Archive for January, 2009

As our current administrator, THEA HOLSMAN, finishes her time with us, we say thanks for her hard work. We also welcome a new administrator, ELLEN WILLETT, who joins Holy Covenant with a background in small business and non-profit administration with diverse organizations such as Steppenwolf Theatre, Irish Repertory of Chicago, GLSEN, and Spine-health.com. In addition to her work with Holy Covenant, she is actively involved in Chicago theatre as a Stage Manager for several companies, most recently Lifeline Theatre in Rogers Park and Steep Theatre Company in Edgewater, and freelances as a web marketing consultant. Ellen also has a great love of music and serves on the board of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), a unique and vibrant music ensemble dedicated to advancing the music of our time. In her unscheduled time, she enjoys yoga, traveling, and trying new things. She is proud to be a part of the unique Holy Covenant community. You can email her at office@holycovenantumc.org.

Our next cycle of small groups starts in February and you can sign up now, either at church, online or by emailing groups@holycovenantumc.org with your preference and contact information.

Friends in Holy Covenant,

During our Sunday morning services, you’re likely to hear a joyful noise-stomping feet, clapping hands, laughing children. Our worship has many facets, but can often be described as bold, passionate, upbeat and contemporary.

But have you ever stopped by the building on a Sunday night? The still air, the soft glow of the streetlights through the stained-glass windows, the creaking and shifting noises covered by the day’s chatter and bustle … there’s a different feel, an open space.

Beginning Sunday, Feb. 8, at 7 p.m., we’ll be beginning a whole new kind of worship within that space. The music will be acoustic, the light from candles and the mood more reflective. Think of it as church, unplugged. Together we’ll have Eucharist, listen to a brief message, sing along to the strumming guitar and then head off to begin the week with a sense of peace and fulfillment.

We’ve prayed and talked and planned and hoped as we’ve made this Sunday-evening service a reality, and we share this proudly with you as the next step in our congregation’s development. Our wish is not only to open up a new way of worship for our current community, but also to invite others who could not, or would not, walk through our doors on a Sunday morning.

We hope you’ll join us-worship with us, contact us with your comments, take this ONLINE SURVEY, spread the word to your friends and loved ones and pray with us both for those who have found a home at Holy Covenant and those who are still seeking.

Peace,

Trey Hall, Pastor, pastortrey@holycovenantumc.org

Kristin Kumpf, Lay Leader, kristinkumpf@holycovenantumc.org

Scott Reid, Lay Leader, scottreid@holycovenantumc.org

P.S. We’ll be discussing this service in more detail at our Leader Summit, Saturday, January 24, 9-12. All people are welcome to share in the conversation.

9 a.m. to noon, Sat., Jan. 24 (light breakfast served; stay after for the Chili Contest!)

In order to incarnate our mission of SEEK God, LOVE All People, CHANGE the world, LEADERSHIP is crucial. Once a quarter at Holy Covenant, the entire congregation is invited to gather to innovate, improve, grow, and change. While we continue to build a foundation of excellent leadership and ownership of our mission, we also open ourselves to the flow of creativity, passion, and imagination. At our quarterly LEADER SUMMITS, we’ll make decisions about the current and future ministry of our congregation, and also learn practical, applicable ministry concepts for our life together and outreach into the community. All people are strongly encouraged to come! On the agenda this quarter: new worship service launch, conversation and discernment about the congregational celebration of same-sex covenant partnerships/marriage.

Opening: 7 to 9 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 17 display through mid-February)

Presented by the MGR Foundation & Dignity Diner

In this multimedia exhibition, homeless artists document their unique perspectives on identity and Chicago life. Artists from Dignity Diner create personal art pieces which will be showcased as a gallery. Over the years, partnerships have been developed to better enhance what we do at Dignity Diner and one of these collaborations is with the MGR Foundation. We are so proud to tell you about our second annual art opening night. The MGR Foundation and their CARE Team have been working over the last year with our amazing Dignity Diner guests doing art activities and so now we are pleased to display their pieces for the public to see (any maybe buy)! Most all of the guests that come through Dignity Diner live on the streets with little to no support and so this is really something to see in terms of how their creative juices have flowed over this last year to show us their perspectives on identity, order, and what it is like living on Chicago’s often dangerous streets. Last year’s show was a huge success; we were featured on Chicago Public Radio and also in a few local magazines.

We’ve resolved as a congregation to read and discuss the Bible together in 2009. That sounds obvious for a Christian congregation, right? But we want to be intentional about it this year. Beginning next week, you will be invited to read daily ten-minute passages that over the course of the year will trail you right through the Old and New Testaments. The schedule will be available as a whole with reminders each week in the enews. And not only that, but every Sunday, between morning services, from about 10:35 to 11:10 in the balcony, there will be a chance to talk about what you’ve read, wrestle with the text, and see what news it yields for your life and the life of the world. If you’d like to take part, or might even be interested in helping lead the discussion, e-mail pastortrey@holycovenantumc.org.

1 p.m. on Sat., Jan. 24

Have a secret family recipe for chili you’ve been dying to share? Want to show off that new Christmas crock pot? Like to eat? Whatever the motivation, join us for a hearty lunch, tasty pies, and good conversation. All are welcome to submit a chili or pie entry for the contest and a shot to win the coveted trophies! If you plan on submitting an entry please contact matt.kuzma@gmail.com so he can add you to the list. Those who just want to eat are welcome, too ($5 donation). Beat the mid-winter, pre-Super Bowl, post-New Year’s blues with some good eats!

Friends in Holy Covenant,

Happy New Year to you! I hope that the season of Christmas (all 12 days, from Christmas Day to Epiphany!) was a time of joy and peace, healing and restoration, honesty and authenticity with loved ones. I spent my vacation in the U.K. visiting family and friends, and return to the U.S. rested and so happy to be in ministry with you all.

As we move into 2009, we’re beginning a number of new initiatives at Holy Covenant, among them a new worship series (and in February, a new evening worship service!.) called UnChristian: How the Church has gotten it wrong and how to make it right. The idea for the series comes from a study of the same name by the Barna Group that examines “what a new generation really thinks about Christianity…and why it matters.” The Barna Group, with researchers/writers David Kinnaman and Gabe Lyons, surveyed “outsiders” (their term for unchurched people), ages 16 to 29, on their perceptions of the Christian faith. The results are pretty damning. For example, from the survey questionnaire:

Question: Here are some words or phrases that people could use to describe a religious faith. Please indicate if you think each of these phrases describes present-day Christianity.

Top Three Answers: antihomosexual (91%), judgmental (87%), hypocritical (85%).

Just to clarify: that’s young people, ages 16-29, responding, i.e., the next generation of thinkers and leaders, i.e., the majority of the world’s people, and their children, by 2030.

Some Christians will ignore this research and pretend that it’s just not true, that the perceptions aren’t objective and therefore not valuable. Some Christians will say, well, our community of faith has already worked on and overcome those stigmas, why do we need to waste our time talking about it? Some Christians won’t even notice the research because they’re more concerned with their rummage sales and the color of the sanctuary carpet than with actually reaching out to anyone beyond themselves and their own concerns.

Whatever our own individual proclivities (and let’s be honest, friends, we all can hear our own voice in one of the above responses), we’re pledging as a congregation to pay attention to these perceptions. To address them. To think outside the box. To listen to the world which God loves and to make changes where we need to, in order to be a Church that is meaningful, real, inviting, and challenging.

I hope you’ll join us this year, to make a difference. In your own journey of faith, yes, definitely. But also in the hope of reaching out to others, strangers yet to become friends, in this generation, and the next.

Happy New Year! Let’s make it a good one!

Peace and grace,
Pastor Trey Hall

We resolve to SEEK GOD.

[resolution]: read the Bible.
Whether you’re certain or skeptical, commit to encountering the mystery of the scriptures. Follow a schedule of short (10-minute), daily readings at home and then meet up for a discussion at church
launches Sunday, January 11, 10:30-11:15a

[resolution]: connect to worship.
If Sunday morning is not your thing, try our new evening worship experience–unplugged, acoustic, peaceful, restoring. End the weekend and begin again.
launches Sunday, February 8, 7:00-8:00p

We resolve to LOVE ALL PEOPLE.

[resolution]: join a small group.
Humans aren’t meant to go it alone. Learning, growing, volunteering, understanding, healing, playing–in our experience, these things happen most meaningfully in community with others.
Next cycle launches first week of February

We resolve to CHANGE THE WORLD.

[resolution]: serve a meal.
Every Tuesday evening, our sanctuary is transformed into a restaurant for friends who are hungry or homeless. Cook, serve, welcome, clean: you can do something.
Continues Tuesdays, 5:30-7:15p

[resolution]: go green.
Solve global warming one person at a time. Calculate your carbon footprint, find ways to reduce it, pledge your reduction at church, save money, prevent pollution.
Forum, movie night, and organic meal
Friday, February 6, 7:00-9:00p
Cool Congregations workshop
Sunday, February 22, 12:30p