Reflections

Dear Holy Covenant Community,

We’re approaching Labor Day Weekend.  While for many it’s a time for vacation and a last-ditch effort to soak up the summer, the holiday is also a time to celebrate work and be mindful of rest.  In honor of Labor Day, our worship service will focus on labor issues.  Kristin Kumpf, a lay leader who works for Interfaith Worker Justice, will be preaching.  Reminder: There will be One Service at 10:30am. If you’re in town, please join us!  Interested in what The United Methodist Church believes about labor and justice?  Read more.

As we prepare for this holiday, I offer this prayer by theologian and biblical scholar Walter Brueggemann, from his book Prayers for a Privileged People:

Labor Day
We are again at our annual moment to honor labor,

To remember those who do hard work, to recall tales of depression poverty, to wonder at our economy.

As we remember, we aware that “labor” today is surrounded by hostile euphemisms…

Downgrading, outsourcing, minimum wage, 401(k)s, all strategies to cut costs, with the result that laborers are put at more risk, all the while we indulge in endless extravagance.

We are mindful on this day:

That most hard labor in our country is performed by people who may not be like us, African Americans, Hispanics, people who lack our advanced skills and connections, and who settle for being labor that is cheap, while food and housing continue to grow more expensive; That we are here because our mothers were in labor for us, loving us before we were born, available for inconvenience and for pain, and as we grew…for worry in the night.

That there is other work to be done, what Jesus called, “my Father’s work,”: healing the sick, caring for the poor, casting out demons, doing the hard work of justice.  We give thanks for those who do this.

On Labor Day, with most of us so privileged that we do not sweat unless we play tennis or jog, give us fresh perspective on our labor, that our lives consist in more than earning and eating, in making and selling, that our lives consist in the hard, urgent work of the neighborhood.

Empower us as you did our mothers that we may birth new well-being, that neighbors may live in justice, that we may know the joy of compassion, that overrides the drudgery of our common day.

We pray in the name of Jesus, from whom we know your own self-giving life, for we gladly confess that “no one works like him.” Amen.

See you on Sunday (only ONCE, at 10:30am!) and think about who you can bring with you.

Grace and Peace,
Kate

Dear Holy Covenant Community,

What do you think of when you hear the word “Leader”?

Efficient CEOs? Successful politicians? The ability to empower others toward a common goal?

We learn much about leadership in our secular lives, from school to business to our volunteer efforts. These messages are helpful and can lead to many kinds of successes. But when we talk about leadership in the church, in our lives of faith, what do we mean? Is it somehow different?

I invite you to our Holy Covenant Leaders’ Retreat, Saturday Sept. 11 from 9am-12pm at the church. We’ll be exploring what it means to be a spiritual leader under the guidance of Rev. Lisl Heymans Paul. During the morning we will examine our own spiritual gifts and then use Scripture and prayer to discover how we can best use these in our church.

If we want to lead our community to Seek God, Love all People, and Change the world, we first have to go deeper in our own spiritual lives before we can know where God is calling us. Henri Nouwen, the great spiritual writer, says this about a saint of the faith: “Like all great disciples of Jesus, Mother Teresa affirmed again the truth that ministry can be fruitful only when it grows out of a direct and intimate encounter with our Lord.” Our call is to be a community of spiritual leaders, focused not on how much we can get done, but on how close we can grow to Christ. When this is our focus, we will be amazed with the abundance that flows forth! We’ll produce more fruits than we ever thought possible.

You are welcome to come if you hold an official leadership position, are a leader of the community without a title, or someone who is interested in becoming a leader here and wanting to learn more. Please don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions. If you’re coming, RSVP to me and please bring a Bible. If you don’t have one, let me know, and I’ll get you one!

See you on Sunday and think about who you can bring with you.

Grace and Peace,

Kate

Dear Holy Covenant Community,

In front of God and everybody. How many times have you heard that phrase, usually in a less than positive way (Fred skinny dipped in Buckingham Fountain, in front of God and everybody…). Well, ladies and gentleman, I’m here today to take the rain in that phrase and turn it into a rainbow (ow-did I just say that?). Ok, more specifically, I am here to invite you to share your love of music (and who doesn’t love music?) with God and everybody by joining the Holy Covenant Celebration Choir as we prepare this fall to once again blend our voices together in song and worship and praise. There are no auditions, no scales to sing in order to prove your vocal capabilities. Just a love of God, and the aforementioned love of music. There, see? You’re in. All practice materials are posted on the web, we gather on Monday nights to rehearse and then do a short run through on Sunday morning before singing at the 11:15 service. It’s fun, it’s community, it’s worship, and I truly hope you’ll consider it. In front of God and everybody.

Now if you are just not the singing type, there is still room at the musical table for you. We are looking for all manner of musicians to offer their talents during Communion at our 9:30 service. Guitar, violin, flute, kazoo, (ok-probably not kazoo), classical, contemporary-please accept this invitation to offer your gifts to this community.

Finally, if you are more of a behind the scenes person, please consider joining our Audio Visual team. This VIP position takes care of the Powerpoint and simple audio adjustments during our worship services. I’ll tell you everything you need to know (no previous experience necessary), and ideally, with enough folks in rotation, we only ask one service of you a month.

For further communications, questions, and volunteer hand raising, please contact me by e-mail.

peace,

Andrew Collins

Dear Holy Covenant Community,

Despite the humid days and bright sun, fall is in the air. Backpacks are on sale, students are registering for classes, and boots are entering the stores. Fall is an exciting time in the life of our church because many of us are back “home” in Chicago: returning to school after summers away and settling back in after traveling.

As we savor the last days of summer I want to whet your appetite for what we have in store here in the fall. September is our kick-off month, and from Sept. 12-Nov. 21, our theme will be:

I Love to Tell the Story

What’s your story?
Where does it connect with the stories of others?
How do we find meaning in the stories of our lives?
What is God’s story?

Join us this fall at Holy Covenant as we explore the adventure of our God who is always-creating, ever-alive, and speaking to us in the present tense. Through stories, we’ll recognize ourselves as characters in the divine drama, growing closer to God and one another. We’ll tell God’s story through worship, with testimonies and story-telling services; learn God’s story through bible study in small groups and storytelling sessions; and live God’s story as a people engaged regularly in mission and justice events. All are welcome!

In the coming weeks, you’ll be hearing more about signing up for small groups that begin in October (many groups on Bible study, spiritual practices, and growing deeper in our faith), singing with our choir, and engaging in mission and justice events. Be sure to put these special worship dates on your calendar: Sept. 12, Fall kick-off; Oct. 1 U2 Eucharist; Oct. 17 Children’s Sabbath; Oct. 31 Blessing of the Animals; and Nov. 7 Bluegrass All Saints.

As we prepare for the fall, prayerfully consider engaging fully in the life of this community. Share your story through the gifts you have to bring and connect to the stories of others, all as we engage in God’s story. Be thinking now about who you know that you can invite to worship with us in September. The best thing about sharing our stories in a Christian context is that they are never- ending-we are always welcoming new people and new revelations through the One who brings new life.

See you on Sunday and think about who you can bring with you!

Grace and Peace,
Kate

Dear Holy Covenant Community,

We are in the midst of transformation! With a growing community and a growing staff, we are making some space changes to best meet the needs of our church:

*The main office will now be a dedicated pastor’s office. It will be a place for me to work in the church, so I will have regular office hours and be available in the building during the week (formerly, I worked exclusively from home). It will also allow private space for meetings, counseling sessions, and pastoral conversations. Previously, because many people worked in the office and needed to access the copier and materials, it was hard to meet in confidence. Now that we have moved the copier and supplies out of the room, this will now be a space where we can have uninterrupted pastoral care. I hope it will be a welcoming and sacred space for us to be together!

*The gallery space houses dedicated space for Rebecca, who is now working 30 hours at the church as our Minister for Spiritual Formation. She will have private and permanent space to do her work and keep her things. She will also be using the pastoral office when needed to meet with someone privately.

*Ellen, our office administrator, also has a space in the gallery, across from the kitchen. She will continue to provide a welcoming presence when people arrive at the church. Her space still houses the main office computer and printer should you need to use them for church use.

*The basement is in a continual process of transformation. In addition to our new nursery, we have done extensive clearing out and cleaning up. Recently, we have cleaned out the locked room in the corner and converted it to a space where we keep the copier. It is also now a workspace where committee chairs, staff, and leaders can go to work at a desk, organize papers, etc.

MANY THANKS to those of you who have spent the last weeks cleaning, painting, organizing, and moving. Your hands and help are greatly appreciated and we couldn’t be the church without you!

Take a look when you’re here next, and come by during the week to say hello!

Don’t hesitate to be in touch if you have any questions.

See you on Sunday and think about who you can bring with you.

Grace and Peace,
Kate

Dear Holy Covenant Community,

The heat of summer is indeed upon us! Some have accused me of bringing the humidity with me from Georgia; I hope I’m not to blame. In fact, I find myself longing for dry and cool Chicago summer days. But even as we wipe the sweat from our brows and complain about the sun, there is a gift buried in the heat. For being so hot, so sticky, reminds us to slow down. What a gift it is to stop and pay attention. On this hot and sticky day, receive the poem below as a reminder to ponder the One who creates and calls us to be attentive:

The Summer Day by Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean–
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down–
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
With your one wild and precious life?

As we live into the deep days of summer, may this poem wash over us as a prayer for all creation. May we listen to the God who calls us to pay attention to our wild and precious lives. What do you hear?

See you Sunday, and think about who you can bring with you.

Peace and Grace,

Kate

Dear Holy Covenant Community,

It’s no secret that United Methodists LOVE meals. You’d be hard pressed to find a Methodist church without regularly scheduled pot-lucks, ice cream socials, and pie bake-offs. Holy Covenant does our part, from perfecting our chili recipe for the cook-off in the fall, to eating pizza and slurping root beer floats after the evening service, and enjoying delicious home-baked goods on a Sunday morning. We are a community who loves meals!

Is it just that we really love to eat? We do, no doubt. But if that was all there was to it, we’d just go to restaurants, or pack up the baked goods and take them to the park. Instead, we stay and we eat together, because something powerful happens in those moments: the food tastes better, the conversation is more interesting, and our connections are deeper. Jesus knew the power of the table, of a shared meal. That’s why on the last night of his life, he gathered his disciples around a table to eat supper together. Don Saliers, my professor of worship, was fond of saying, “Jesus loved meals so much he became one.”

For in that sacred meal, Jesus takes the bread, blesses it, breaks it, and gives it. The bread becomes his body and the wine his blood, and we, then, through sharing in the meal, become his body. Every time we take communion in worship, Jesus takes and chooses us, God blesses us, our hearts break open, and God gives us the gift of grace and forgiveness. Beginning in August, we will have the opportunity to eat this sacred meal together each week in the morning. Starting August 1st, we’ll have weekly communion at the 9:30am service. We’ll continue to share in this meal monthly at 11:15am and weekly at 7pm.

If you find yourself hungry during the week, I hope you’ll consider coming to the 9:30 service to receive your fill of grace, peace, justice, and mercy as forgiven and grace-filled children of God. After all, the invitation is coming from Jesus—“Let’s eat!”

See you Sunday, and think about who you can bring with you.

Grace and Peace,

Kate

Dear beloved at Holy Covenant,

During his ministry on earth, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven belongs to the likes of children. Jesus didn’t mind when kids swarmed around him – even when adults said, “Oh, leave him alone now” or “He’s not talking to you; he’s not here for you!” Little children even taught others how to praise, shouting “Hosanna” when the grown-ups were appalled because Jesus was challenging the status quo in the temple. Jesus also said, “Whoever welcomes a little child in my name welcomes me.” We want to welcome children in ways that families need and want, and in ways that are particular to who we are as a community of faith.

I’m inviting families into a conversation about what’s next at HC, to meet families I don’t yet know, and to find out what both parents and kids want, need, and hope for in a community of faith. Both this Sunday, July 18th, and August 1st, I’ll be meeting families at 10:30, after the early service. We’ll step across the way to Einstein’s for coffee or tea. There will be extended childcare at church but children are also welcome to come. Either way, please bring your ideas. Email me at rebeccaanderson@holycovenantumc.org to let me know which Sunday you’d like to join the conversation, and whether you expect to use childcare so we can plan accordingly.

OR…if you cannot make either of these group times, I’d love to take you out for coffee (or meet you at a neighborhood park).

Some other news about children and families at HC this summer:

* On Sunday, August 15th, after the first service, children and families are going to Jonquil Park (at Sheffield and Lincoln) to play on the awesome new equipment, including a sprinkler. We’ll have stickers and invitations to HC to give the folks we meet while we play. We want to let the neighborhood know that we have childcare and invite them to join this great worshiping community.
* We’ve hired the fabulous Kristen McCray, through SitBaby, to provide childcare for the first service – and coffee hour – in the newly rehabbed downstairs nursery. Spread the word and please say hello to Kristen.
* Children are always welcome in worship and, in fact, we’re setting up the children’s corner again (although they don’t have to sit there!) and offering materials for children’s use during worship.
* Regular Sunday School is on break for the summer. So is TFYC!
* But look for children, as they join us, to be more fully involved participants in the liturgy. And start brainstorming about the fall.

Finally, for all of us, a question: what do you do in church that a young person could help with? If you’re on your way to do something, look around: is there someone you can take with you and show the ropes? (Actually, this could be a 10-year-old or a 35-year-old! Not all of know how things work or where things get put away around here.) Spiritual formation, for children and adults, doesn’t only happen in services or lessons but in relationship with other Christians. Young people can easily:

*help greet and pass out bulletins
*collect the offering
*read Scripture
*help serve or clean up from hospitality

Let’s live into our mission statement: let’s be a community of friends that loves all people and welcomes the little children in the name of the One who loves and welcomes each of us.

In peace,

Rebecca Anderson
Minister of Spiritual Formation

Dear friends in Holy Covenant,

Our evening service is a year and a half old now. All along, the central image for the 7 pm service has been that of Jesus walking along the road to Emmaus with his disciples after he’d been raised from the dead. They talked about Scripture and recent events. They invited Jesus in and ate together. When Jesus broke bread at the end of the meal – gasp – they recognized him! Sunday nights, we gather hungry for the same kinds of conversation and the same kind of meal where Jesus shows up again and again.

Some folks haven’t yet had the chance to attend the evening service; some first-timers exclaim with surprise, “Hey! This is great!” Come find out for yourself what we’re doing. As a church, we decided to commit to this service as an offering for our community and those who aren’t yet in our doors. Even if this is not your usual service, please consider coming this week to show support for this vital ministry of our church. Our hope is that when you come and see what the service is about, you can direct friends and newcomers to this acoustic service of contemplation, weekly Eucharist, and prayer.

Come: if you’ve been meaning to check out the evening service. Come: if you plan to spend most of the day at the beach on Sunday. Come: if you’ve ever wanted to have a root beer float after a church service during which the late day light streams in sideways through the stained glass windows and then grows dark and intimate by the time we gather around the table. And come help make this service especially rich, peopled with many voices and much energy. We expect lots of visitors and want them to experience how Holy Covenant worships! Even if you can’t be there, please spread the word.

Come for the service, stay for the root beer floats and pizza. Bring friends; bring $5 for pizza (if you can); and bring your singing voice. Beach attire welcome.

Looking forward to worshiping and celebrating with you, and to gathering again around the table,

Rebecca Anderson

Dear Holy Covenant Family,

We are in the fullness of summer: sunshine and beach time, flowers and free concerts, long days and mini- vacations. Summer is the season for abundance. We live, however, in a world that preaches scarcity, fear, and limited resources. As people of faith, let us live into summer, not only as a time for relaxation, but as a reminder that God’s abundance is greater than any limitations the world hands us. As the writer and teacher Parker Palmer says:

In summer, it is hard to remember that we had ever doubted the natural process, had ever ceded death the last word, had ever lost faith in the powers of new life. Summer is a reminder that our faith is not nearly as strong as the things we profess to have faith in-a reminder that for this single season, at least, we might cease our anxious machinations and give ourselves to the abiding and abundant grace of our common life.

We certainly witnessed this abundance during our Pride celebration throughout June and over the last weekend! New life triumphed over fear, death, and futility. As we move into July, we continue to live as a people blessed by God’s abundance. I invite you to seek out new life through two exciting offerings in our church:

*We now have childcare available during the 9:30am service. We have hired a certified child-care worker, Kristen McCray, from the company Sitbaby, and we are confident she will take great care with our babies and toddlers. In addition, there will be a volunteer from Holy Covenant who will also be in the nursery during this time. Your children are always welcome in worship. We hope, though, that this provides a helpful option for those of you who prefer for your children to be in a nursery (and for those of you whose children would prefer to be in a nursery!). Please spread the word and invite friends with young ones to Holy Covenant.

*Join us for our Sunday Evening Kick-Off Party on July 11th at 7pm. Come to worship, stay for pizza and root beer floats! Our evening service is a year and a half old now. As a church, we decided to commit to this service as an offering for our community and those who aren’t yet in our doors. Even if this is not your usual service, please consider coming on the 11th to show support for this vital ministry of our church. Our hope is that when you come and see what the service is about, you can direct friends and newcomers to this unplugged service of contemplation, weekly Eucharist, and prayer.

See you on Sunday, where this week all three of our services will be in the style of the evening service. We’ll sing old favorites unplugged, a capella and with guitar. We’ll share in communion, prayers of the people, candle-lighting, and silence. We’ll worship the God who always provides abundantly. Think about who you can bring with you.

Grace and Peace,
Kate