Covenant Presbyterian Church Wendell, North Carolina February 2020 FIRST SUNDAY LUNCH — FEBRUARY 2, 2020 Chicken Noodle, Vegetable beef and Veggie Olanda Carr from the Presbyterian Foundaon will be with us in worship and then staying aſterwards for lunch. He will share a brief program in the Fellowship Hall about the work of the Presbyterian Foundaon and how it can serve Covenant Presbyterian Church along with its members. Covenant Book Club Join us February 20, 7:00pm at Angie Sherrill’s home as we discuss A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. We would love for you to join us as we share lots of laughs and great fellowship.
Transcript
Covenant Presbyterian Church
Wendell, North Carolina
February 2020
FIRST SUNDAY LUNCH — FEBRUARY 2, 2020
Chicken Noodle, Vegetable beef and Veggie
Olanda Carr from the Presbyterian Foundation will be with us in worship and then staying afterwards for lunch. He will share a brief program in the Fellowship Hall about the work of the Presbyterian Foundation and how it can serve Covenant Presbyterian Church along with its members.
Covenant Book Club
Join us February 20, 7:00pm at Angie Sherrill’s home as we discuss A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. We would love for you to join us as we share lots of laughs and great fellowship.
From the Pastor
Interim work, or what more church members and clergy are beginning to call Transitional Ministry, is hard work. For one, it often seems never ending - one transition leading into another transition.
Take for instance the transitions here at Covenant Presbyterian Church. Not too long ago, a beloved pastor left and an interim pastor came. Not long ago, a major new development was planned in the community and houses started to grow where once trees and corn-rows stood. Not long ago, children filled classrooms as middle schoolers and now those children are in col-lege or working hard in their first job. Not long ago, the pews were filled with familiar faces that raised generations of faithful disciples and now those spaces sit open, exposed like our hearts to the wounds of grief and the pains of loss.
And transitions continue...as a new budget for 2020 is approved and we don't yet know if it is the budget that will "fit" us and God's mission/vision for Covenant Presbyterian Church. Some families that left once upon a time have come home and we've welcomed them back. Some of the gifts for ministry that folk here have had which sat unused are now being used again as our circumstances and context for ministry have changed.
Transitions happen in every moment. In fact, without these changes we, along with our insti-tutions, would remain static. That stasis, while pleasant in one respect, offers no growth in the long-term...only decay. To stay "as is" seldom wins hearts and minds and can never cause our hearts to grow in a Christ-like manner. Stasis, or keeping things the same, moves us closer to the worship of idols and farther from the worship of a transforming God.
So friends, we are together for a while longer and while the future remains uncertain for all of us we will see the sovereign care and love of a God who made us, makes us, and renews us with each day. Stand in the stream of faith but don't try to stand so firmly that you hold your position, instead let go and ride the current of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes the water will be slow moving along the banks, sometimes we will be in the faster current towards the middle. Perhaps the water will hold boulders and rapids, but just as likely there will be portions of calm. No matter what, the movement of the river is always forward and that my friends is our comfort in this time of transition...that God guides us and that God has created the stream which around us flows. - Pastor Troy
Church Wish List:
White Mailing Labels—1” X 2 5/8
(actual size)
White Copy paper—8 1/2 X 11
Ivory colored copy paper—8 1/2 x 14
(legal size)
Tall Kitchen trash bags
Paper towel (rolls and folded)
Toilet paper
Kleenex (boxes)
Stamps
The CPC Youth Group will attend the 2020 Montreat Youth Conference this summer. This is a large-scale Youth conference open to rising 9th grade through completed 12th grade. CPC will attend the 3rd session, July 12-18, 2020. We currently have 3 Youth confirmed to attend.
If you are interested, a registration deposit of $100 is due by March 22, 2020. Please contact Alli Buus to register or for more information.
Fellowship and Hospitality Elder Paula Daniels
Breakfast Fellowship: Join us for breakfast the second Monday of each month, 9:30am at McLean’s Restaurant in Zebulon, everyone is Welcome!
Handy Hands helps with home repairs and chores for those who find it difficult to manage by themselves. They have installed several ramps for those with problems with mobility. Need is more important than ability to pay, so donations are appreciated.
*Women of the church meet February 25, 7:00pm in the Fellowship Hall. All women are welcome!
*Fellowship ministry team meeting. February 26 in the Fellowship hall at 12:15pm.
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Session News:
The Stated Session meeting for January 2020 was well attended. While several pieces of information, correspondence and policy drafts were shared the remainder of the meeting focused on the 2020 Budget and the process of the Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC) going forward. The 2020 Budget was approved pending confirmation from KS Bank that we may do interest only payments for the year. In addition to interest only, any Heritage Fund gifts will go directly toward principal payments. The 2020 Budget will allow for our Administrator, Sexton, and Sunday music supply to remain unchanged. We will not be looking for a Choir Director/Minister of Music in 2020. In addition, the budget allows for the hiring of a Part-time Pastor. While we know this may be difficult news to hear, the Session wishes to convey a few take aways which are positive in this decision.
1) The hiring of a PT Pastor will enable CPC to remain stable, or with budget success, grow financially. Some of this growth, should it occur, will result from increased giving throughout the year, further cost reductions in ministry, locating viable partners in the Wendell community to share ministries with, and some fundraising through Session approved building usage by outside groups.
2) This time during a PT Pastor will allow the Session to revisit and review the Mission Study, Holy Cow results, the new staffing model for CPC, as well as the church's place in the larger community.
3) Finally, God IS doing a NEW thing...And, while this new thing feels like an interrup-tion in the normal way of doing church here at Covenant, we would be foolish to be-lieve that this NEW thing is anything less than a full blessing given to us by God. Our job and role as God's servants, is to discover where God is leading us, live into that dis-covery, and joyfully respond in gratitude.
Finally, this will mean putting a pause into the PNC process, temporarily. Because the position the PNC is operating to fill is listed as FT, it makes no sense to continue right now looking for a candidate. While that may change in the future, it is not the Ses-sion's expectation that it will change within the next 3-6 months. The Session needs to watch and tend the church's budget for 2020 carefully and closely before resuming the pastoral call process.
Your Session is working hard on your behalf. You should feel a sense of calm and bless-ing from their leadership and steady hand through 2019 and into 2020.
Stated Session Meeting for February
Sunday, February 9 from 3-6 in the Fellowship Hall
Prayer Shawl
If you have been in the hospital or sick in the past you may have
received one of our prayer shawls or lap blankets. We try to give
to anyone in need of a little warmth and love. If you would like
to contribute your sewing talents and make some shawls and
blankets for someone in need, please feel free to help yourself to the yarn in our
prayer shawl closet, there is plenty. If there is enough interest, we can resume
meetings. Please contact Wendy in the church office if interested.
The Worship Ministry Team is looking for members! If you would like to be a part of planning the worship experience at Covenant, please come and join us as we plan for the coming year beginning with Lent and Easter. We will meet Sunday, February 9 after church. A light lunch will be provided. Bring ideas, concerns and share experiences.
For more information contact Lisa Bailey – 919-818-9104 or email at [email protected].
