Service opportunities

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.

Dear Holy Covenant family,

Our hearts are heavy for Haiti, and all those connected to this horrendous tragedy. My thoughts and prayers are with each of you, especially those who are connected to Haiti and waiting to hear from friends and family. As we face this unimaginable disaster, we do so as a family of faith and love. Here are some ways we are responding as a community and you can get involved:

1) Give
On Sunday, we will be taking a special offering for the United Methodist Committee on Relief for their work in Haiti. If you are looking for a way to contribute, consider donating to UMCOR. 100% of your giving goes to relief efforts, and UMCOR is one of the first responders in a disaster and stays long after the immediacy of the crisis. Please make checks out to UMCOR International Disaster Relief Advance #982450, Memo line: Haiti. Or, you can contribute on-line.

2) Assemble Health Kits
One of the ways Holy Covenant is helping right now is by assembling health kits to send to Haiti through UMCOR. Read about this ministry. Emma Cushman Wood is leading Holy Covenant’s effort and you will hear more about this on Sunday. Please contact Emma with questions or to volunteer to help.

3) Pray
As our we grieve, mourn, weep, and seek out ways to act, we also turn to prayer. I offer you this prayer, written by Dr. Pamela Lightsey, in response to the devastation:

O God, we have been stunned once again by an event
Which seems so unnatural and yet is called “natural disaster.”

We have no words to answer the “why” which we feel,
No wisdom to explain away the unexplainable areas of life.

Keep us from attributing this event as a heavenly reprimand,
Or from a certain haughtiness that tempts the distant soul.

Give us to be compassionate and gentle, servants to those in need.
Remind us of your gracious love in the midst of sorrow,
And your ability to work miracles when hope is faint.

We pray for those who suffer in Haiti even now
And for those who await rescue.
For relatives, for the children,
For mothers and fathers,
Sisters and brothers,
Grandparents, aunts and cousins.
For the survivors who question what more they might have done.
And for those who must keep on keeping on, in spite of.
For the leaders,
For those who bring aid
And those who await news.
Strengthen and encourage them we pray.

Now unto you, O God, we take the burdens of this hour and place them in your divine care.
For all you do and are doing, seen and unseen, we give thee thanks, Eternal God of All Creation.
Amen.

Grace and Peace,
Kate

Dear Holy Covenant Family,

“Sing lustily and with a good courage. Lift up your voice with strength. Let not a slight degree of weakness or weariness hinder you. It is a cross to you; take it up, and you will find it a blessing”.

These quotes are from the “Directions for Singing”, contained in John Wesley’s Select Hymns, circa 1761. They are printed on page vii of every United Methodist Hymnal, lest one has confusion as to how one lifts their voice to God in the United Methodist Church. As these guidelines pre-date even the 115 years or so that this little church on the corner of Diversey and Wilton has existed, I am sure they have been spoken within these walls many times. Even if they had not, I am quite confident that the many souls and saints who have gathered here for worship through the years have sung with gusto, with reverence, and with gratitude. That’s just the way this place is; it is full of the love and the grace and presence of God. It’s one of the most common comments I have heard from those new to this place. I imagine it has always been this way, and I am sure it shall always continue to be.

My invitation to you today is to take “lifting your voice with strength” one step further. I would ask you to consider joining the Celebration Choir at Holy Covenant. I think those who sing with the choir regularly who tell you that this area of sharing your talents and gifts with the church gives a lot of “bang for the buck”; it is a healer of the heart; it is a tonic for the soul.

There are no auditions; there are no tryouts; just the invitation. As Wesley says, we “strive to unite our voices together, as to make one clear melodious sound”. We rehearse on Thursday nights at 7:30, with a time of fellowship at 7:00; we do brief run throughs directly before singing at the second service Sunday mornings. The choir has its own webpage where audio and printed practice materials for the pieces are provided so you can practice during the week, and perhaps get a chuckle from my attempts at singing soprano parts.

I hope you will come sing and pray and worship with us. My email is: andrewcollins@holycovenantumc.org. I look forward to hearing from you.

I’ll close with a final quote or two from Wesley…”Above all sing spiritually. Have an eye to God in every word you sing.” You already know that’s what we do here at Holy Covenant. Take that one step further, and imagine yourself joining with the choir of angels from 115 years of “singing lustily”.

Peace,

Andrew Collins
Music Director

Holy Covenant is blessed to have so many volunteers willing to do things – big and small – that help our church grow and thrive.  Annually, we conduct a gifts, talents and interest survey to help match you with opportunities that you may be interested in as they arise. 

The 2009 survey is closed, but please e-mail at office@holycovenantumc.org to find out how you can get involved and let us know what your interests are.

This fall Holy Covenant will be holding a fundraiser for general church funds. The event, scheduled for October 9th at 7:00 PM, will will include live entertainment and a silent auction. You can help by contributing an item for bidding. Some of you may choose to donate services, while others may secure a donation from a local business.

Please let us know if you are able to offer or suggest any donations for the auction. Auction ideas include: weekend at time share / vacation home, aquarium/museum tickets, artwork/photography, collectibles / autographed items, one-hour massage certificate, yoga class certificate, restaurant gift certificates, architectural tour or your own personal services (paint a room, cook a meal, cookies each month for a year, etc.).

To make this easier, the Fundraising committee has created two documents. The first is a customizable Silent Auction Request Form you may share with potential donors, explaining who we are and what we’re asking for. The second is a Silent Auction Reply Form – for donor (or you) to fill out with information about the intended donation.

Although the event isn’t until October, the silent auction for some items will start two weeks early. For this reason, we’d ideally like all bids secured by September 23rd. Of course, last minute bids are always welcome.

We hope you’ll be able to participate! Please contact Devin Donaldson with any bid questions, suggestions or donations.

Warm regards from your fall fundraiser chair,

Katie Cook

July 25 & 26: ANNUAL MAJOR FUND-RAISER FOR DIGNITY DINER: 10-15 VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

The Taste of Lincoln Avenue is Wrightwood Neighbors Association’s annual fundraiser. Dignity Diner would like to send 10-15 volunteers to the ‘Taste of Lincoln’ on July 25 and 26th so we can be successful again this year. They historically give $1,000 grant to Dignity Diner. The Taste is always held on the last weekend in July, from Noon-to-dusk, both Saturday and Sunday. Located on Lincoln Avenue between Fullerton and Wrightwood, the event includes food and craft vendors, five entertainment stages, and a great Kids’ Carnival Area.

Volunteers register on line at http://www.wrightwoodneighbors.org/tastevolunteers.htm or by calling (773) 298-6800. It is really fun. Besides hanging out with a few friends for 4 hours, you meet other folks who receive service grants and the music is fun! Volunteers arrive a little before the shift you sign up for and go to the volunteers tent-booth for a T-shirt and instructions about how to ’staff’ the entrance gates and ask for donations. Usually you will start out with a seasoned volunteer partner.

If you decide to volunteer, please mention you are from Holy Covenant, or Dignity Diner or both so that we get credit for sending enough volunteers. Send an e-mail to office@holycovenantumc.org to let us know the shift you have signed up for. Questions? Contact Steve Bindrich or Kara Teeple. For more information, see: http://www.wrightwoodneighbors.org/Taste.htm

TUESDAY, JUNE 30
Every Tuesday evening at Holy Covenant, Dignity Diner offers a meal to the homeless and hungry of our community. Usually on the fourth Tuesday of every month, Holy Covenant is responsible for providing volunteers to help cook, serve, and clean up after the meal. Holy Covenant is responsible for providing volunteers on Tuesday, June 30. We have a youth group from Maryland visiting the Diner on June 23. If you are able to help this month or on the fourth Tuesday of any month, please contact Steve Bindrich, Dignity Diner Lay Leader. If you cannot come to the Diner on a Tuesday but would like to find out other ways you can get involved, or with any other questions, please contact Kara Teeple, Director of Dignity Diner.

Let us know if you’re interested in a Beach Cleanup Day in Chicago, and when you’ll be out-of-town this summer. We’d like to accomodate as many vacationers as possible and schedule the day around people’s plans! We’ll be supplying garbage bags, gloves, and sandwiches/drinks, as well as sand toys for the kids. If you could bring a beach-friendly side dish or dessert, we’ll be all set to conquer the litter and save the earth ! We’ll let you all know the day, as well as a “rain day” in case the weather doesn’t cooperate. Contact Jenn Alan with your summer plans.

Kick-off Meeting, Tuesday, June 23, 7pm
Katie Cook has offered to lead the way in planning this event, but is having a kick-off meeting Tuesday, June 23, 7:00pm for anyone who would like to lend a hand. If you’ve planned an event like this before, have some ideas, or would just like to get to know others at the church through planning, please stop by for this brainstorming session. If planning is not your thing, we just ask for your prayers for the fundraiser group as we embark on this project. If you plan to attend please email Katie.

Every Tuesday evening at Holy Covenant, Dignity Diner offers a meal to the homeless and hungry of our community. Usually on the fourth Tuesday of every month, Holy Covenant is responsible for providing volunteers to help cook, serve, and clean up after the meal. Holy Covenant is responsible for providing volunteers on Tuesday, June 30. If you are able to help this month or on the fourth Tuesday of any month, please contact Steve Bindrich, Dignity Diner Lay Leader. If you cannot come to the Diner on a Tuesday but would like to find out other ways you can get involved, or with any other questions, please contact Kara Teeple, Director of Dignity Diner.