Green team

God’s House
Holy Covenant UMC, April 25, 2010
Rev. Kate Hurst Floyd
Eco-friendly Sunday
Psalm 23

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

Have you heard this scripture before?
I thought so.
It’s one of, if not the, most familiar passage in the entirety of the Bible.
Those of you who grew up in churches probably had to memorize it at some point. It’s most often read at funerals or said around those who are hurting or dying. We’re probably most familiar with the King James Version, with its poetic turn of phrase…He maketh me to lie down in green pastures…yea though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
But this Psalm doesn’t just have resonance within church walls: It’s ubiquitous in our culture. We use phrases from it in our colloquial expressions: “My cup runneth over” and “Goodness and mercy shall follow me”; even “days of our lives”—where do you think that comes from?

Even if you haven’t spent much or any of your life in church, this is probably one of the few passages from the Bible you know. Those of you who are my age probably remember the Coolio riff on the Psalm….made popular in the film Dangerous Minds starring Michelle Pfeiffer…It’s everywhere.

We know this Psalm like we know the back of our hands….and yet it might seem odd to read such a familiar passage on our Eco-friendly Sunday (after all, we’re not at a funeral or in a mediocre 90’s movie). We recite this Psalm in a variety of contexts…but we wonder, what does this Psalm have to do with creation care, sustainability, and environmental justice? (more…)

Holy Covenant asks you to bring in a wide variety of items to support us in our quest to reduce, reuse, recycle, provide for our congregational community, and care for our greater community.

If you have any of these, bring them in!

CINDER BLOCKS NEEDED
Holy Covenant needs cinder blocks for a Lent project! Have a few in your basement? Willing to schlep them to church by February 20th? Let Rebecca Anderson know.

HOT CUP SLEEVE DRIVE
The Green Team and Hospitality have partnered up to start a coffee sleeve drive at Holy Covenant. Please bring in your used hot cup sleeves so we can offer them at the coffee station during hospitality! When using a sleeve during church, please remember to return the sleeve to its basket before tossing your cup. Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

BRING US YOUR CORKS!
The Green Team will be collecting wine corks, both natural and synthetic, in the coming year. For every cork collected, Terra Cycle will donate 2 cents to Holy Covenant United Methodist Church. There is a box in the gallery labeled “Cork Collection”. Please bring in any wine corks you have (or your neighbors have, or your local restaurants have) to be donated to this worthy cause!

COAT DRIVE
Holy Covenant is collecting coats for those in need that will be distributed to Dignity Diner guests every Tuesday. Please bring adult coats (L-XL), mittens and gloves (no scarves or hats) to the church and place at the bottom of the basement stairs. We will collect coats through the winter so that as many as possible will receive the gift of warmth. Questions? Please contact Walter Treash.

HAVE PICTURES OF HOLY COVENANT? SEND THEM IN!
We would love to look through your photos and possibly pick out a few for the church’s website! Mission events, social events, hospitality or small groups — if you have any, send them to Katie Cook.

In addition, something you do every day can benefit Holy Covenant:

SEARCH THE INTERNET, GIVE TO HOLY COVENANT!
Every time you search the internet through www.goodsearch.com, the site will donate 1 cent to HCUMC. Just go to the site, enter Holy Covenant to verify, and then search away! It’s free and easy to use for you, and Holy Covenant receives a donation at the end of the year. Many sites also offer a % donation if you make a purchase. So search away, which you do anyway, and give to the church. Their motto is: You search, we give.