The Church of the Covenant


 
Thanks be to God for God's indescribable gift!
II Corinthians 9:15
          
Worship of God
Christ the King 
10AM
November 23, 2014
    
The sermon is titled "Just Want to Thank You. . . Lord."    Scripture lessons are  Psalm 100 and II Corinthians 9:10-15. Click to read each scripture. Graham Miller is reading the Psalter lesson.  Children will worship in Yost Chapel when they depart this Sunday.  

 

Questions for Reflection: "Just Want to Thank You . . . Lord"

Let us take time this week to reflect upon how thankful we are for the abundant life and infinite gifts of the earth we have been given by our Creator God. So in response to God's generosity we will reach out share and with others our bountiful tables until all are fed.   

 

 

Children are collecting nonperishable food for the Covenant Food Pantry this Sunday.

 

   

 

Each Sunday one of our Stephen Ministers remains in Christ Chapel following worship to speak with anyone who would like a listening ear or a prayer. 
 
Midweek Music & Meditation, Wednesdays, 4:30-5 pm,  is offered for everyone who would find comfort in a time of reflection, music, and prayer. Prayer requests placed in The Carpenter's Box on the Christ Chapel table are included in each Midweek Music and Meditation time of prayer.

Tuesday Noon Bible Study is not meeting on November 25. You are invited to join this study facilitated by Rev. Amy Starr Redwine on Tuesday, December 2, in the Covenant Library.

In the Covenant Family

This week we keep in our prayers Covenant's Associate Pastor Nominating Committee, Ruth Dahm De Vries, Chuck Gatson, Vera Orlock, Gloria Ross (Michelle Miller's mother), Alice Wadsworth, Marjorie Wadsworth and other Covenant members and friends who are struggling with illness, convalescing, or are home bound.

The sympathy of the congregation is extended to Portia Smith and her family on the death of the Reverend Kenneth Lee Smith who died November 12 in Cleveland. A memorial service will be held Friday, November 21, at 1 pm at Disciples Christian Church, 3663 Mayfield Road, Cleveland Heights.  

 

We keep our university students and all who are traveling in this coming week in our prayers. 
    
Dear God, every good and perfect gift comes from you.

With you there is no variation or shadow of turning.

Of your own will you brought us forth that we might be a kind of fruit of all you created, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

                                                                (prayer offered by Jim Mate) 
                                                                                                              
Bear one another's burdens, 

       and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.  Galatians 6:2   

MUSIC NOTES   

 

In our worship Sunday, we prominently feature the new sanctuary Steinway  piano donated to the church by Dr. Kristina Sole. The piano features prominently in two movements from British composer Bob Chilcott's A Little Jazz Mass, composed for the Crescent City Music Festival, New Orleans in 2004.

 

Dr. Sole, the daughter of Dalia and Bob Baker, was confirmed at Covenant and was later ordained as an elder. Kristina, along with her sons Benjamin and Sebastian, lives in Oslo, Norway, where she is the Medical Officer for a group formed by the government to implement a UN protocol against torture in Norway. Many thanks to Kristina for her generous gift. 

 

This Sunday we also welcome percussionist and CWRU student Andrew Spearman to our service.       

 

MUSICAL OPPORTUNITIES  

   

giving tree orchestra

 

We need YOU! The Advent and Christmas season is quickly approaching, and here are some exciting opportunities for you to participate in.

 

CircleFest Carol Sing: December 7, 4pm
Join the Covenant Choir along with the CWRU choirs and University Circle Symphony Orchestra in this thrilling concert of festive carols. 

 

Giving Tree Orchestra and Chorus: December 14, 11:30am
All instruments (Yes, ALL!) and singers welcome to join this truly unique band!
 
Advent and Christmas Eve
Join the Covenant choir for the season, and you won't ever regret it!
 
Contact Jonathan Moyer if you are interested. CLICK HERE!

    

Thanksgiving Dinner
THIS SUNDAY, November 23 at 11:15am
Sign Up Today
Willie Parker and crew are once again preparing a Thanksgiving Dinner on Sunday, November 23, at 11:15am in the Dining Room.

Bring cakes and pies to the Dining Room this Sunday before service.
Donate financially  ("Thanksgiving Meal" in the memo).

AND come to eat! Invite friends and neighbors. 

 

Sign up in the church office, call 216.421.0482  

Email Covenant@CovenantWeb.org

 

Upcoming Dates to Remember

Covenant Youth Holiday Greens & Flower Fundraiser

Orders are due THIS SUNDAY, November 23.

Poinsettias, wreaths, greens and flowers just in time for the holidays. Order forms are available in the church office. Proceeds support youth service projects.

 

           Pick up Giving Tree Tags

Beginning This Sunday in the Reception Room
                  Select tags for Goodrich-Gannett senior adults
                                     and Daniel E. Morgan first graders.
    

Christmas Poinsettias & Greens For Covenant's SanctuaryPoinsettia

Please reserve by Sunday, December 7

The poinsettias and greens that decorate our church from December 21 through January 4 are presented to the glory of God and in memory of those who have gone before us or in honor of a loved one. Call Mildred Russin in the office at 216.421.0482 or download and submit the order form.  

Cache Needs Toys!

 

Our Cache Resale Shop is very short of toys, games, and puzzles to sell this Christmas season. If you have gently-used items that your family has outgrown, this would be a great time to donate them! Donations are welcome any time. Just leave them in the bin in the Activities Room, or outside the door of the shop.   

 

And don't forget to come and shop at the Cache Christmas Boutique  

after worship on December 7th. Thank you for your support!  

 

 

Tom and Cheri Keys with granddaughter Bronwyn

 

We are bursting our buttons here.   

 

Bronwyn Keys was born in  

Santa Monica, California, on September 21. We celebrate with  

her  parents, Bradley and Erin (Mimi) Keys.  

Pictured are the proud grandparents  

Cheri and Tom Keys with Bronwyn  

on November 14

at the Wayfarers Chapel  

in Palos Verdes, California,  

where their family started.

 

Tom and Cheri, and later Brad and Erin,   

were married in Wayfarers Chapel. 

The Arts of Thanksgiving
Monday, November 24, 6-9 pm
B'nai Jeshurun Congregation
Church of the Covenant is a sponsor.
 
Theater Outing Thursday, December 11
 
The Reach-Out (Membership) Committee invites you to begin the holiday season at Dobama Theater on December 11. A new play, "A Civil War Christmas: An American Musical Celebration," is the perfect event to invite a friend to meet members of our Covenant community.  This musical by Pulitzer prize winner, Paula Vogel reveals the universal and unifying themes of hope and joy and the beauty of the human spirit.  Tickets are $15, a $10 savings. We will gather in the art gallery at 7pm for dessert and coffee; (curtain is 7:30pm) to socialize a bit as well as during the brief intermission. Dobama is located in Cleveland Heights on Lee Road across from the Library. Please call Martha Goble for help with transportation.  

 

You may sign-up and pay at the church office. Seating is limited.   

Lee Road has many fine restaurants so take advantage and do dinner first!   

   

Remembering Paul L. Reynolds 
Visiting Covenant's Newberry Organ in progress in Ooltweah, TN.
Covenant Organist and Music Director 1970 to 1974

 

Word has reached the church of the death of Paul L. Reynolds. Paul was organist and music director at the Covenant between 1970 and 1974. During his tenure in Cleveland, he expanded the concert series at the church to eleven annual concerts, taught Choral Literature courses at Case Western Reserve University, and conducted the University Circle Chorale. He was active with the Fine Arts and Memorials Committee as they inventoried and retrieved many memorial items hidden away in storage.

 

"One thing I remember about Paul was that he was a true churchman and spiritual communicator," recalls lifelong Covenant member Catherine Miller. "He always had something meaningful and inspiring to share with the choir as we prepared to sing services or large concerts. A very sensitive and kind man. I'm so glad he was with us for the dedication of the new organ and the festivities that surrounded it."

 

Paul Reynolds held an MSM from Union Theological Seminary School of Sacred Music. Prior to his position at Covenant he served at The Reformed Church of Metuchen, New Jersey, and First-Plymouth Congregational Church in Lincoln, Nebraska.Following his departure, he had positions at Grosse Point Memorial Church in Michigan, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Dayton, the Episcopal Church of the Ascension, Lafayette, Louisiana, and then St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Chattanooga, where he served over twenty years. In 2000, St. Paul's established the Paul L. Reynolds Music and Theology Internship at The University of the South.

 

Paul Reynolds returned to the Covenant during the 75th/150th anniversary celebrations in 1994-95 to direct the music for a morning worship service. He was able to visit our Newberry Organ in progress at the Richards, Fowkes & Co. workshop in Ooltweah, Tennessee, and was in Cleveland for the dedication in May, 2013.  Paul is survived by his two children, Andrew Paul Reynolds of New York City and Elizabeth Ann Neilly of Toronto. 

 

 


Parking IS available behind the Covenant on both sides
of the driveway on Sunday's only.
  
We are in the process of shifting to an on-line calendar.  
Watch for more information!

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11205 Euclid Avenue - Cleveland, Ohio 44106
Visit the Covenant website at CovenantWeb.org

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 Lyn Cooper Tomaszewski and David Keltner.

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