Keeping Up with Covenant Presbyterian Church News Wendell, North Carolina

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1 Keeping Up with Covenant Presbyterian Church News Wendell, North Carolina Rally Day is coming!! Sunday, September 9 SEPTEMBER 2018 Church office hours: Mon. Thurs. from 9:00 2:00 p.m. covsecty1@raleigh.twcbc.com (919) Celebrating the Past Building the Future Come join us as we kick off the new Church School year for all ages. Church School begins at 9:45 a.m. and a list of all the classes is included on the inside of this newsletter. Worship will be led by our children and youth. Our children will share the music they learned from Vacation Bible School. Our youth will share their experiences in Washington DC as they participated in their summer work trip. Stay for lunch after worship. Build your own tacos! Covenant Presbyterian Church 125 S. Selma Rd. Wendell, NC Community Kids Fest is coming!! Saturday, October 20 Covenant Presbyterian Church 10:00 a.m. 3:00 p.m. (Rain Date Sunday, October 21, 1:00 5:00 p.m.) Come join us for a day of fun and education as we reach out to the children and their families in our community. Learn about gardening, firefighting, law enforcement, art, golfing, caring for health and dance. Enjoy games, hot dogs, ice cream, a bouncy house, and choose a free pumpkin. Bonnie Wagstaff is chairing the ministry team sponsoring this opportunity for outreach in our community. We need volunteers! Contact Bonnie to volunteer or if you have questions, or call the church office.

2 Dear Friends, Prayer Concerns On May 24 the Mission Study Team met to consider the demographics of Wendell and the surrounding areas of Rolesville, Knightdale, Clayton and Zebulon. Nicole Bills compiled a spreadsheet for our use from data collected by the Census Bureau. Below are some of the interesting facts from that study: The Wendell population has grown by 15.30% in the years from 2010 to It is anticipated that in the coming years Wendell will double in population from 2016 (6700 to nearly in five years). 73% of the Wendell population owns their home. 69% of the Wendell population is white; 22% African American. 30% of the population in Wendell is under 18 years of age. The average monthly mortgage payment in Wendell is $ % of the population of Wendell is over 65 years of age. 32% of Wendell population has a Bachelor s degree. The mean travel time to work from Wendell is 30 minutes. Persons living in poverty in Wendell is 17% compared to around 7% in Rolesville, Knightdale and Clayton. Median household income in Wendell is $47,000. As we begin the third step in our Mission Study (a study the Presbytery of New Hope requires before considering your next installed pastor) which includes a congregational survey and envisioning our future together, we need to consider these demographics and how God might be calling us to reach out to the surrounding communities. There is so much opportunity for ministry as we consider the coming years. Information about the congregational survey will be sent to you via and by mail the week of September 10. Please be in prayer about the future mission and vision for ministry of the Covenant Presbyterian Church. As always, it is such a blessing to serve Jesus Christ and his church beside you! Pastor Debbie Members Roberta Hole s family, Kay Page, Debbie Lawler, Peggy Fink, Pete Dunlow (recovering from a fall), Tom Martin Assisted Living - Beth Lewter (Zebulon House), Louise McClaid (Sunnybrook, Raleigh), John Chambers (Crescent Green of Carrboro), Peggy Fink (Hillside, Wake Forest), Louise Weant (Stone Ridge, Cary) Member Friends & Family Harold Forrester (Tammy Strickland s father) Stacey Swart (sister-in-law of Susan Smithson, breast cancer) Steve Moody (Joan Davis cousin, cancer) Logan Barnes (Ewing s sarcoma treatment) Gloria Baker (Judy McCurdy s cousin) Mike McCurdy (Bill McCurdy s brother, COPD) John Taylor (friend of Becky Abate, cancer) Arta Anderson (Juanita Taylor s mother, lung cancer) Hannah (step-sister of Chris Murphy, cancer) Nikki Murphy (sister of Chris Murphy, recovering from car accident) Natalie Perkins (Vanessa Turner s sister, lung cancer) Member Friends & Family (cont d) Rosanne Mailliard (Don Mailliard s sister, cancer) David Swatko (Kimberly Stevens brother) Ronnie Devey (Kimberly Stevens brother-in-law) Jennifer Carnes parents John & Mary Jane Roberts Christy Dunn (Stage IV lung cancer) Donald Bullock (Buck Bullock s brother) Richard Ives (Bob & Becky Morgan s brother-in-law, throat cancer) Holly Lucas (Linda & Joe Hess daughter-in-law, chemotherapy) Richard Rosenberger, recovering from fall Pamela Smith (Paula Daniel s daughter, gallbladder surgery) Keri Bosar (friend of Kevin Dale, father passed away) Mike Belliveau (friend of Kevin Dale, cancer) Our sympathy is extended to Ron Hall and family upon the death of his wife Joanne. Please let us know of folks we need to add/delete from the prayer concerns by either calling the church office, Pastor Debbie or turning in a prayer request card during worship. Church Staff: Transitional Pastor Reverend Debbie Osterhoudt, (mobile) Revdeb2017@gmail.com Pastor Emeritus Reverend Bob Borland Directors of Christian Ed. Linda Berry lberry61@hotmail.com Dorine Newton dorinenewton@nc.rr.com Administrative Assistant Mary DeFino covsecty1@raleigh.twcbc.com Minister of Music Wanda Ramm wjramm1@gmail.com Church Musician Jeff Bottoms Innerkid13@earthlink.net Clerk of Session Fred Lanzi fredlanzi@bellsouth.net Church Treasurer Carol Rich crich319@gmail.com Accounts Payable Joe Bowman josephlbowman@gmail.com Accounts Receivable Judy McCurdy mccurdyj@aol.com Webmaster Lisa Bailey lbailey513@aol.com Welcome to our newest member Phyllis Pearson joined Covenant on August 12, 2018 by transfer of letter from Wake Forest Presbyterian Church. Phyllis lives in Zebulon and has been visiting with us for years. She is a CPA and sings in the choir. We welcome her! The Grief Group meets on the first and third Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. in the Sessions Room. If you are grieving a loss, don t try to do it alone. Share your feelings with others as we walk together through the wilderness of grief. At the end of our journey together, may we be able to experience the wonderful memories we have of those we have lost. If you have any questions, contact Judy Shotts at or jshotts65@att.net.

3 Finance/Stewardship Steve Hicks & Carol Rich Confirmation Class to Begin Pastor Debbie will be offering a Confirmation Class for youth, grades 5 and up, beginning in October. We will be using the Presbyterian Church USA confirmation materials, Big God, Big Questions. This class will explore our Presbyterian heritage, beliefs, and our Christian discipleship which will include opportunities for the youth to engage in mission/outreach. Debbie invites those youth and parents interested to meet with her for a brief informational gathering immediately following worship on September 30 in her office. At that time, we will review the content of each class and schedule times which are convenient to participants. If you cannot join us on September 30 after worship but are interested in participating, please give Debbie a call at or her at revdeb2017@gmail.com. Finance Report for August 2018: Expenses YTD: $211,733 Income YTD: $186,013 Heritage Fund YTD: $14,488 Mortgage Balance as of 8/16/2018: $986,189 Notice! Additional counters for collections during worship service are needed. If you can devote one hour of your time after church, please contact Judy McCurdy via mccurdyj@aol.com September Birthdays Sept 4 Michelle Haswell Sept 16 Tim Sherrill Sept 23 Vanessa Turner Sept 8 Buck Bullock, Marc Johnson Sept 17 Louise McClaid, Emily Anderson Sept 25 Jeff Kopp, Ed Park Sept 9 Wendy Pearce Sept 18 Hugh Labusohr Sept 26 Ron Oldham, Don Agee Sept 13 Leta Thornton Sept 19 Steve Buus Sept 27 Peggy Buffaloe Sept 14 Tammy Strickland Sept 21 Judy McCurdy Sept 28 Sam Kirk Sept 15 Brenda Johnson Sept 22 Marcella Abate Tuesday/Wednesday Bible Study Come join us as we study the New Testament Book of Acts on Tuesday mornings at 10:00 a.m. or Wednesday nights at 6:00 p.m., in the Session Room across from Debbie s office. The Book of Acts is the story of how the Holy Spirit blew through and among those first followers of Jesus Christ. They were confronted with many of the same cultural issues with which the church today is grappling. Pastor Debbie is our discussion leader but we always have lively discussion! We will begin on Tuesday, September 11 and Wednesday, September 12. Questions? Give Debbie a call or her at revdeb2017@gmail.com. If you did not participate last spring, it is certainly not too late to join us now!! September Anniversaries Sept 1 Bob & Becky Morgan Sept 15 Don & Chris Mailliard, Todd & Vanessa Turner Sept 6 David & Jeannie Driver Sept 16 Bob & Pam Labusohr Sept 13 Brian & Paula Daniels Sept 27 Bill & Judy McCurdy GIFT CARDS: Thank you for supporting our church by purchasing gift cards through Covenant! We continue to raise almost $4000 per year and that has really helped the budget. Food Lion, Lowes and Walmart are available in the Narthex before and after service. There are now over 700 retailers who give a percentage to Covenant nothing out of pocket!! Order on Sunday and have your gift card the following Sunday. Please think about paying for your groceries, prescriptions, gas, gifts, household items, restaurants, travel, etc. using gift cards. For more information, please call Susan Darby at or David Meyers at or sddarby@hotmail.com. Congregation-Wide Survey The Session has agreed to hire Holy Cow Consulting for the purpose of designing, implementing and interpreting a church wide survey. This survey will take about 20 minutes for individuals to complete. All members and regular visitors, age 15 years and older, are encouraged to complete the survey. There are three ways in which individuals may complete the survey: electronically using a link which will be provided to you, hard copy by coming to the Session room on designated days and times, or by using a computer set up for you at the church. More information will be sent to you via mail and on September 10.

4 Worship Elders Barbara Sneade & Tim VanGelder Congregational Care Elders Paula Daniels & Jeannie Driver Choir Chatter Your choir was extremely busy during August. We led worship at First Presbyterian in Washington, NC, presented our tour music at Hillside Rehab in Wake Forest, and observed choir Sunday at Covenant. Now on to other things. For us, Christmas begins in September. We will begin learning the Christmas cantata Appalachian Winter on September 5 in order to learn it while preparing for each weekly service. If you ve thought you might like to know just what choir is like, come and see. If you think we re nuts, and we may be, you don t have to return. What if you like it? You could become part of the choir family. Remember the dog and cat saying - no howling or running under the bed by these animals when you sing. That s a sign that you re a fine listener. Give us a try. See you in church, Wanda Celebrating 25 Years of Service Come join us on Sunday, September 23 as we celebrate the ministry of Jeff Bottoms, our Church Musician, and Wanda Ramm, our Minister of Music and Organist. Wanda began her work among us in September, 25 years ago, and Jeff soon followed her in the spring of that next year. It is with gratitude for their many gifts and dedication that we want to celebrate their ministry. You are invited to a reception in their honor after worship on September 23. Children and Worship Children, ages 4 through 10, will go to Bible Adventurers after the Conversation with Children during worship. It will be a time to learn the stories of the Bible, interactively (games and crafts), and the elements of worship. Twice a month from 11:45 a.m. until the conclusion of adult worship, they will learn the magic of bell ringing (Music Makers). Hope to see you on Sundays! Celebrating Communion Sundays September 16 (moved from September 9 because of Rally Day) October 7 (World Communion Sunday) First Sunday Lunch - September 9 - Tacos! Ice Breakers Meeting September 11, 7:00 p.m. Planning for the Harvest Festival Congregational Care Committee Meeting - September 23, 2018 at 12:15 p.m. - Session Room Presbyterian Women of the church meet the fourth Tuesday of the month at 7:00 p.m. (Sept. 11 & 25) in the Fellowship Hall. Inviting all women to come join us for a great night of fellowship and wonderful lesson from Judy Shotts. We enjoy lively discussions about what the Bible is saying to us and how we can put the message into action in our daily lives. Come and join us as we all journey together to strengthen our faith. Breakfast Fellowship September 10 The second Monday of each month at 9:30 a.m. in Zebulon at McLean s Restaurant. EVERYONE is welcome! Prayer Shawl The Knitters meet at 5:00 p.m. on the third Sunday of the month and create shawls & throws for comfort in time of need. Want to join the group? Experienced knitters are happy to help & share patterns. Some supplies are available. Call Christine Mailliard at for more information or if you know of someone who could use a shawl. Join a special care ministry (Contact Paula Daniels at or Jeannie Driver at for more information) 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. Martha s Ministry provides meals in time of need. If you are experiencing difficulties - illness, stress or any other reason, and having a meal delivered would give you a lift, please let the church office know ( ). If you are able to help prepare and/or deliver meals, please call Paula, Jeannie or the church office. Presbyterian Men s Breakfasts September 16 at 8:30 a.m. Attention Crafters - We need crafts to sell at the Missionary Discretionary Fundraiser on November 3, Please contact Judy Shotts at ( ) or jshotts65@att.net for more information. Community Calendars - We will be taking orders for 2019 Community Calendars. Please contact Jeannie Driver or Nicole Bills with birthdays, anniversaries, and memorials that you would like included in the calendar. The order forms are available in the Narthex to place your orders. HELP! Volunteers needed for the nursery on Sundays. Please contact Robin Harris if you can help. Member Directory is ready for pick up. Copies will be in the Narthex and outside the church office. If your information is incorrect, please contact Mary, Church Office Administrator, at or covsecty1@raleigh.twcbc.com.

5 Christian Education Elder Paula Perry Mission/Outreach Elders Bud Lawler & Rusty Wagstaff Don t miss the Children and Youth Sunday - September 9. The children will sing VBS songs; the youth will lead the service and report on their mission trip. Youth Group resumes meeting on September 9 at 5:30-7:00 p.m. Dinner is at 5:30 p.m. Mary Selke and Jennifer Cuthrell will be leading the youth this year; they have an exciting fall planned. Fifth through twelfth graders are invited to attend. Help: Please sign up to feed our youth on Sunday nights. A sign-up sheet will be in the Narthex and on the bulletin board outside the office. Plan to feed about nine people including something to drink. Thank you so much for doing this. FALL SUNDAY SCHOOL SCHEDULE All Sunday School classes, adult, children, and youth will begin at 9:45 a.m. ALL CLASSES RESUME ON SEPTEMBER 9. CHILDREN AND YOUTH Nursery: Ages: Infants thr ough four year olds. During the church hour, the nursery director will read and talk about a Bible story with the children. Education Building. Elementary: Ages: Kindergartners through 4 th graders. This is an interactive class studying Bible stories while using games, puzzles, and crafts as well as discussion. This year s curriculum theme is At Home With God. Education Building. Youth: Ages: Middle and High School. This year the youth are starting an exciting new curriculum entitled Submerge. BOTH ELEMENTARY AND YOUTH WILL BE STUDYING THE SAME SCRIPTURE AND STO- RIES, BUT WITH DIFFERENT EMPHASIS. Sept. 2: Luke 21:1-7: Jesus Joins His Family Sept. 9: Luke 2:39-52: Jesus and His Parents Sept. 16: Matthew 3:13-17: God s Family Sept. 23: Matthew 4:18-22: Jesus Creates a Family Sept. 30: Matthew 19:13-15: Jesus and the Children BIBLE ADVENTURERS: AGES: This group leaves the church service after A Time with the Children and proceed to the Education Building. The children will experience a variety of adventurers during this time. 1 st and 3 rd Sundays: Bible Adventurer Time with Leann and Megan Dale. Music Makers with Robin Harris and Kristen Taylor at 11:45. 2 nd Sunday: Craft with Carolyn Fleming. 4 th and 5 th Sundays: Adventure Time with Leann and Megan. ADULT Underhill and Stomp n Holler classes are traditional Bible study classes. Both meet in the Education Building. Bob Fleming and Todd Turner teach the Underhill Class; Bill Alden teaches the Stomp n Holler class. Serendipity class meets in the Session Room in the Sanctuary building. This class, lead by Marc Johnson, will be studying Christian Doctrine by Dr. Shirley Guthrie. This is an excellent study for anyone seeking more knowledge about the Christian faith. Mini-courses will be offered for adults. This is a series of courses that will run from 6-8 weeks with different adult leaders. It will meet in the Fellowship Hall. It will alternate with the Coffee and Conversation class. Sept. - Oct.: Coffee and Conversation Nov. - Dec.: Jan. - Feb.: Advent Series with Elaine Vaden Ephesians with Lisa Cauley Mar. - April: Religion and Theater - Linda Berry May: Open Please feel free to give suggestions or offer to teach a class of your personal interest. Carver Elementary Backpack Buddy Program - Don t forget our weekend meals for Carver kids. We need hearty soups, vegetables, peanut butter and fruit. There is a designated bin in the Narthex and lists with suggested items on the bulletin boards. The Food Pantry is an on-going project supplying bags of groceries to needy families in our area. Non-perishable foods are welcome. Oliver House residents enjoy reading magazines. If you have old magazines that you would like to donate to the Oliver House, place them by the food pantry box in the Narthex and someone will deliver them. Bring your food for the Back Pack Buddies and Food Pantry on Communion Sundays. When we gather to celebrate the Lord s Supper on the second Sunday of each month, we recognize God s amazing gift of Jesus Christ to the world and the incredible sacrificial gift Jesus made for us. The table of the Lord s Supper is a table of incredible love and grace shared for us all. But we are called to be not only receivers of the gift, but givers of the gift. What better way to share than to bring our food to the table for the local food pantry and Back Pack Buddies. Did you know that we provide bags of food to some 30 plus families with children from Carver Ele Emphasis for September: Snack Packs for kids out of school for Summer, all canned fruits and vegetables, soups, cans and dry, powder milk, salt, pepper, hygiene items, bar soap, shampoo (small bottles), toothpaste and tooth brushes, feminine hygiene items, diapers (newborn, size 1, 2, 3). Don t forget that the fourth Sunday of the month we receive Pennies for Hunger during worship. mentary School which will enable them to put food on their tables for the weekend? We are inviting you to bring your food - canned vegetables, fruit cups, soups, etc., - Communion Sundays. The children will collect your food during the Conversation with the Children - just like they do with their Pennies for Hunger - and then place the food in the baskets at the communion table, reminding us that we are called to be not only receivers of God s grace, but givers. We will continue to gladly receive your food any time, in the boxes in the Narthex. Just remember to bring a can or two on communion Sundays as well! Many thanks!

6 Volunteer Schedule for September 2018 September 2018 Date Lay Reader Audio Greeters Ushers Sept 2 Nicole Bills Tim Harris Jim & Margie Hopkins Bud Lawler, Bill McCurdy, Matthew Bills, Tim VanGelder SUN MON TUE WED THU FRI SAT 1 Sept 9 YOUTH Walker Driver YOUTH YOUTH Sept 16 Hubert Hines Billy Cuthrell Olive Martin Leanne Stanton Tommy Crawford, Gary Hardee, Mike Smithson, Paula Daniels :00 Grief Support Sept 23 Bruce Berry Tim Harris Judy McCurdy Sally Hines Philip & Annette Kirk, Al Cates, Steve Buus Sept 30 Elaine Vaden Walker Driver John & Judy Shotts Chris & Heather Wolfgang, Ed & Barb Sneade 9 First Sunday Lunch Rally Day Kick Off 6:00 Property 6:00 Mission Outreach 7:00 Session 10 9:30 Breakfast Fellowship - Zebulon 6:30 Perennial Garden Club 7:00 Wendell Council of Churches Mtg :00 Bible Study 7:00 Ice Breakers Meet 12 6:00 Bible Study Date Children s Sermon Nursery Volunteer Acolyte Sept 2 Don Mailliard Ruth Crawford Usher 16 Communion Sunday 8:30 Presbyterian Men s Breakfast :00 Bible Study 6:30 CE Committee 7:00 Grief Support 19 6:00 Bible Study Sept 9 YOUTH Pam Hardee James Newton Sept 16 Mary Selke Lisa Cauley Emma Cuthrell 23 Reception for Wanda and Jeff :00 Bible Study 7:00 Presbyterian Women Meet 26 6:00 Bible Study Sept 23 Debbie Osterhoudt Vacant Mollie Smithson Sept 30 Bonnie Wagstaff Rae Dunn Megan Buus noon Confirmation Information Meeting Note to Volunteers: It is the responsibility of each volunteer to find a replacement in the event that you are unable to fulfill your obligation on the dates provided. Also, we are down to 3 audio volunteers and really need four. ~ Thanks, Tim