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1 August 2017 Member of PC (USA) Session Members Craig Bjork Nominating Rick Carver Stewardship Jim Chipman Treasurer Allen Goodwin Strategic Planning Kadon Hodson Technology Roberta Johnson Evangelism Jennifer Keim Clerk of Session Terrie Lewis Christian Education Richard Luke Property Emily Metzger Administration Linda Newland Worship & Music Sinda Nispel-Borboa Congregational Life Joe Phillips Property Jeanne Smith Youth & Young Adults Cindy Spicer Mission Covenant s Staff Laura Frazey Pastor Joseph Wiseman Associate Pastor Laura Russell Office Administrator Kevin Farrell Marketing Assistant Laura Vollen Organist\Pianist Guy Vollen Choir Director Caroline Gilstrap Rainbow Bells Covenant Covenant Presbyterian Presbyterian Church Church Mission Statement We are called together by God in west Wichita to worship, to reach out, to learn, and to serve as a covenant community of faith to the glory of Christ Jesus, our Lord. August 1 August 6 August 8 August 9 August 10 August 11 August 13 August 20 August 27 August 30 7:00 PM Committee Night 10:00 AM Summer Worship; 11:30 Coffee & Conver-session; Presbytery Meeting at Westminster Woods 7:00 PM Youth Movie Night 6:30 PM Session Meeting Lord s Diner Mission Team working 10:00 AM Summer Worship; 11:30 Brunch Bunch 10:00 AM Summer Worship 10:00 AM Summer Worship 6 PM Choir Rehearsals start Upcoming dates to Remember: September 4: September 17: September 20: Office Closed Return to 8:30 AM & 11:00 AM Worship Services First Wednesday Night Dinner Smita Shah, Katie Dodds Nursery Liz Bird Receiving Treasurer

2 P a ge 2 22 Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. 23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. 25 And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, It is a ghost! And they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid. 28 Peter answered him, Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water. 29 He said, Come. So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he noticed the strong wind, he became frightened, and beginning to sink, he cried out, Lord, save me! 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, You of little faith, why did you doubt? 32 When they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, Truly you are the Son of God. Matthew tells us this beloved story just after the feeding of the Jesus, we are told, dismissed the crowds and went up the mountain to pray. It was an incredible day but it must have been some night! The wind was blowing and the boat had been tossed around. That was enough to fill them with fear. I imagine the disciples looked for Jesus and when they could not find him, they were even more afraid. In fact, fear seems to have overcome them. As Jesus walks towards them, they cannot even recognize him. They think he must be a ghost. The truth is, anyone would be startled by this strange event! People are not supposed to be able to walk on water! But Jesus knows just what to say: Do not be afraid. Perhaps his words calmed the fears of some of them. Still, Peter questions the situation. He needs proof. And even as he walks out onto the water, he struggles. As the wind comes up, he begins to lose focus and calls out to Jesus for help. And what does Jesus do? He quickly reaches out his hand to Peter and helps him. Jesus called him out of the boat and Jesus calls us out of the boat, too. Friends, do you trust that Jesus is walking toward you? Do you trust that he is reaching out a hand to steady you, even in new experiences? Or do you find yourself so focused on other things that you cannot recognize him? Are we more focused on our fear than our faith? Do we trust that Jesus is walking towards us in the storms of life, or do we write him off like he is a ghost? Jesus is calling us out of the boat and into things that might fill us with fear. He is calling us to focus on him and not on all the things around us that might cause us to stumble. The good news is that Jesus gets out of the boat first leading us like a shepherd leads sheep. So, let us put our fear aside and reach our hand back to Jesus. Blessings to you in these weeks ahead. May you have the courage and the peace to step out in faith and see meet Jesus where he calls you. Shalom, Pastor Laura

3 P a ge 3 Youth Connections Well, waddayaknow? It s August ALREADY! Where has the summer flitted off to? School is just around the corner! HOWEVER! There is still some time to squeeze in a bit more summer fun! At 7:00 pm on August 9 th youth 5 th -12 th grade will gather at Covenant for our Summer-Time Movie Night! Bring a friend and a snack and join us for the evening! As you know, one of the great ministries at Covenant is the Food Pantry! This crucial ministry doesn t just happen. It requires the faithful support of the entire congregation. Starting right NOW the youth have been given the opportunity of keeping the food pantry stocked with spaghetti and spaghetti sauce! To this end, please remember to grab an extra box of spaghetti or six and a jar or four of spaghetti sauce when you are at the grocery. Also, as a fun and tangible way to watch God s impact through the youth, be sure to mark off a box on the youth chart for every item you bring in! Fall activities are fast approaching! If you (or if you know of someone) are interested in enjoying time with our young people on Wednesday Night and/or on Sunday Morning please contact Pastor Joseph right away! We have need for adult sponsors in both areas and this is a fantastic opportunity to make a real and lasting difference. Finally, please take a moment to check out the photos of the youth serving at VBS. Covenant is certainly blessed to have such wonderful, gifted, and loving young people. What a wonderful summer of service Covenant has enjoyed! Thank you to ALL the parents/sponsors/ volunteers/selfless givers!!! Without you, none of this could ever happed! Thank you Covenant for your support, and thanks to God for the wonderful opportunities to enjoy God while serving our community. Until next month, Pastor Joseph and the YaYA crew!.

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5 P a ge 5 Financial Report Leah Whelan 08/02 Harlow Whitten 08/02 Kari Cozmeyer 08/03 Jeanne Phillips 08/03 Diana Friend 08/05 Krista Phillips 08/05 Richard Baker 08/07 Ella Leslie 08/08 Larry Self 08/08 Barbara Koelsch 08/09 Addison Wadsworth 08/10 Bobbie Porter 08/13 Linda Pummel 08/13 Carlos Rodriguez 08/13 Jim Carpenter 08/14 Laura Kellison 08/14 Chase Fosse 08/15 Roger Holechek 08/15 Trent McPhillips 08/15 Stewart Aaby 08/16 Pat Baird 08/16 Libby Wiseman 08/17 Joanne Willoughby 08/18 Mollie Sornson 08/20 Beth Crow 08/21 Katie Degenhardt 08/21 Keith Hendrickson 08/21 Joan Mitchell 08/21 Carl Varner 08/21 Kylie Varner 08/21 Andrea Dimmen 08/22 Shanna Nispel 08/22 Jack Hammond 08/23 Ryan Keim 08/23 Rachel Lewis 08/23 Isla Wadsworth 08/23 Logan Bott 08/24 Craig Curtice 08/25 Wes Quast 08/25 Amanda Wadsworth 08/26 Marie Bruemmer 08/28 Kavan Jobe 08/28 Gina Hurd 08/31 OPERATING FUND _June 2017 YTD Income $ 27,576 $ 187,790 Regular Expenses $(39,387) $(178,077) Principal Payment $ (4,426) $ (26,355) Balance $(16,237) $ (16,642) Restricted Funds Balance $ 107,110 Total Operating Cash $ (31,128) Jim Chipman, Treasurer Covenant ended the first half of the year slightly behind where we were at the same time last year. In May-June, we entered summer months and what is traditionally a slower income time for most churches, so your continued support is important for church operations. Both Covenant s Finance Committee and Session continue to keep an eye on our financial position and will keep you posted of changes. Your gifts of time, talents and treasure help Covenant and the Covenant family continue to strive to meet its mission of worshipping, learning, reaching out to other and serving as a community of faith. With thanks, Jim Chipman, Treasurer Do you have internet access via a computer or smart phone? Access your giving records directly rather that having Covenant print quarterly statements. You will save Covenant the cost of paper and envelopes, and you ll be able to confirm and track your support for Covenant at your convenience. Need to set up a Realm account? Contact Laura Russell at the church office Jim Chipman, Treasurer

6 P a ge 6 THE AUGUST BREATHER VBS was wonderful! Thanks to all the volunteers, all those who got their children/grandchildren there, and all those who joined us on Saturday night and Sunday morning. If you haven t checked out the Facebook page for the Sedgwick County Sheriff s Department, please do so. You ll see the fruits of the children s labor all those wonderfully-decorated teddy bears donated as a mission project for children who need comforting. The kids learned many things in VBS, but one of the biggest lessons was how truly blessed they are, and how they are called to share those blessings with children who are less fortunate. A lesson for life. August brings the continuation of summer W.o.W., as well as planning for the rapidly-approaching school year. The CE committee is searching for a new curriculum for Wednesday nights. We are also looking at ways for the kids to respond to the deacons request for a steady supply of peanut butter and jelly for the food pantry. Stay tuned for more exciting developments after our August rest. Submitted by Terrie Lewis, CE Session Chair

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8 P a ge 8 Those of us with Upward Basketball & Cheerleading, along with session, decided it s in the best interest of the program to take a year off and evaluate the four seasons we ve had at Covenant. We want to thank the congregation for its prayers and support of the program, and we ask that you continue to pray and take time to discern the future of Upward. We also want to thank all of the volunteers over the four-year span. Your dedication to the youth and effort to teach sports skills in a Christ-like manner were key to meeting the goals of the program. One more thanks goes to the Presbyterian Women as they graciously donated money every season for scholarships. There were 36 youth who participated in basketball and 15 in cheerleading, which became a part of the program during our second season. Regarding basketball, eight kids played in two or more seasons. Two of those eight competed for three seasons and another one was involved for all four. As for cheerleading, we had three girls join us for a second season and one who cheered during all three. We even saw three girls try their hands at basketball and cheerleading during different seasons. Please talk with Pastor Laura or me to share your thoughts and opinions about Upward at Covenant. Thanks again for the prayers and support, and Go Upward! Ryan Keim, League Director

9 P a ge 9 Evening Circle Evening Circle is off this month. We will resume meeting in September. Hope to see you then! The Mary Est(her) Circle will meet on Sunday, August 6 at Bricktown Brewery beginning at 6 PM for a Girl s Night Dinner. We will be finalizing our discussion regarding our Bible Study curriculum for the fall. All women are invited to join our group. Morning Circle is off this month. We will resume meeting in September. Hope to see you then!

10 Saturday Afternoon August 2017 edition 1750 N. Tyler Rd. Wichita, KS Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage Paid Wichita, KS Permit #1202 Office Hours: 8:30 AM - 5:00 PM (Mon. - Fri.) Your feedback is important to us. Please your replies to: office@covenantwichita.org Phone (316) Fax (316) Next newsletter articles are due by August 24, Mailing Address Line 1 Mailing Address Line 2 Mailing Address Line 3 Mailing Address Line 4 Meet in Fellowship Hall and we will form small groups for discussion.