Covenant Courier. Inviting all to grow in Christ and serve together in God s love. Sunday. Worship 10:00 AM. From the Desk of Pastor Jill Craig

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1 Covenant Courier Inviting all to grow in Christ and serve together in God s love. 1 Covenant Church 802 Winter Wakefield, NE Jill Craig Pastor Dawn Reimers Office Manager Phone From the Desk of Pastor Jill Craig March church@wakecov.org pastorjill@wakecov.org prayer@wakecov.org Website Facebook facebook.com/wakecov Office hours: Mon. Thurs. 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM Sunday Sunday School 9:00 AM Worship 10:00 AM Wednesday Confirmation 4:15 Snak Shak 5:30 Pioneer Club 6:15 Jr. High Bible Study 6:30 Adult Bible Study 6:30 High School Bible Study 6:30 IGLESIA EVANGELICA CASA DE ORACION Led by Pastor Ruben Vega Spanish Services Sundays at 3:00 PM Tuesdays at 7:00 PM God s way of reaching and restoring the world has always been through blessing. These five missional practices make up the acronym BLESS and are a way to participate in the strategy God gave Abraham to reach the world. And I will bless you and you will be a blessing (Genesis 12:2). As we engage these practices daily, we partner with God s Spirit to bless those who do not know him. (church.org). Can you think back to a time in your life, when someone took an interest in you? When someone took time out of their busy lives to ask you about how your day was, invite you to lunch, or help you with a project that was overwhelming to you? Do you remember how that made you feel?? That is what the BLESS initiative is all about. Yes, the end goal is to be able to share the love of Jesus with someone who may not know Him, or who walked away from their relationship with Jesus for one reason or another. BLESS is also about removing our own tunnel vision and opening our eyes to see the people who are in our lives. It is hard to be a blessing when all we see is our own two feet. We began our series with Prayer, asking God who we can be a blessing to, and how we can bless them. Second, we talked about Listening with Care. Not focusing on what we see are some s perceived needs, but actually asking what do you need? When we listen to people s needs instead of assuming what they need, we gain a better perspective as to who that person is. We will end the series with conversations about Eating Together (who doesn t love to eat with friends?!?) Serving with Love and Sharing your Story. So I ll ask again, Who is it that invested in you? Who took time to serve you with love and share their story with you. Who actually listened to you when you talked, instead of interrupting you, and telling you what you should do? It is my prayer that the Evangelical Covenant Church can be a people who pray for our neighbors, who listen well, who serve with love, and who are not afraid to speak to what God has done in our lives and do love to do so over a meal. It is my prayer that you too feel the blessing of blessing others.

2 Giving Report Year to date Giving: $16, Percent of Budget: 9.6% February Giving: $7, February Expenses: $10, Sunday Average Attendance February: 104 Find us on Visit youtube.com and search wakefield covenant church to find our page. We also try to share our videos on our Facebook page once they are posted (facebook.com/wakecov). Easter Lilies Scholarships Available! Congratulations Order an Easter Lily plant in honor of a loved one for our Easter service. We will decorate our sanctuary with the lilies then you can take your flower home after service. Lily Plant $12.50 each Order Envelopes available table outside sanctuary. (ordered from Eaton s Floral in Wakefield) Time To Order Doughnuts! Camp youth are selling Krispy Kreme doughnuts again this year to raise money to go to camp. Sales Start March 11th Pick-up is March 28th DON T MISS OUT! Scholarships available for Wakefield Covenant members and their children. Applications are available on office bulletin board or by request from church office. Due to office by March 23rd. Questions? Talk with Merlin Felt or Dawn Reimers Wyatt Simpson Born January 29th Parents Jason & Michelle Simpson Little brother to Kayla, Matthew and Brynn 2 Welcome to our World! Coming In April! Prayer To be added to the prayer list, subscribe at wakecovprayer Faith Seeking Understanding A closer look at immigration issues. Be watching weekly s and Sunday bulletins for date and time.

3 3 Our Mission: Inviting all to grow in Christ and serve together in God's love. Registration is open for summer camp at Covenant Cedars Bible Camp. You can pick up a form at church or go to to register online. Please talk with camp committee to find out about fundraisers you can help with or if you need financial assistance. Camp Committee Madison McAfee Anita Muller Sue VanderVeen Our Vision: In cooperation with God s Spirit, we hope to see: An environment centered on God s redeeming love where people of all ages, races, and walks of life feel they belong and can grow in their faith A culture of continual growth in our dependence on God where we are honest about our imperfections and support one another through life s ups and downs Disciples engaging with God s Word and living it daily A church that encourages people to get involved and equips them to serve with the abilities God has given them Mission-minded servants sent out to make a difference in our community and our world with the compassion and generosity of Jesus Christ

4 4 Schedule Palm Sunday Service- March 25th at 10:00am Maundy Thursday Service - March 29th at 7:00pm At Covenant Good Friday Service - March 30th at 7:00pm At Presbyterian Church Sermon by Pastor Jill Craig Easter Sunrise Service - April 1st at 6:30am At Salem Lutheran Church EASTER SERVICE APRIL 1st 10:00am Come enjoy breakfast here at Covenant Church the morning of Palm Sunday. 8:30am Sunday March 25th Free Will Donation Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead I Peter 1:3 STATIONS OF THE CROS S At Salem Lutheran Church Maundy Thursday at 5:30pm All Invited to participate in this meaningful experience. At Salem Lutheran Church Starting at 7:30am Free Will Donation goes to Ministerium and Wakefield Food Bank Community Bell Choir A community bell choir is being organized for the Community Sunrise Service this year. If you are interest in playing please contact the Salem Lutheran Church office:

5 Mission: Pursuing Christ s Priorities in the World 5 Update From Steve & Barbara Swanson (Covenant Missionaries) (received via church 2/24/2018) As I m writing this ministry update to you this morning, there is snow on the ground in my visual field. Okay, it s not like Minnesota snow or Chicago snow (you guys have had snow!) But it is snow in Malmö which means, because we re so close to the North Sea, it s just a bit of snow on the grass, and the snow flurries yesterday afternoon were incredibly beautiful but they never accumulated. In fact, I learned the Swedish word for it s snowing yesterday when a friend sent a text message that said vi ser det snöar (we see it s snowing!) We re sharing a winter theme in this update because, well, friends, we do have to share about how much fun we had at our Nyårsfest! They were 45 who came, which meant that we needed to have space for 45 pairs of shoes in the hallway not to be confused with needing to have space for 45 jackets, and most of them were wet because it was raining when people arrived at 6pm for appetizers in our home. It was crazy fun, as we celebrated New Year s Eve but also gave the chance to our church family to come and check out our home. Our Syrian friend, who is a trained chef, made our appetizers look so amazing. Barb is already planning a future ministry event: appetizers with I. When the appetizers were all gone, everyone headed over to church, where several more joined us for a full dinner, games, godis (Swedish candies), worship and prayer. What a fun way to kick off We were so blessed, and so tired, when we got home in the early morning hours. Yet we couldn t have imagined a better way to spend the evening: welcoming guests into our home, both Swedes and New Swedes, sharing about Jesus with those who have an incomplete knowledge of him. Highlight of the evening: praying for God s blessing and provision in the New Year with a family of New Swedes who aren t yet following Jesus, as we dropped them off at the train station. Congo Clinic Not far to go to meet our 2018 goal! $1,426 You gotta pray! ~for the Sharing Lives course. Dates that we ll be teaching: February 26, March 12, March 26 and April 9. We also plan to have an inner faith meeting between Muxlims and Christians as part of the course. Pray for the details of that meeting that we are currently working on. ~for language study. This is our year to really press on with Swedish language classes. Pray that we would have a healthy balance between learning Swedish and developing relationships with the variety of students that we are meeting every day. ~for discernment in when to start the Al Massira course. This course is designed to help Muxlims discover the truth about Jesus. We have several volunteers from church who are interested in helping. Pray for who we should be inviting. There are many eager candidates in our Språkcafé (the Swedish language conversation class that happens on Thursdays). Contact Information for Barb and Steve Swanson steve.swanson@covchurch.org barb.swanson@covchurch.org Read More on their Blog com Mailing Address Rudbecksgatan 171, Malmö, Sweden

6 6 What is the Cost??? A closer look at the cost of running a church. Money, bills, expenses - these are not our favorite topics of conversations, especially with family. But from time to time it must be discussed and prayed about to insure we are approaching the matter faithfully and responsibly. Everything has a cost. Our faith has a cost in that we must invest our time to study, prayer and communion with fellow believers. This is what helps us grow individually in our faith. Then, with that faith we are sent out to serve and minister to others. Ministry, however, also has a cost. But what is that cost? Recently a letter was sent out to our members and regular attenders concerning the current financial status of our church in order to keep up with our approved budget needs for the year. We have monthly cost like any household and family. To promote transparency and understanding we wanted to provide you with more information of what our monthly and quarterly costs are. In the tables provided you will see what it takes to provide the ministries of our church with our building costs. Now the bills adjust some each month and you will see there are quarterly expenses as well. However, this hopefully makes it more clear where the money is spent. Members can learn more about the church finances through conversation with a Trustee Board member: Joel McAffee (chair), Cody McAfee, Joey Borg, Shannon Johnson, Christy Roberts, and Jason Jensen. Our hope is you will continue to pray with us on how the Lord desires us to use the blessings he gives us for the ministries he inspires in us. Then lets work together creatively to find the resources, financial and otherwise, for those ministries. 1st Quarter Bill/Payee Month Amount Church Insurance Jan. 1, Social Security/Taxes Jan. 1, Pension Feb. 1, Focus on Family Insert March February 2018 Bill/Payee Amount Copier Lease (Great Am. Financial) Copier prints (One Office Solution) Credit Card - Dawn Credit Card - Jill Database (Breeze)** Dollar General Electric & Water - C (City of Wakefield)* (1st) Electric & Water - P (City of Wakefield)* (1st) Gas - C (Black Hills Energy)* (18th) Gas - P (Black Hills Energy)* (18th) Gsuite (office software)** Health Insurance (Bethany Benefit)* (8th) 1, Mowing n/a Phone & Internet* (10th) Salary - Dawn Not calculated yet Salary - Jill * (14th & 28th) 3, Salary - Lynnett Salary - Tiffany Snow Removal Trash (Waste Connections)* (15th) Online Giving Service Fee* (2nd) Other Kurt Thompson - Light Installation^^ 1, Post Office Bulk Mail permit ^^Light installation paid from building fund Subtotal: 10,387.47

7 7 March Worship Servants Scripture Readers March 4th-- Dan Loofe March 11-- Breanna Chase March 18th -- Delores Felt March 25th -- Barb Preston Sound Booth Audio March 4th - Ben Donner March 11th - Mark Borg March 18th - Mark Borg March 25th - Jim Stout Sound Booth Computer March 4th - Cody McAfee March 11th - Brea Chase March 18th - Brea Chase March 25th - Elizabeth Carlson Video March 4th - TBD March 11th - Dillon Borg March 18th - Dillon Borg March 25th - Rex Hansen March Trustees Cody McAfee Joey Borg March Ushers Mike Muller Cody McAfee Lee Brudigam Mark Johnson EVERY SUNDAY Worship 10:00 AM Adult Sunday School 9:00 AM Children s Sunday School March 4,11,18 at 9:00 AM EVERY WEDNESDAY (except March 28th) Confirmation 4:15 PM Snak Shak 5:30 PM Pioneer Club 6:15 PM Jr. High Bible Study 6:30 PM Adult Bible Study 6:30 PM High School Bible Study 6:30 PM at Parsonage March Meetings Trustee Board March 25th after worship Executive Board March 4th at 5:45 PM C.E. Board March 4th after Worship Deacon Board March 25th at 5:00pm 1 Lane Foote 3 Ardyth Mills 3 Ellen Carlson 9 Randall Barge 9 Henry Craig 9 Merna Jones 10 Donna Lundin 10 Norman Jeppson 13 Dee Foote 14 Zoe Craig 15 Tiffany Lamprecht 15 Rose Wenstrand 19 Megan Muller 20 Garret VanderVeen 20 Paul Eaton 23 Michaela Beaty 24 Iris Borg 25 Bud Erlandson 26 Lynnett Hansen 28 Mark Muller Hospitality GREETERS March 4 - Bob & Sue VanderVeen March 11 - Jason Jensen March 18 - Kaden Kratke March 25 - Birthday Girls FELLOWSHIP March 4 - Bob & Sue VanderVeen March 11 - Jason Jensen March 18 - Need Volunteer March 25 - Birthday Girls NURSERY ATTENDANT March 4 - Annette Chase March 11 - Anita Muller March 18 - Jason Simpson March 25 - Megan Weaver

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9 9 March 2018 Calendar Spanish Service Every Sunday at 3:00 pm led by Pastor Ruben Vega

10 10 Can you believe it is already March? Soon it will warm up outside and the grass will turn green and all the plants will start to grow again. What a great way to remind us of our new birth in Christ as we approach Easter. During Holy Week there will be No Pioneer Club March 28. Then we have just a couple weeks in April before the end of this season s sessions. We look forward to seeing everyone these next several weeks. Tammie & Tiffany NO Snak Shak or Pioneer Club March 28 Snak Shak Youth - $1 Adults - $3 March 7 Hot Dogs March 14 Tacos Serving at 5:30 PM March 21 Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese March 28 No Snak Shak Evangelical Covenant Church Non Profit Org. 802 Winter Street U.S. Postage PAID Wakefield, NE Permit No 34 Phone (402) Wakefield, NE church@ wakecov.org Website: CHANGE SEVICE REQUESTED