Covenant Courier. Notes from Pastor Kelly

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1 1 Covenant Courier Covenant Church 802 Winter Wakefield, NE Notes from Pastor Kelly Dear Church, March 2014 Rev. Kelly Johnston Pastor Dawn Reimers Office Manager Phone Website Facebook facebook.com/wakecov Office hours: Mon., Wed., Thur., 9:00 AM 1:00 PM Sunday Worship Sunday School 9:30 AM Worship 10:45AM Tuesday 9:00 AM Prayer Wednesday Confirmation 4:15 PM Snak Shak 5:30 PM Pioneer Club 6:15 PM Adult Bible Study 6:30 PM As we begin our Lenten journey towards Easter this year, the lyrics from a song by the popular band Mumford and Sons have me thinking: Roll away your stone, I'll roll away mine / Together we can see what we will find. The forty days leading up to Easter are all about clearing out the clutter that gets in the way of our relationship with God. They are about turning back to God and away from the sin that so easily entangles (Heb. 12:1). This year I want to invite you to think about that sin and clutter and junk as a big stone that essentially keeps us in the grave, separated from the abundant life that Jesus came to offer. A sermon by Judy Peterson, campus pastor at North Park University, has got me thinking too. At Triennial last summer she said that even once we have received God s grace through Jesus Christ and have committed to walking daily with him, hard places [stones] inevitably roll in. Stuff happens. We question God and his goodness. But, Pastor Judy preached, our Savior is completely capable of rolling them away when it is for the benefit of his kingdom. The days may be getting longer, with a little more light every day; but are you stuck in a dark place because of one of these stones? What needs to roll away in your life to help you fix your eyes on Jesus? I pray that something over the next few weeks will connect with your heart and that God will roll away all kinds of stones in our congregation and our community. I hope that on Easter, as we celebrate the stone that was rolled away from Jesus grave, we can also celebrate the new life that he shares with each and every one of us through his power and grace. Grateful to be on the journey with you, Jesus, deeply moved, came to Lazarus tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. Take away the stone, he said. John 11:38-39 Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move. Matt. 17:20

2 2 March 9 : The Stone of Fear Matthew 4:1-11 March 16: The Stone of Guilt John 8:1-11 March 23: The Stone of Stubbornness Mark 3:1-6 March 30: The Stone of Shame John 4:4-26 April 6: The Stone of Death John 11:1-46 April 13 (Palm/Passion Sunday): The Stone of Rejection Matthew 21:33-46 April 20 (Easter) : The Stone Is Rolled Away Matthew 28:1-10 Sunday February 23 we welcomed Ryker Jensen into the covenant of Holy Baptism. Ryker is the son of Jason Jensen and Javannah Bebee and little brother to Jaxon. For you are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:26-28 Greeters Hospitality Ministry Fellowship Hosts Giving Report Year to date Giving: $17, Mar. 2 Ardyth Mills Mar. 9 volunteers needed* Mar. 16 Rex & Jean Hansen Mar. 23 volunteers needed* Mar. 30 volunteers needed* Mar. 2 Meet & Eat WHO Omelet Feed at Legion Hall from 9am-1pm Mar. 9 Donna Lundin & Corrine Carlson Mar. 16 Rex & Jean Hansen Mar. 23 volunteers needed* Mar. 30 Muller Family Percent of Budget: %10.5 February Giving: $8, February Expenses: $10, Average Attendance (for February) *If you are able to greet or provide fellowship for one of the open dates in March or April please sign up on the bulletin board. Thank you Morning Worship: 84

3 3 Women Ministries March If you are interested in going to the Women of Faith Tour Oct. 3 & 4 please remember to sign up on the bulletin board. Each Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. Ladies meet in the prayer room Do you Sew???? We are looking for individuals who are gifted with the skill of sewing to make new curtains for our Sunday School rooms. When the curtains were cleaned last fall several of them, due to their age, fell apart. If you would be willing to sew new curtains for the church please talk with a Trustee or Dawn Reimers. February 12 Rip and Roll from 9:30 AM to whenever you get tired. The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field. Luke 10:1-2 Do you know someone that needs to experience the saving grace of Jesus Christ? We have been called as believers to pray for those who are far from God and to ask God to send workers, ourselves and others, to bring them to Christ. On Sunday March 16th will be our Ask the Lord of the Harvest service during morning worship. There will be an insert in the worship bulletins encouraging us to think of people in our lives who are searching for God and to commit to praying for them throughout the year as well as a being a witness of the grace of Christ to them. Please be in prayer about who God wants you to lift up to Him and we look forward to joining in prayer together on Sunday March 16. Lenten Breakfast March 15, 22, 29, and April 5 at 9:00 AM Donations this year will go towards Boys Town in Nebraska and to the Covenant World Relief project to stop human trafficking in India. Date Serving Speaking Mar. 15 Biscuits Lori Allen & Gravy Mar. 22 Egg Casserole TBA Mar. 29 Oven French TBA Toast Apr.5 Omelets TBA Springfest - April 3 Watch your mailboxes for a letter concerning Springfest this year explaining how you can help with this fundraiser. Monies raised from this event go to support the program of Pioneer Club which provides spiritual training and fun for Pre-K to 6th grade youth in our community every Wednesday evenings. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Easter Lilies Mid-March there will be envelopes located on the table in back of sanctuary for Easter Lilies if you would like to purchase some to honor a loved one in your life. Please return you order with payment to the church office or place in the offering plate during Sunday services (cost will be on the envelope)

4 Hey Students. 4 SUMMER CAMP SCHEDULE EXPLORER (Grades 5-6) June PATHFINDER (Grades 1-2) June TRAILBLAZER (Grades 3-4) June 29-July 2 JR. HIGH (Grades 7-8) July 6-11 SR. HIGH (Grades 9-12) July NIOBRARA JOURNEY (Grades 7-12) July LAST CHANCE (Grades 3-12) Are You Ready for Summer? Covenant Cedars Bible Camp is Ready for You! Camp Registrations are due March 30th with deposit to the camp committee so they can get the early bird price. Camp Fundraisers: Sunday April 13th there will be a lunch served by campers before the Congregation Quarterly meeting. Camp Auction will be in June (date TBA). Please be thinking about what you can donate for the auction. More information concerning the fundraisers will be in future Sunday bulletins and the April Courier. Camp Committee: Jean Hansen, Anita Muller, Sue VanderVeen For questions or more information please check the Camp bulletin board or talk with someone on the Camp Committee or visit Coming in April.. An Overnight Lock-in has been planned for grades 409 for Friday March 21st from 9pm to 8am. There is no cost for this event. However, we are asking for kids to bring their own sleeping bag, pillow, a board/card game, and a snack to share. Since this is an overnight event we are asking that parents sign a permission slip which can be found on the bulletin board by the south door or from Dawn Reimers or Donna Johnson. Parents if you would like to join us, or are interested in helping with future events please contact one of us. Brian Johnson bljhusker@yahoo.com Donna Johnson krugie23@hotmail.com Dawn Reimers church@wakecov.org RENEW WAYNE CHANGE A LIFE TOUR Featuring: Audio Adrenaline, Kutless, Finding Favor, & Alan Green Thursday April 24 at 6:30 PM Tickets are $10 each Salem-Covenant Youth Group is taking a group. If you are 7th-12th grade and are interested in joining us, please chat with Brian or Donna Johnson or Dawn Reimers for more information. Please see poster on bulletin board by south door.

5 5 Mission : Pursuing Christ s Priorities in the World Vitality Team Connection The Vitality Team would like to thank everyone who took the time to complete the PULSE survey. Our church should receive a report of the results within a few weeks. The Covenant Office PULSE team will go over the results at that time with a group of leaders from our church. Then we are currently planning on sharing the report with the rest of the congregation at the Congregational Quarterly Meeting Sunday April 13, so please make plans to join us that afternoon. With God s truth and grace we will continue to move forward in our mission for Him. Dawn Reimers Skype Conversation with Barb & Steve Swanson Proudly Present: Becoming a Love and Logic Parent Participants will have the opportunity to discuss their struggles with parenting, share some fun stories and experiment with some new ideas. Each session offers new ideas and tips to try out and discuss what worked, what didn t work and how parenting strategies could be delivered more effectively. Miss Molly s Coffee Company 203 Main St. Wayne, NE Monday March 17, :30pm-8:30pm Monday March24, :30pm-8:30pm Monday March 31, :30pm-8:30pm Monday April 7, :30pm-8:30pm Registration is required. To register: or you may call your registration in to Tonya Bauman at the number below. Cost is $10 per person for the workbook. Make payment to: Building Blocks for Community Enrichment Child-Care available for participants at no additional cost. Certificates of Completion (12 hours) will be awarded to those participating in all 4 sessions. For more information please contact: Tonya Bauman We tried something new in worship on February 9. In fitting with the morning theme of Global Perspective and Engagement, we had a Skype conversation with missionary Barb Swanson and her husband Steve, who serves as pastor at Antwerp International Protestant Church. They shared a story about a friend who had once been very resistant to the gospel who had come to faith in Jesus Christ partly thanks to a women s retreat Barb was able to bring her to and was now inviting her Muslim friends to come to church and learn about Jesus. To get a global perspective, Steve reminded us to look at how the world is coming to us, and encouraged us to find ways to connect with the foreigners in our community. Barb shared a passage of Scripture that has been especially meaningful to her over the last few months, Malachi 3:10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this, says the LORD Almighty, and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. Remember to pray for Barb on Thursdays when she gathers with her women s group at the refugee center.

6 6 March Birthdays 1 Lane Foote 3 Ardyth Mills 3 Ellen Carlson 9 Randall Barge 9 Merna Jones 10 Donna Lundin 10 Norman Jeppson 13- Dee Foote 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 In April.. April 3: Springfest March Meetings Mar. 2: Executive Board 5:45 PM Trustee Meeting 7:00 PM Mar. 11: Vitality Team 7:00 PM Mar. 31: Deacon Meeting 6:30 PM C. E. Board TBA March Ushers: Mike Muller, Vicki Foote, Joshua Dolph, Lee Brudigam Treasurers: Becky Stout, Mike Mogus Slumber Party Night March 19th Lenten Breakfasts Date Serving Speaking Mar. 15 Biscuits Lori Allen & Gravy Mar. 22 Egg Casserole TBA Mar. 29 Oven French TBA Toast Ash Wednesday Service March 5th at 7:00 PM Holy Week Schedule Sunday School 9:30 AM Every Sunday Confirmation Every Wednesday 4:15 PM Snak Shak Every Wednesday 5:30 PM (except March 5) Pioneer Club Every Wednesday 6:15 PM (except March 5) Adult Bible Study Every Wednesday 6:30 PM (except March 5) April 13: Congregation Quarterly Meeting April 13: Camp Lunch Fundraiser April 16: Last Pioneer Club April 27: Pioneer Club Sunday April 13: Palm Sunday April 17: Maundy Thursday April 18: Good Friday (at Presbyterian Church) April 20: Easter (Sunrise Service at Christian Church) Meet & Eat March 2 Wakefield Heritage Organization Omelet Feed Legion Hall 9am-1pm If you currently do not receive our weekly s and would like to, please contact Dawn Reimers in the church office. Ph , church@wakecov.org

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8 Evangelical Covenant Church Non Profit Org. 802 Winter Street U.S. Postage PAID Wakefield, NE Permit No 34 Phone (402) Wakefield, NE wakecov.org Website: CHANGE SEVICE REQUESTED No Club Mar. 5 8 Pioneer Club will be rocking in March! We are going to be having a slumber party on March 19th. Pioneer club attendees will be encouraged to wear their pajama that night and we will be showing movies and having snacks. There will be no club on March 5th due to Ash Wednesday services. The kids are eagerly looking forward to warmer temperatures an time to play outside. We think the teachers are too! Tiffany Lamprecht & Tammie Mogus Slumber Party March. 19th Wear your PJs Snak Shak Menu Wednesdays at 5:30 PM (except Mar. 5) Mar. 5 No Snak Shak Mar. 12 Tacos Mar. 19 Chicken Noodle Soup Mar. 26 Sloppy Joes