CORNERSTONE COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH | OCTOBER 2015
Party on the Patio
ABOUT CORNERS CORNERSTONE CONTRIBUTORS SENIOR PASTOR THOMAS DANIEL
Cornerstone is the bimonthly publication of Covenant Presbyterian Church. Cornerstone provides in-depth articles on the events that take place on and off campus, and the people who make them happen.
CLERK OF SESSION CLARK WEATHERBY BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR DUANE DUBE EDITOR STEPHANIE SCHULTZ DESIGN AND LAYOUT
Content includes the pastor’s letter, Session news, member and staff spotlights, and a calendar of upcoming events. Find more information on the events online and in Covenant Matters. Download the paper version of Cornerstone online at covenant.org/cornerstone. We will update the Cornerstone blog as we receive content at covenant.org/blog.
HILARY PITTMAN
We need you! CONTRIBUTING WRITERS TERRY COLE, DIANNE ERLEWINE, BETH FEGER, EMILY MCGINNIS, PAUL MOWRY, LEE POLSON PHOTOGRAPHY KATELYN ERICKSON, HILARY PITTMAN, STEPHANIE SCHULTZ SPECIAL THANKS TO PAUL MOWRY, BRIAN SPARKS
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To make Cornerstone better, we need your help! The content will be more interesting and more fun with more writers. If you have something you want to write about or want us to write, let us know. While we can’t promise that every submitted article will appear in the printed version of Cornerstone, we will publish all appropriate stories on the blog. We also need photos of events. If you have suggestions for Cornerstone, email us at publications@covenant.org or stop by the office in Covenant Hall.
STONE 2
PASTOR LETTER
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Many chances to make adventurous decisions 3
ANSWERED PRAYERS
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SCRAMBLING TO SERVE
AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS
Life is just better with community 7
ARE YOU PLAYING IT SAFE?
Our decisions should reflect God’s call 7
LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP
Covenant staff, Session challenged at retreat 9
DONATIONS MADE EASY
Support Covenant with Amazon purchases 12 PRINCIPLES OF GIVING
Men in Transition make tacos for SYM 5
Covenant women honor Alice Weatherby 11
Everything changed for SYM after praying
ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT
COMMUNITY RECOGNITION
Covenant members awarded for good works
CPF outlines generous financial giving 14 LIFE TOGETHER
Broken people following Christ’s call 14 CLERK’S CORNER
Recharged Session is ready for fall 16 FINANCE REPORT
For the period ended August 31, 2015 17 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Lots of fun adventures for fall
TABLE OF CONTENTS 1
PASTOR LETTER In our current sermon series, “Adventure vs. Anxiety,” we are considering how to faithfully make decisions. Each of us makes countless decisions every day. Some seem “big” while others might feel “small,” yet there are always ramifications to our decisions. Our decisions take us down one path or another. Our decisions shape our lives. Over the next couple of months at Covenant, we will have several opportunities to make adventurous decisions. First, in October, we will be focused on stewardship and the opportunity to support the 2016 budget. Our finances are a place where we can easily justify being focused on ourselves, our families and our desires. However, it is clear in the Bible that God’s people are called to practice extravagant generosity. When Pledge Sunday arrives on Oct. 25, I trust that each of you will prayerfully consider how you can choose the adventure of giving extravagantly to the mission and ministry of Covenant in 2016!
A second adventurous opportunity will be church-wide conversation on race and faith during mid-November. In recent months, the issue of racial justice has sprung into the national conversation throughout the United States. It might be possible that many of us will feel anxiety at the prospect of delving into this topic. believe we can uniquely address However, as people of faith we the issues of race and faith believe in a God who will estabthrough our relationship with lish a Kingdom where “every James and the New Covenant nation, all tribes, peoples and family. Please pray that God languages” (Revelation 7:9) will would shape us all into a people be eternally gathered together who understand and embrace a as equal brothers and sisters. vision that includes the full diverTherefore we are called to seek sity of lives that we will encounter this day through the lives we live in the Kingdom of God. in the here and now. We are in the midst of exciting We will have this conversation days. I encourage you to join us with Rev. James Lee and memin the adventure of the activities bers of New Covenant Fellowship mentioned above and many other on Wednesday night, Nov. 11. opportunities. I believe God will Then on Sunday, Nov. 15, we will show up in powerful ways and I have a pulpit exchange with New am delighted to be on the journey Covenant. James will preach in with each and every one of you! our worship services while I will preach at New Covenant. We JOYFULLY,
THOMAS DANIEL SENIOR PASTOR
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ANSWERED PRAYERS Covenant has supported Street Youth Ministry (SYM) and its leader, Terry Cole, for 11 years, but never had Terry felt so down about the group as he did late last spring. SYM targets street-dependent young people and travelers in Austin between the ages of 17 and 25. These homeless youth live in the area surrounding “the Drag,” near campus around Guadalupe Street. At the Contemporary Service one Sunday in May, Terry asked fellow worshipers for prayers. This is his story:
On Monday, everything changed. Here are some of the answered prayers: 1) The young man who was near death on Friday decided to seek treatment over the weekend. He literally walked up to me a changed man, with vigor and color, antibiotics coursing through his veins, gratitude and a new outlook. He has since left the street.
I shared that we were facing a terrible time on the 2) The violent group disbanded. They are simply streets, perhaps the worst I’ve seen in 11 years of gone. We don’t know the full story but it working on Guadalupe with young homeless adults. appears that the appeal and viability just ended. One person had an infected wound that was killing They are scattered, some are leaving the street him because he repeatedly refused proper attention. and others are just somewhere else. Separated, We had violence and attacks regularly in our neighI believe each person can and will begin a path borhood. We had organized drug-selling on a scale I to recovery. have not seen before. We had low, lackluster attendance at our ministry events designed to encourage 3) The big and obvious organized drug sales are hope. We had “piles” of people lying around aimgone from the area. The piles of people lying on lessly, high and completely discouraged. I had no the street are gone. Some went to jail, but most real idea what to do next. That was Sunday. 3
just changed. Not all change is huge, but it is noticeable. 4) Our social work partner made some simple changes, setting some expectations for visitors to its drop-in center, and everything became peaceful and quiet overnight. The center had been the site of fighting and, almost every day, needed police support. The difference now is night and day. 5) At every Bible study since, we have had awesome conversations about our clients’ favorite Bible stories or verses. Each week, someone has shared a favorite story or verse. The climate
has changed from seeming futile to productive engagement. This week, we read Psalm 100 because we were sharing so many celebrations—new jobs, new housing, a sonogram of a healthy baby. Then we studied John 3:16. Spontaneously four of our clients shared with the whole room their testimony of why they follow Christ; some recent decisions. Everything changed. And I know that I and my staff did nothing but dare to ask for prayer support and show up the next day. Sure, there are still plenty of daily problems, but they are of the size and type we know how to deal with. Thank you, beloved saints, for your faithful prayer response. SUBMITTED BY TERRY COLE
SCRAMBLING TO SERVE “We make ’em like guys,” said “We wanted to do something—to but be active and do good for the Mark Brown, a member of Men in serve in a way that is bigger than community.” Transition while scrambling eggs ourselves,” said Monroe Talley as for breakfast tacos on a recent he folded eggs and sausage into a “When we discussed it last fall, Monday night. “That means, we tortilla, expertly wrapping it with we all jumped in together, “ said use lots of eggs and meat.” tin foil. Jim Phelps. “The group was On the second Monday of every “It’s not just month, Mark and other men from about the Covenant’s Men in Transition eggs,” Mark group meet in a Covenant kitchen explained. “We to make tacos for Street Youth felt that as a Ministry (SYM). The men allogroup of men, cate one meeting a month to we needed cooking. They started this ongoto do someing project about a year ago. thing—not just sit passively in meetings, 4
Mark Brown and Mark Trifiro are scrambling.
100 percent for it; we had zero dissent.” Every time the men make tacos, one of the guys brings the ingredients, which he buys with his own money. On this night, the shopping list included seven dozen eggs, four packages of sausage and eight dozen tortillas. The men don’t sample the tacos, although they said they often bring their kids, who serve as taco quality control. “We know they’re good!” Jim said.
not making tacos, the men talk “We’re here to help men going about what’s going on in their through a transition, any tranlives. The group includes married, sition,” Jim said. “We offer an divorced, separated and single understanding ear, an honest ear. men. Mark Trifiro, a founding We’re here to listen.” member, said a crisis like divorce is often a requirement to motiOr, on one Monday night a month, vate men to surrender to God, but the men serve others, scrambling he said the group is for all men. eggs and stuffing tortillas with delicious ingredients. Monroe Talley, Rick L’Amie and Jim Phelps assemble tacos.
In about an hour, the men had finished cooking, compiling, wrapping and bagging seven dozen tacos, which they put in the freezer until Terry Cole, SYM leader, comes to pick them up. Men in Transition meets Mondays at 6:30. When they are
AUTHENTIC RELATIONSHIPS Covenant is talking about authentic community and key relationships in our lives. Beth Feger writes below about how her small group formed and what it means to her family. If you have a story about your small group, let us know! We’d love to share your story. My husband, Nathan, and I have been members of Covenant since 2005. I started going to the MoMs group almost 10 years ago when I was deep in trenches of trying to balance life with a new baby
and graduate school. I was lonely most of the time and tired all of the time. I attended the MoMs group sometimes for the topic, sometimes for the free childcare, but always for the fellowship and support. Soon I began walking with Evangeline Herring, who lives nearby. One morning as we walked, we talked about the most difficult time of day; it was right before our husbands arrived home, when the kids were crazy and dinner still needed to be made. As we talked, a plan emerged to make 5
this time of day better at least once a week. Each week, one of us would cook a simple dinner for both families, the other would watch the kids and keep the cook company. Often we shared a glass of wine. The only rules for these dinners: no cleaning and no pretense. Sometimes we tried new recipes, sometimes we made sandwiches or ordered pizza; always the conversation was great and the kids complained less.
also meant changes for our family dinners—a group of five kids would become a group of seven, and kids who were known and loved had to make space for two kids who had very different life experiences. It has been amazing to see how all the kids have learned to negotiate this new dynamic—share love, fights and limits with one another. Catalina, the oldest of the bunch, and Michelle, the baby of the group, have become good friends. Michelle and Catalina are always happy to see each other and Michelle wants to do whatever Catalina is doing. It has been amazing to see Catalina go from a happy kindergarten kid to an amazing, confident young lady, a powerful role model for Michelle. Catalina is helping to teach Michelle what it means to be a follower of Christ.
We have been meeting together almost every week for more than five years. Many things have changed over that time. We added another family, the Ellisons, and moved our meetings to Sundays after church. Our preschoolers are finishing elementary school, we have started many new jobs and we have grown into a group of 13. Evangeline, Ashley and I have developed authentic relationships and This summer has been a busy one and we have helped each other navigate the joys and struggles of missed several weeks, but when we reconvened last marriage, work and parenting over countless meals week for our first family dinner in a while, we ate and conversations. One unexpected benefit: Our delicious food and shared our summer experiences, husbands and children have also developed meanour struggles, our plans for the upcoming school ingful relationships. year, some frustrations and joys of parenting and plenty of laughter. The kids ran wild in the back yard, Almost three years ago, Nathan, Jack and I decided while we were reminded again about the importo become a foster family again. We knew this tance of authentic fellowship. would mean big changes for our little family, but it SUBMITTED BY BETH FEGER
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ARE YOU PLAYING IT SAFE? The parable of the master who gave talents to each of three servants and then rewarded them according to the uses each one made of their treasure is among the most familiar stewardship passages (Mt. 25:14-30). It is often cited for the idea that preparing for Christ’s coming involves more than playing it safe and doing little. It demands the kind of service that produces results and suggests the promise of reward for good results. I am afraid I often identify with the servant who did nothing with his talent, and buried it in the ground. How grand it is to be the successful servant who receives five talents and invests them wisely and successfully! But in ordering my daily affairs, it is easier for me to play the part of the servant who takes no chances. The New International Version describes this third
servant as the “lazy, wicked” one. Too often in my life, I prefer to think of it as being cautious. After all, how would the master have dealt with the successful servant if he had lost them all? But we know the answer to that question. With Jesus as Master, we need not worry whether our reward depends on successful efforts. Christ has already died for us to give us all that we need. This parable is not about success; it is about purpose and action. The parable of the talents does not analyze the motives of the rewarded servants, but it gives plenty of information about the “lazy” servant. That servant knew his master to be “a hard man” (Mt. 25:24). The servant was afraid (v. 25), and his fear bred what I prefer to call caution in handling my own affairs.
Since we know our Master is loving in both success and failure, perhaps we should order our affairs according to opportunity and not anxiety over possible failure. Jesus calls us to use our resources in a spirit of adventure. We may refer to these adventures as getting out of the boat or just making the most of what we have. Either way, Jesus has provided the assurance of reward. Our decisions need to reflect Christ’s call to use what God gives us, whether material or spiritual, toward advancing His kingdom. SUBMITTED BY LEE POLSON
LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP The Covenant Session and members of staff came together in late August for a leadership retreat. Covenant member Ethan Burris, an associate professor of management at the McCombs School of Business at the University of Texas at Austin, led
the morning session, challenging retreat attendees to figure out ethical questions using a real-life case study. Visiting preacher Tom Tewell, the executive director of Macedonian Ministries in Atlanta, led the afternoon session, talking about how we can 7
apply leadership principles to the church and its lay leaders. Ethan, who does research on employee voice and how to make conversation with bosses more effective, taught his session like a class. The “students” worked in small groups to talk about qualities of leadership. When the lists created were large and contained qualities seemingly impossible for one person to espouse, Ethan shared a global study of 68 countries where 30,000 respondents were asked to identify the qualities of good leaders. The results showed that some leadership traits are considered exceptional everywhere: having strong values and integrity, and being charasmatic and interpersonally skilled. At the same time, some traits are universally despised: dictatorial, irritable, arrogant, egotistical, a social loner and unethical. “Authentic and principled leadership means being yourself,” Ethan said. “Research shows that followers are highly attuned to gaps in leaders’ espoused theories and the theories they actually employ. Being consistently principled in action requires selfreflection, discipline, honest feedback and guts.” Tom Tewell took over for the afternoon. To highlight how the church in the U.S. has declined, he cited a study showing that 90 percent of all churches are stagnant or losing members. Only 10 percent are growing. What’s more, 50 percent of all pastors are leaving the ordained ministry within five years. More than 70 percent are burned out and discouraged beyond just exhaustion. “There is a crisis in the church in America and North America,” Tom said. Tom explained how his ministry came to be. An Atlanta businessman contacted Tom, who’d had much success in growing his churches, asking if he would be open to coming and helping churches. 8
Tom wasn’t sure. “Growing churches isn’t a science,” he said. “It’s an art led by the Holy Spirit.” He agreed to help this church and from it, Macedonian Ministries was born. That name comes from Acts 16, when a door is closed to Paul and he has a vision of a man from Macedonia asking him to come over and help. That’s the way Tom’s organization comes over and helps congregations. That was in 2007 and Tom said, “We started what can only be called a movement. We were a dozen pastors meeting together for three years and not focusing on progress, just focusing on Jesus. We were brothers and sisters in Christ, and we spread to another and another in Atlanta, in Birmingham, in Dallas, and even in Wahpeton, N.D., of all places!” Tom said a healthy church asks four questions: 1) What kind of person do we want to send into the world? 2) What kind of church produces that kind of person? 3) What kind of Session produces the kind of church that produces that kind of person?
4) What kind of pastor/elder produces the kind of Session that produces the kind of church that produces the kind of person that we want to be? The bottom line of these questions, he said, is that a church will never go further spiritually than the leaders have gone. Tom suggested congregations encourage members to attend worship and do another church-related activity during the week. His “worship plus two” plan gets people to the church on days other than
Sunday. He said to structure church programming to offer opportunities that members want to do. “We need to inhale God’s love through small groups, Bible study, prayer groups and more. Exhaling that love is evident in the way you serve,” he said. Tom preached at worship services on Aug. 30. To hear his sermon, “Enrolling in God’s Ph.D. Program,” go to covenant.org/enrolling-in-gods-phd-program.
COMMUNITY RECOGNITION Covenant members are being recognized for their good works! This September, Bruce Todd and Elizabeth Christian received the Excellence in Leadership Award from Concordia University. Later, in October, Kit Chenault will receive the John Scurlock Volunteer of the Year Award from the Drive-a-Senior West Austin organization.
in our congregation who find time for community and church work, but to answer your question, we simply make it a priority.”
Bruce and Elizabeth, Covenant members for most of the past 20 years, were honored at Concordia’s Excellence in Leadership Gala. Concordia is committed to developing Christian leaders, and Bruce and Elizabeth have been an important part of the Concordia community, said Concordia CEO Donald Christian. “They are wonderful examples of what it means to serve. [Elizabeth and Bruce] show us how you can be a great leader and a great partner at the same time; they epitomize Christian leadership, and we are blessed to honor them.” When asked how they find the time from their busy schedules to volunteer, Elizabeth said, “I’m not sure we’ve done more than the countless other people 9
Making it a priority has meant much for Austin. Elizabeth has served on Session and is currently leading communication efforts for Covenant’s upcoming capital campaign and the Covenant Presbyterian Foundation. She is president of the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation. She is on the board of the Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, a member of the Austin Area Research Organization and is active with the Austin Chamber of Commerce. That’s in addition to her job. Since 1995, Elizabeth has run Elizabeth Christian Public Relations, one of Texas’ most successful PR firms. The other half of this dynamic duo, Bruce Todd, was mayor of Austin from 1991-96 and was twice a Travis County Precinct Two commissioner. Bruce founded Bruce Todd Public Affairs. Like Elizabeth, Todd serves on many boards and committees, including Austin Community College’s Center for Public Policy and Political Studies, the Austin-San Antonio Corridor Council and the Long Center for the Performing Arts, among others. Elizabeth and Bruce recharge at worship. “The teaching we get every Sunday sends us into the world refreshed and ready to spend the week trying our best to do our jobs, be great parents and serve the community as best we can,” Elizabeth said. Meanwhile, Drive-a-Senior West Austin is honoring Covenant member Kit Chenault with the 2015 John C. Scurlock Volunteer of the Year Award. Kit, a longtime Covenant member, has been a Drive-a-Senior board member for more than eight years and he has been involved in virtually every aspect of the mission. He has been on the operations committee for eight years, served as president-elect in 2011 and president in 2012. Kit has also spent many hours organizing the annual choir concert for the past
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three years. The concert helps to raise funds to help meet fiscal needs of Drive-a-Senior. Kit said Covenant member John Scurlock introduced him to Drive-a-Senior. Kit had just retired and said he needed something to do. “I liked the organization’s goal: to keep seniors in their own homes. There are not enough senior facilities in Austin and we keep 200-250 seniors in their homes. That’s a good thing.” With a background in healthcare, Kit is well suited to the job. “Most of the rides we provide are to doctors’ offices.” And he added, “The organization is well run. Board meetings are not stuffy; the members are interesting. It’s a great group of people.” When he’s not driving a senior, you might find Kit singing in the choir or helping with the Interfaith Hospitality Network (IHN), a mission his wife, Sara, coordinated for 10 years. Thanks, members, for your good works. If you have a story to tell about what you are doing in the community, let us know at publications@covenant.org.
ONE BODY, ONE SPIRIT The Presbyterian Women celebrated the new program year at the fall kickoff brunch in early September. A high point of the morning was awarding the Honorary Lifetime Membership to Alice Weatherby. The award is given to a special woman recognizing her faithful service to God and our church. Alice, a member of Covenant for more than 40 years, has been a “faithful,
fellowship-promoting mentor to all women,” her peers say. Alice’s list of Covenant activities is long! She has been or currently is a member of PW Circles and Lamplighters, PW moderator and treasurer, deacon, VBS volunteer, choir mom, preschool treasurer, wedding coordinator and choir member (who brings cake once a month!) and more. Other highlights of the brunch included a review of the 2015 National Presbyterian Women by Joy Durant, Nola Ross, Barbara
Rogers, Julie Stillwell, Alice Weatherby and Susan Holman. The women each told a story of how the gathering made an impact on their lives. Women at the event heard about Covenant ministries and learned how to get involved. Evangeline Herring and Paulette Kern gave an inspiring presentation about helping with Vacation Bible School in Cuba, including very personal accounts of the people they have met and how the Holy Spirit has worked in their lives and the lives of the Cubans. For more information on how to get involved in women’s ministries at Covenant, contact Bretna Hackert at bretna@utexas.edu or Suzanne McIntosh at mcintosh78746@gmail.com. SUBMITTED BY EMILY MCGINNIS
DONATIONS MADE EASY Covenant members who shop Amazon.com have an opportunity to easily support the church, as well as several Covenant-supported nonprofits without disrupting their buying habits.
Amazon has a program called “Amazon Smile,” by which it donates one-half of one percent (0.5%) of the purchase price of most items to the shopper’s chosen charitable organization.
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Using it is easy. Simply go to smile.amazon.com (rather than Amazon. com), log on the regular way, then select a charity. You have to pick a charity only once, although you can change at any time. The name of the charity will be visible in the upper left-hand corner of the main page.
The donations are transferred into charities’ bank accounts once per quarter. They are made by the Amazon Smile Foundation and are not tax deductible by the shopper. Not every item is eligible; those that are will have “Eligible for AmazonSmile Donation” indicated somewhere in the product detail.
Charities that receive support from Covenant and are enrolled in Amazon Smile are Samaritan Counseling Center, Manos de Cristo, Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Ministries and Street Youth Ministry. Choose one of them or find your favorite on a list of more than one million organizations.
If your favorite charity is not enrolled, encourage them to do so by going to org.amazon.com and completing an application. SUBMITTED BY PAUL MOWRY
PRINCIPLES OF GIVING Session adopted the following principles in the summer of 2009 to guide stewardship committees and Covenant in cultivating a culture of generosity. Though Covenant has undergone many changes since these principles were developed, the Covenant Presbyterian Foundation (CPF), which recently started an education campaign to help members prepare for retirement, is committed to following these principles. The Foundation dedicates this article to JJ Baskin, who was instrumental in forming the resource team and drafting the principles of generous financial giving at Covenant. • Generosity is transformational. We believe that people grow in their faith by giving joyfully and sacrificially. As people grow in faith and spiritual maturity, we believe they will grow in their giving in both the amount and percentage of income.
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• We are called to give of our time, talent and treasure for the glory of God. Disciples don’t pick and choose what kind of gifts they share, they live and give of all they have. • We are committed to helping members connect their faith to finances. We will equip members with scriptures and commentary for prayer, reflection and discernment as they build their commitments of giving. Examples include: »» Reflections upon New Testament scriptures relating to possessions, wealth and need, as well as the biblical basis of giving »» Reflections upon the tradition of tithing as referenced in the Old and New Testaments
»» Reflections upon the blessings of abundance and the joy of generosity »» An understanding that financial giving is not a function of discretionary income, but first fruits »» An understanding that the love of money, not money itself, erodes our spiritual health, allowing our hearts to prioritize and even worship things other than God »» Comprehensive education and support for overseeing personal finances that the Lord has entrusted to us »» An understanding that drops of water in buckets can become oceans when we collectively place our gifts in God’s hands • It is Covenant’s role to cultivate a culture of generosity. Joyous giving happens when we are faithful and put ourselves into God’s hands. We will not be anxious about financial matters, but faithful and celebratory. »» Our community will be intentional about regularly communicating our ministry vision, celebrating victories, giving abundantly and painting a vivid picture of God’s gifts at work in our world
»» We will invite, collect and share stories of transformational giving • It is also the role of Covenant to be transparent and faithful stewards. Such an atmosphere builds trust among members and in our community. Trust—like giving—is not seasonal, but year-round. • Generous giving is part of our relationship with God. One expectation of Covenant members is supporting the church and its ministries. When we join this congregation, we promise God and one another that we will support the church. When we become leaders of the congregation, we promise to model joyful and sacrificial giving. For more information about Covenant Presbyterian Foundation, please visit covenant.org/foundation or contact Duane Dube or any Trustee: Elizabeth Christian, Everard Davenport, Dianne Erlewine, Larry Faulkner, JoAnne McIntosh, Megan Poore and Tana Taylor. Covenant Presbyterian Foundation supports Covenant Presbyterian Church by assisting donors to be Faithful to Generations, during and beyond their own lives, by receiving and growing their gifts, and using them to help fulfill the donors’ glorification of God. SUBMITTED BY DIANNE ERLEWINE
ONE GENERATION WILL COMMEND YOUR WORKS TO ANOTHER… PSALM 145:4
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LIFE TOGETHER
“When the morning mists of dreams vanish, then dawns the bright day of Christian fellowship.”
On Wednesday nights, Covenant adults are on a six-week journey exploring the short book Life Together, written by German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer. For Bonhoeffer, Christian life together means the actual existence of broken people following Christ’s call on their lives. What threatens such life together is the dream for an ideal community free from discord and dysfunction. He claims that life in Christian community will surely mean disillusionment with one another and with ourselves. This is not bad news. Disillusionment with our Christian brothers and sisters or with the church actually turns out to be good news because it reminds us that we are all living under the forgiving love of Jesus Christ. Bonhoeffer expects discord. He expects the Christian community to be messy
because Jesus can always be found near messy people. The book, which contains very practical resources Christian communities can use to shape their life together, is really a vision for Covenant of Christian community. It’s Acts 2 played out in real community since Bonhoeffer describes in detail the rhythms of communal life, including daily prayer, reading scripture, worship, work, confession and communion. For these practices to make good theological sense, Bonhoeffer begins the book by outlining what Christian community is and what it can never be. Bonhoeffer reveals our tendency to seek the ideal, to avoid the burdens, problems or perspectives others bring to our community. More importantly, he helps us to
see that entering into community with others is an act of faith, by which we trust Christ to meet us in and through other people. This will not always be easy, but it will be transformative. As we continue to create pockets of community at Covenant, may we remember Bonhoeffer’s warning about the ideal community and pay attention to Christ’s transforming presence even when we feel disillusioned. This is not a random study. Indeed, in many ways we are already living life together. My hope is that we can use this study to inspire the kind of intimate fellowship that reflects an Acts 2 church. Please join us as we continue our discussion about Christian community on Wednesday nights at 6:15 in FE 200. SUBMITTED BY JON WASSON
CLERK’S CORNER Greetings from your Session. As the “cold fronts” bring highs lower than triple digits, I hope each of you has found a place to participate in our new 14
programming year. With Sunday school, Bible studies and Midweek Connect up and running, there are many opportunities around Covenant!
At our August meeting, the first when Jon Wasson was with us, we celebrated our first Session meeting with a complete pastoral staff since June of 2011. Praise be to God for His provision! We approved a pulpit swap for Nov. 15, when we will send Thomas to New Covenant Fellowship (NFC) and welcome James Lee back to our pulpit for worship services that day. These services will conclude an exciting week of joint programming with NCF. In late August, the Session and staff joined together for a daylong retreat. We spent the morning with Covenant member Ethan Burris, who teaches leadership at the UT’s McCombs School of Business. Ethan guided us through a case study on leading an organization, when and how we speak up and the importance of aligning the values we use with the values we espouse. A highlight of the retreat for elders and staff was sharing lunch together; we renewed old relationships and formed new ones over great conversations. During the afternoon, we reconvened with Tom Tewell. Tom heads Macedonian Ministries, an organization that works for renewal in local churches. He spoke specifically about leadership in a church setting, looking at the markers of a healthy church. For our September meeting, we spent the majority of our discussion time following up on the
retreat, discussing Tewell’s first question for our Session: “What kind of person does Covenant Presbyterian Church want to send out into the world?” There was lively discussion and excitement around this question and the intentionality it represents in refining Covenant’s mission in Austin and beyond. I think it is safe to say that every elder is excited to continue the discussions at our future meetings! As a reminder, we were blessed to receive pledges over our budget for this year, and decided we would love our neighbors as ourselves, giving half of these pledges to missions while using half to reduce the principal on our debt. Year to date, we have given $63,672 additional to mission and reduced our debt load by the same amount! GRACE AND PEACE,
CLARK WEATHERBY
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Itions ratulatelyn g n Co an & Ka I Nath
Student Ministries Director Nathan Richards married Katelyn Erickson in Colorado in early September.
FINANCE REPORT Financial Update
For Period Ended August 31, 2015
GENERAL FUND Revenues* Expenses
YTD Actual
YTD Budget
$2,030,629 1,952,107 78,522
2,100,776 2,205,698 (104,922)
BUILDING FUND Total Loan Balance Principal Reduction YTD
$ 6,185,790 326,029
*Pledged income is $126,500 below anticipated levels at this time in our ministry year. Please consider catching up on your pledge. Thank you!
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CALENDAR OF EVENTS ARMCHAIR TRAVELERS
TRUNK OR TREAT
Thursday, Oct. 1, 7 p.m. in FE 200
Wednesday, Oct. 28, 5 p.m. in the parking lot
CAREER TRANSITIONS
DAD’S PRESCHOOL PIZZA NIGHT
Thursdays, Oct. 1-22 , 7 p.m. in FE 100
Thursday, Oct. 29, 5 p.m. in FE 300
EXPLORE MEMBERSHIP
VISIONS SENIOR ACTIVITIES DAY
Sundays, Oct. 4-25, 9:30-10:45 a.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m. in FE 200
VISIONS SENIOR ACTIVITIES DAY
RACIAL JUSTICE CONVERSATION WITH NEW COVENANT FELLOWSHIP
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 10 a.m. in FE 200
Wednesday, Nov. 11, 6:15 p.m. in FE 200 UPWARD EVALUATIONS
Thursday, Oct. 15, and Saturday, Oct. 17 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. and 8:30 to 11 a.m., FE Gym
SHAPED TO SERVE
YOUTH RETREAT
Friday, Oct. 16- Sunday, Oct. 18, Camp Champions
PULPIT SWAP WITH NEW COVENANT FELLOWSHIP
HOPEFEST
Sunday, Nov. 15, 8:15, 9:30 and 11:05 Contemporary (No 11 a.m. Traditional service.)
Saturday, Oct. 17, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reagan High School, 7104 Berkman Dr.
VISIONS SENIOR LUNCHEON
Saturday, Nov. 14, All over Austin
Tuesday, Nov. 17, 11:45 a.m. in FE 200 VISIONS SENIOR LUNCHEON
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 11:45 a.m. in FE 200
THANKSGIVING WORSHIP
Wednesday, Nov. 18, 7:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary SESSION MEETING
Tuesday, Oct. 20, 6:30 in CO 108
THANKSGIVING WORSHIP AND LIGHT LUNCH
Wednesday, Nov. 25, 12 p.m. in the Sanctuary SHAROL HAYNER: JOY IN THE JOURNEY
Wednesday, Oct. 21, 6:15 p.m. in FE 200
THANKSGIVING
COMMITMENT SUNDAY
Thursday, Nov. 26 Office closed Thursday and Friday, Nov. 27-28
Oct. 25, All services HANGING OF THE GREEN GIRLS NIGHT OUT
Sunday, Nov. 29, All Traditional Worship Services
Tuesday, Oct. 27, 6:30–9 p.m. in FE 200 17
3003 Northland Drive Austin, TX 78757
OFFICERS AND STAFF OF COVENANT PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH DEACONS
ELDERS
CLASS OF 2016
CLASS OF 2017
CLASS OF 2018
CLASS OF 2016
CLASS OF 2017
CLASS OF 2018
Mike Austin Jennifer Carsner Jane Crowe Kay Davenport Dustin Johnson Michael Knisely Bill McCaleb Andrea Moen Julie Moore Ken Moore Jennifer Palm Ryan Palm Bob Peterson Cherry Raley Jack Skaggs Allison Small Bridgette Stahlman Emily Taylor Gwyn Theodore Donna Thomas Steve Thomas Kristen Tritle Kathy Willis Shannon Windham
Pat Beckham Charlene Cole Daphne Corder Al DiCristofaro Marv Hackert Tom Hutchison Barbara Knisely Dorothy Layne Patsy Martin A.V. Ootsey Kathleen Reish Mike Rhoades Ruth Rhoades Will Schmidt Florita Sheppard Carol Sheppard Brent Stover Lee Terrell Lorrie Terrell Adele Trigg Greg Wilson Sandy Youman Wesley Young
Rhonda Brink-Green Diane Davis Sue DiCristofaro Judy Gunnels Laura Hargrave Christy Heimsath Margaret Hobgood Marsha LeGrand Lori Magruder Laura Marra Dave Maxwell Karen Maxwell Elizabeth McBride Susie McCaleb Emily McGinnis Marta Meyer Jim Palmer Alice Sessi Bill Short Richard Swallow Doug Vreeland Deon Wright Larry Zatopek
Paul Askenasy Jennifer Maham Deb Rieber John Ruwwe Frank Sheppard
Joe Denton Susan Holman Thais Kilday James Marroquin Clark Weatherby
Matt Dow Kelly Dwyer Jack Kern Regina Schlotter Sharyn Westmoreland
FOUNDATION TRUSTEES CLASS OF 2016
CLASS OF 2017
CLASS OF 2018
Larry Faulkner Tana Taylor
Dianne Erlewine Joanne McIntosh
Elizabeth Christian Everard Davenport Megan Poore
PROGRAM STAFF Thomas R. Daniel, Senior Pastor Thomas W. Brown, Director of Music Ministry Duane Dube, Director of Administration Jill Williams, Associate Pastor for Congregational Care Ministries Jon Wasson, Director of Discipleship Christy Milam, Director of Preschool Stephanie Schultz, Director of Communications Stacey Grooms, Director of Children and Preteen Ministry Nathan Richards, Director of Student Ministries Jerry Wise, Contemporary Music Leader Derek Nafe, Creative Arts Producer
Sunday Worship Times: Traditional Services 8:15, 9:30, and 11:00 a.m. Contemporary Service 11:05 a.m.