HAS BEEN CANCELED Armchair Travelers scheduled for Thursday, May 7, has been CANCELED due to the presenter being unable to attend. Call Fred Hartmann at (512) 345-4181 if you have any questions or comments. APRIL ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS What's for Dinner? Wednesday Night Dinner Menus April 22 Sloppy Joes Potato Salad Sautéed Squash Dessert April 29 Kings Ranch Chicken Casserole Black Bean and Roast Corn Salad Tortilla Chips and Salsa Dessert Every Wednesday night, Covenant's Chef Mark Toussaint prepares meals for the congregation in the Fellowship Hall. Enjoy a tasty dinner at 5 p.m., then head over to one of Covenant's many Wednesday night activities! Cost is $6 per person or $20 per family. Stewardship Update Covenant's Pledged Income Under Budget During several months last fall, Covenant members and guests talked about what it means to “get out of the boat.” During the fall sermon and book series, we discussed what faith looks like in many aspects of our lives—including giving. We shared stories of when God had been faithful and when we’d seen His fingerprints on our lives. With God’s promises on our hearts, Covenant members pledged generously, and Session approved a dream budget for 2015. This budget includes increased funds to our missions, as well as more funds directed to debt reduction. After the first quarter of 2015, our pledged income is $90K under budget. Your 2014 promises are vital to Covenant, enabling us to fund many projects – both within the church and those that help us serve in our city and around the world. All online giving is now processed through “My Covenant.” If online is your preferred method, visit covenant.org and select “My Covenant” from the left corner of the homepage. The Stewardship Committee is thankful for all of your contributions, looks forward to all the wonderful things God has planned for our community. Manos Needs Teachers and Tutors CWU May Friendship Day is May 1 Manos de Cristo works to empower low-income individuals in our community with food, clothing and low-cost essential dental care, as well as educational opportunities for adults to learn English and basic computer skills, or prepare for the citizenship process. We are identifying volunteer teachers and tutors to train over the summer to begin teaching classes at Covenant or Manos de Cristo in the fall. To learn more, visit the Manos table on the patio Sundays through May 10, or contact Karen Green: kgreen@manosdecristo.org or (512) 628-4200. This is the third of three projects funded by a bequest to our mission committee from the Freeman estate. All women are invited to attend Church Women United’s May Friendship Day Celebration on Friday, May 1, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, 3208 Exposition Blvd. Coffee and fellowship starts at 9:30 a.m. The program, “Journey of the Caregiver," begins at 10 a.m. The charitable action project recipient is the Trinity Center, a mission of St. David’s Episcopal Church, which serves those experiencing homelessness and poverty. Please bring toothbrushes, toothpaste, disposable razors, deodorant and socks especially for women. Contact Susan Holman (512) 452-6890 or jaholman@swbell.net. Reason #2 you may be called to Cuba During this time of transition in Cuba, discover the "power of empty hands." Given our struggle against insidious temptations to incur gratitude and gain influence with the gifts we bring, we first must empty our hands as a genuine thank offering. This frees us to greet our Cuban family as sisters and brothers in Christ to embrace; to walk and to work together in witness and service; to laugh and cry together in joy and sorrow experienced in solidarity; and to purge ourselves of the inevitable lingering traces of manipulation and hunger for control. Nine spaces remain to join Pastor Jill Williams and a mixture of 14 returning veterans and first-time visitors. For more information, visit Cuba veterans on the patio or contact Jack Kern at jackckern@sbcglobal.net. VISIONS Activities Day Is May 5 CAREER TRANSITIONS IS UNDERWAY Covenant seniors and friends are invited to the May 5 VISIONS Activities Day to experience the nail-biting race against time at Bletchly Park during WWII. Alan Turing and his brilliant team of code-breakers attempt to crack the code used by the Nazis' communications machine, Enigma. "The Imitation Game" (2014) is based on the real-life story of this legendary cryptanalyst played by Benedict Cumberbatch. Meet in FE 200 for games and puzzles at 10 a.m. Lunch is at noon and the movie starts at 1 p.m. Guests are welcome. Donations are accepted for lunch; reservations are not required. Contact Martha Bombaugh at (512) 345-5916. Career Transitions, a class is for those facing employment uncertainty or change, meets Thursdays at 7 p.m. in FE 100. On April 23, Scott Carley, Principal at Growth Dynamic, will present "Networking for Introverts." The following week on April 30, Angela Loeb, author, speaker and career/personal vision strategies with InSync Resources, will present "Resumes that Work." Come to one session or to all. Each acts as a stand-alone workshop. Contact Kay Austin at kaustin@covenant.org. Financial Update May VISIONS Trip To Fort Hood On Thursday, May 7, Covenant VISIONS will travel to Fort Hood to watch the 1st Calvary Division Horse Detachment practice their ceremonial routines. Following lunch at the Fort Hood Commissary, the group will visit the Texas Central College to see two shows in the Mayborn Planetarium. Trip price is $21 per person, and includes lunch. The bus will leave the church at 8 a.m. and return about 5 p.m. Make reservations on the patio on April 19 and 26. Contact Jim Abbott at jwabbott325@att.net or (512) 795-0063. For Period Ended March 31, 2015 GENERAL FUND Revenues Expenses BUILDING FUND Total Loan Balance Principal Reduction YTD YTD Actual YTD Budget $ 882,177 732,482 149,695 $ 936,991 817,239 119,752 $ 6,458,733 53,085 A Time to Celebrate: PW Spring Luncheon All women are invited to the Presbyterian Women’s Spring Luncheon on Thursday, May 12, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in FE 200. This will be a joyful time of celebration and fellowship, and a look at the year ahead. Beth Daniel will be the guest speaker and we will install the new officers for the Presbyterian Women Coordinating Team 2015-2016. No reservation is required. If you need childcare, please email childcare@covenant.org. MoMs Group Meets April 27 The MoMs Group meets the first and third Monday of the month from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary parlor. Join us for coffee, a snack and fellowship. On Monday, April 27, member Carrie Cothran-Williams will discuss Love and Logic, a parenting method that emphasizes setting love limits and having fun with your kids when they are behaving well. For more information on MoMs, contact Rachel Gossen at rachel.gossen@gmail.com or Becky Butterworth at beckybutterworth@gmail.com. For free childcare, make reservations at least 48 hours ahead by contacting childcare@covenant.org or (512) 334-3020. Oasis Class in April Dr. Paul Hooker, Associate Dean for Ministerial Formation and Advanced Studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, will lead the Oasis class today, April 19 and next Sunday, April 26. The title of his presentation is "What Do We Mean When We Say 'Church'?" He will lead class participants in an exploration of the Foundations of Presbyterian Polity using the Book of Order. Oasis meets Sunday at 9:30 a.m. in FE 100.