Holy Covenant United Methodist Church

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

Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner
Holy Covenant UMC
August 29, 2010
Rev. Kate Hurst Floyd

Luke 14:1, 7-14

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Imagine with me that you are hosting a dinner party. You have spent weeks preparing—cleaning the house, planning the menu, going over the guest list, cooking the dinner. And then when people arrive you are a gracious host—making sure nobody’s drink glass is empty, that the volume of the music is just right, that the trays of appetizers remain full.

You’ve put much effort into making this a pleasant experience for everyone. And then, as everyone is seated at the table, one of your guests begins to criticize you. Begins to criticize your guest list—telling you that you shouldn’t have invited the people you did. The people that are sitting right there next to him. How would this make you feel? Probably pretty uncomfortable—I know I would be. Others in the room would be uncomfortable as well. We’ve all had the experience of sitting around the table, engaging in polite conversation, when someone—that guy—we all know one of those guys—says something that moves the conversation from polite to candid. From nice to challenging (often it’s when a family member brings up politics or religion). And it’s hard to know how to react. (more…)

Durbin Family

Sarah, Rachel and Jonah live in Oak Park and found Holy Covenant through Reconciling Ministries. Rachel is a senior at OPRF High School and Jonah is in 4th grade at Longfellow Elementary. Rachel is an accomplished figure skater who would perform on ice every weekend if given the opportunity. She is really excited about Akwaaba, the teen youth group she started at Holy Covenant, and is hopeful the group will finally take root this fall. Rachel just recently got back from YTI (Youth Theological Initiative) where she had the opportunity to explore important theological and social issues with other teens and consider the power of becoming a “public theologian”. Jonah is your typical boy. He loves sports especially soccer and plays on a traveling team. He is loud and is constantly moving. Which is entirely opposite from what you see at church. For just being nine, he has a big heart and is always making sure that his sister is taken care of. Sarah works in the non-profit world. She is a member of the Children and Families Committee and is on the board of a local LGBT organization. As a family, they have a passion for social justice and providing service in the community.

Read more about becoming a member.

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

Breaking Free
Holy Covenant UMC
Sunday August 22, 2010
Rev. Kate Hurst Floyd

Luke 13:10-17

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She’s a broken woman.
She’s also faithful, coming to the synagogue every single week on the Sabbath. To pray, to sing, to worship God with her community, her community that’s become her family.
For eighteen years she’s walked into that sanctuary bent over. Broken.
364 times she’s entered that space, week after week, year after year, and she couldn’t see anything but the small piece of ground right underneath her eyes, her vision reduced to the patch of land around her feet. 364 times she’s walked into that synagogue, bent over and broken.

She lives in deep pain, all the time, which affects more than her body—she’s a powerful witness that body, soul and mind are always interconnected and her pain seeps into all aspects of her life. She’s broken because she’s a woman in a culture that values men—for their ability to work and gain political and religious power. But even in these constraints she’s not a very good woman: it’s nearly impossible to cook and clean when her head hangs so low. Animals are more valuable to the world than she is.

And there are people who look at her and they see only her bent-over-ness. She’s so tired of being reduced to her ailment…they see the small patch of ground where her body bends over, but they can’t see that she loves a good joke, lost a beloved son in war, survived cancer and makes a mean falafel. They look at her and don’t even know her name: oh, there’s the bent-over woman, here again. A broken body, back to worship.
(more…)

Kindled with Fire
Holy Covenant UMC
Sunday August 15, 2010
Rev. Kate Hurst Floyd

Luke 12:49-56

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When I was 10 years old, in 1992, I visited Yellowstone National Park with my family. Yellowstone represents nature at its most abundant. I vividly remember being in awe at the beauty that surrounded me. Yellowstone is in Wyoming, near Grand Teton national park, so it sits at the foot of spectacular mountains, gleaming silver, that rise sharply into the deep blue sky. There was snow on the ground that summer, in the middle of July—to a girl from Texas this seemed miraculous. Yellowstone is full of wildlife in its natural habitat—bison herds that cross the road, causing traffic jams. Elk mothers with their babies, scampering through woods. And if you’re lucky, there’s even the occasional bear. And of course, there are the geysers, perhaps what Yellowstone is most famous for—water shooting up from the earth at regular intervals, spraying passersby.

I grew up in West Texas, which is flat and dry, no trees or natural bodies of water. So the lush trees and waterfalls of this place were a wonder to me—I couldn’t get enough of them. (more…)

Sunday, August 8, 2010
Holy Covenant UMC
Rebecca Anderson, preaching

Hosea 2:14-23

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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