Covenant Lutheran Church
4202 Hickory Road
Temple, Texas 76502
254-773-7718
Email
covenatlutheran@hot.rr.com
From the Desk of the Pastor Greetings in the name of
the Risen One, As summer approaches
many of us are making travel plans. Some of us will go to the mountains to beat the heat of summer; others
will travel to see family and friends. These journeys will be an exciting time of seeing new things and
reconnecting with distant friends and relatives. Our summer lectionary encompasses much of Jesus’’
first journey in his public ministry. His journey through Galilee toward Jerusalem to preach, teach and
perform “signs” that the Kingdom of God has come near to reconcile broken humanity back to God. On
this journey we see Jesus shows God’s favor for the lowly and widow’s son, a woman called a sinner, and a man
possessed by demons. All were on the margins of life; all received new life through their encounter with
Jesus. As Jesus journeys to Jerusalem we also discover the difficulties of discipleship. Two
would-be disciples are not able to follow Jesus wholeheartedly and turn back to only life they knew. After
this we find Jesus sending out the seventy and reminding them that they and the message of God’s Reign could be accepted
or reject as they were on their mission. During Jesus’ journey he taught the marks of discipleship;
loving others; listening to and learning from Jesus; prayer, giving and generosity; watchfulness for God’s return; healing
and liberation; humility. We the body of Christ known as Covenant Lutheran
Church is also on a journey of discipleship and discovery. On this journey we need to hear the voice of
Jesus spoken to us through the Holy Spirit. On Pentecost Sunday we learned that Jesus’ work continues
through us guided by the Holy Spirit. As our Transition Team continues its work among us they too are on
a journey of discovery. This journey will show them and us that the mission of Covenant is still being
created and lead by the Holy Spirit. Pray for them, listen to them, and support them by telling them you
understanding of what God is leading us to do in proclaiming the Reign of God is near. Peace Pastor Terry |
President’s Ponderings
cov·e·nant [kuhv-uh-nuh nt]
–noun 1. an agreement,
usually formal, between two or more persons to do or not do something specified.
3. Ecclesiastical: a
solemn agreement between the members of a church to act together in harmony with the precepts of the gospel.
5.
Bible: a. the conditional promises made to humanity by God, as revealed
in Scripture.
b. the agreement between God and the ancient
Israelites, in which God promised to protect them if they kept His law and were faithful to Him.
I looked up the
word covenant in the dictionary this week, and this is what I found. I left out the two specifically legal definitions, but
I wanted to share with you the regular and spiritual definitions of the word. Look at number three. That one just floored
me. We think about God's covenant with us and we talk about it in church all the time, but I'm not sure how often we think
about our covenant with one another. Yet it's so important, we include it in our name.
Does that mean we're going
to get along and agree on everything all the time? Of course not, we're human. We have individual beliefs, expectations, desires...but
we share something so strong that it must be what rules our lives, and that is our faith and our covenant with God and with
one another. We need to remember that a covenant is not a one-way promise, but a two-way agreement. We all have responsibilities
to honor the covenant. And when we do, God has promised us great things.
And I see those things beginning here
now. The Transition Team* has hit the ground running and will be meeting every week for the next couple of months. I talked
to Mack Freeman, chairman of the team, and he is excited and energized. Talk about answered prayer. I'd ask that you continue
to pray for that group of people, and please remember that they will be talking to each and every one of you as we move forward.
I ask that you share openly and candidly with them, and that we remember our covenant to one another.
I also ask
that you remember the words "act together in harmony". Being a music person, that's the word that hit me the hardest.
When we sing in harmony, we may not be chosen to sing our favorite part, we may not carry the melody, but it doesn't matter
because all the parts together are what make the song rich and beautiful. Without harmony, it's just a little ditty. With
harmony, it's a song. Music takes practice. We're going to hit a few wrong notes along the way. We'll have to work on our
parts. It won't be easy. This is a pretty big thing we're working on. But with the Holy Spirit working in us and through us,
we can do amazing things. (I had this whole thing I wanted to say about Pentecost and the Holy Spirit, but I think maybe I'll
let Pastor Terry talk more about that in his sermons.) Please, let's work together to find the part we're being asked to sing,
and together, we will lift a glorious song to God.
Jer. 31:31-34
31 "The time is
coming," declares the LORD,
"when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made
with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
because they broke my covenant,
though I was a husband to them,"
declares the LORD.
33 "This
is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel
after that time," declares
the LORD.
"I will put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbor,
or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,"
declares the LORD.
"For I will forgive their wickedness
and will remember their sins no more."
Peace,
Jen Jones
*Transition Team
Mack Freeman Chairman
David Domelsmith
Billy
Gray
Charlotte Reemts
Brenda Sladek
Pastor Terry
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“Money
Talks”
from the Treasurer
Brothers & Sisters in Christ,
May is coming to an end and we are now “officially” moving into the Summer
season. Our Vision teams have been formed and leaders are hard at work training for the responsibilities they have accepted
and I encourage everyone to be prayerful as you wait to be contacted for your input. Please ask the Holy Spirit to guide you
in your responses and input so the momentum being generated can be sustained and we can quickly move into the process of forming
a Call Committee to find our permanent pastor for the next step in our future at Covenant Lutheran. Pastor Terry’s time
with us is quickly coming to a close so we need to be diligent and keep moving towards our end goal of having our new pastor
in place as the year 2010 closes. It will be upon us before we know it! I also would ask that even though we have no clue
at this point in time “who” that individual may be that you begin to pray not only for wisdom and discernment
for our members and Call Committee but also that God will begin to prepare that individual who He chooses to lead us in the
next step in our history as a church. God knows the plans He has for us and we need to keep that individual in our prayers
daily, even before we know who they are. The future of our church will be determined by what we put into the process of selecting
our next pastor and there is no more powerful weapon at our disposal than prayer. And in our prayers we should
keep in mind that we are asking for whoever God has chosen and His will, rather than what we want. He has brought us this
far and will not abandon us if we keep our eyes on Him. As we approach the close of May, we once again look to come up significantly
short of budget for the month but remain on track for our yearly goals. If you have fallen behind in your pledge and have
the ability to make up some of the lost ground at this time, it would be greatly appreciated. If you are unable to do so,
we will keep you in our prayers that better times await you and we look forward to our continued worship with you on
Sundays.
God bless,
Gary Lamb
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Women’s News
Save the date: June 15 6:30 PM Men's appreciation dinner. Sign up and come enjoy
a delicious home cooked meal. Theme "Mom's Sunday Cooking". Let the women of the church express their thanks
for all you do.
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FAMILY PROMISE
will be the week of June 13-19.
Covenant will be responsible for hosting the families
on Monday, June 14, and Wednesday, June 16.
We need help with food, hosting (visiting), and spending the night at First Lutheran. Presently
there are seven people in the program: three mothers
and four children. A sign-up chart is on the bulletin board in the Narthex.
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Prayer Corner
The theme of prayer has been lifted up in our scripture
readings this spring. As disciples who strive to follow Jesus Christ, how do we call upon God in prayer
to help us live as disciples on a daily basis? How does God’s word compel us to pray?
What do we include in our prayers? Do our regular prayer routines need to be revisited and given
new life? How is the Holy Spirit infusing vitality into our spirits through our prayers?These questions were posed on the Daily Discipleship discussion sheet used by the Grace Growers at
a recent Wednesday meeting. Pondering these questions, I was reminded that our ELCA church body has an
intercessory prayer network of congregations and prayer groups (ELCA and others) across the United States and the Caribbean
who have agreed to pray for those prayer requests collected on the ELCA Prayer web site.
How does it work?
The ELCA prayer web site is designed to collect prayer requests online. Once a prayer request is made, the online manager
responds directly and/or e-mails the prayer requests to the contact persons of some of the Prayer Network congregations. (Due
to the large volume of prayer requests, not all congregations are contacted with every request, but every prayer request receives
prayer.)
Only the contact person from your congregation will be e-mailed prayer requests. It will be up to the
congregation’s contact person to forward the prayer requests to your prayer group.
Interested?
Is your congregation or prayer group interested in being part of a growing intercessory prayer network where your prayers
can impact the lives of people all over the world? If so, please submit your registration to join the ELCA Prayer Network
and you will receive prayer concerns. Your congregation or prayer group is simply asked to lift these prayer requests each
day for 1 week.As Covenant’s prayer coordinator, I am willing
to be the contact person who receives the ELCA requests. This can be sent to the present intercessors who
receive the congregation’s prayer requests, or it can be another group. The choice is yours.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you expand your prayer life. We can be a congregation of the ELCA Prayer
web site. It’s up to you!Another suggestion
to expand your prayers is to use the Covenant Church Directory to pray for each one by name. A revised
directory will be available soon. The early church was diligent in prayer and signs and wonders were a
result. How about us? Can we expect the same?Prayerfully, Pat Dalrymple, 742-1029; psalm146two@att.net __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Grace Growers Summer Bible Study
will meet in the Craft Room at Country Lane Apartments2916
Country Lane Driveon Wednesdays at 10 am beginning June 3.Caroline Brown and Cora DrakeCountry Lane residents will host the group.Daily Discipleship from the ELCA Web sitewill be led by different Covenant members.Need a ride? Call the church office 773-7718
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Lutheran Women TodaySummer Bible Study
“Pray
Always”
Saturday, June 26, 9 am to
1 pmCovenant women are invited to be guests of First
Lutheran. Location not yet confirmed.
Save the date!!
“Pray Always" is a three-session Bible study that explores
three aspects of prayer.
Session One: Persistence; Luke 18:1-8
Session Two: Waiting
with Patience and Hope; Isaiah 40:28-31
Session Three: Power; Ephesians 3:14-21
The study is written by the
Rev. Gladys Moore, an ordained pastor in the
ELCA. For more than 22 years she served
as an urban pastor in Jersey City
and Newark, N.J., and for 16 of those years she was
also an assistant to the
bishop of the New Jersey Synod. Pastor Moore now serves as Dean
of Religious
and Spiritual Life at Mount Holyoke College
in South Hadley, Mass.
Moore writes, "The goal of this study is to deepen our relationships with
God,
ourselves and one another by attending to the Word and will of God for
our lives and our world. As we bring our authentic
selves to these
studies--our hopes and dreams, our fears and failures, our histories and
cultural heritages, may
we be reminded that each of our lives is indeed a
prayer, as Jesus lives and serves through us."
+ +
+ + +
Covenant Adult Sunday School Class
is invited to a complimentary Sunday Brunch at the Temple Meridian,
Sunday, June 13.
Make a reservation by June 11th
with Pat Dalrymple, 742-1029.
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Mother’s Day Out
has
wrapped up another successful year. Summer sessions starts June 17. We will be doing units on Camping, Games and Sports.
MDO will be open for day drop-ins as well as our full time registration during the summer. We still have openings
in the fall classes and; if you have not heard we will be providing KINDERMUSIK to our students in the fall. Stop by and see
all the positive things happening at MDO.
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C.T.L.C.
Churches Touching
Lives for Christ
702 W. Ave. G, Temple
Distribution Days
Tuesday’s 12:30 P.M.
Saturday’s 8:30 A.M.
How you can help: Fifty to seventy client families are generally served on Tues. afternoons and Sat.
mornings. Wed. volunteers unload trucks, restock food and clothing areas, and fill grocery sacks for clients.
CTLC is requesting Covenant bring fruit juice – any kind, any size. Donations can be brought
to Covenant and put in the basket in the Narthex. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
June Eternal Candle Tributes
6th In
Praise for Billy & Joy Gray’s Anniversary
13th In
Memory of C.T. Winchester by the Tetzlaff’s
20th
27th
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June Anniversaries
Larry & Kathy Hennig | 6/02/73 |
| Billy & Joy Gray | 6/02/56 |
| Marty & Tammye Baecker | 6/07/80 |
| |
| Brian & Carol Baker | 6/11/77 |
| Jim & Connie McClaflin | 6/20/64 |
| Rico & Amber Gauna | 6/23/07 |
| Rachel & Andy Foraker | 6/23/
|
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June Birthdays
Pam Low | 3rd |
| Charlotte Reemts | 3rd |
| Susan Domelsmith | 4th |
| Jennifer Jones | 6th |
| Cameron Obr | 6th |
| Samantha LaRue | 14th |
| Caroline Brown | 20th |
| Gus Gates | 27th |
| Cooper Bannon Rubich | 30th |
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New
Births
Kathryn Louise Miles
Benjamin Allen Longworth
May
11th May
10th
5 lbs 10 oz 19
inches 6lbs
15 oz 19 ½ inches
Joins Parents
Parents
And big brothers
Brent & Megan Longworth
Gavin, Ian, Dylan
Grandparents
Grandparents
Greg
& Deanna Gray
Stephanie & David Fraser
Great Grandparents
Billy
& Joy Gray
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Welcome New Member David Fraser
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Thank You
To my church family for the prayers,
cards, and caring during my surgery and recovery.
God Bless all of you Erna Buckels
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