M E M B E R N E G E O R G I A P R E S B Y T E R Y , S Y N O D O F T H E S O U T H A T L A N T I C , G E N E R A L A S S E M B L Y O F T H E P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H ( U S A )

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1065 Gaines School Road

Athens, Georgia 30605

706-548-2756 or 706-613-2344

www.covpresathens.org

C O V E N A N T P R E S B Y T E R I A N C H U R C H

Come and See, Grow and Share!

To benefit the Athens Area Emergency Food Bank,

Covenant Connection is sponsoring the FEED MY

SHEEP program for March and they are collecting…

Canned Tomatoes, Spaghetti Sauce, and Canned Tuna.

Thank you Covenant and may we all have enough.

The Season of Lent is an important time

to give attention to personal spiritual

development. Everyone is encouraged to

devote time each day for prayer, meditation, and biblical

study. Use the daily Bible readings as preparation for

worship each Sunday of Lent.

IHN HOSTING - March 20 - 27, 2016

Our opportunity to serve IHNA is

coming up on March 20 through March

27, Holy Week, and a wonderful

opportunity to give the gift of

housing and food to homeless

families. As usual, our volunteers

make this week possible. Please

check the sign-up board in the hall across from the

mailboxes, and sign up for one of the many slots and

opportunities to participate. You’ll be glad you did!

See Phil Hale or Dolly Barstow if you have any questions

about this week!

One Great Hour of Sharing

By supporting OGHS you are sus-

taining programs that provide disaster

relief, food, clean water, training, and

resources to people all over the world.

When you give, you’re changing lives.

You will find a giving envelope in your mailbox or on the table in the narthex. Remember to help the children to fill their fish banks with coins for OGHS. Thank you for your generous giving!

SPRING FORWARD SUNDAY, March13th

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DAILY BIBLE READINGS—

Monday March 14 Psalm 118: 1-2, 19-29

Tuesday March 15 Psalm 31: 9-16

Wednesday March 16 Isaiah 50: 4-9a

Thursday March 17 Philippians 2: 5-11

Friday March 18 Romans 6: 3-11

Saturday March 19 Luke 19: 28-40

Sunday March 20 Luke 19: 41-48

REMEMBER Bobby Tyson, with a good report after a heart procedure March 8; former

members Han Park, recovering from a recent heart bypass surgery, and his wife, now needing special care;

Hannah Baird’s good friend, recovering well after being hospitalized; Hampton & Elizabeth Hale Watkins,

helping their SC congregation heal after a split, when many left for the ECO Pres. denomination; Melody

Cartledge, at The Oaks, recovering well from knee replacement surgery; Sharon Edwards, recovering well at

home after recent surgery and a cold; Grace Eubank, Bobbie Lindstrom, Bill Willis, and others at home.

WEDNESDAY EVENING DEVOTIONS March 16 at 7:00pm

7:00pm - gathering time

7:05pm - contemplative time with

quiet, music, Scriptural resources, and candles

7:25pm departing time

Lunch Bunch meets monthly at

DePalma’s Italian Restaurant

Eastside on final Tuesdays for

delicious food and conversation.

So join us Tuesday, March 29th at

11:30am. All are welcome!

Meet you there!

Update on Pennies for Mission This year during Time with the Children in worship, the pennies that are donated and collected will go to build a stove in Guatemala, where our Covenant Mission Team will go this summer with AIR-Guatemala. This is a nonprofit organization for improving human and environmental health, and their cost of building a stove is $200. The large majority of rural families in Guatemala cook with firewood eve-ry day, usually open fires without chimneys. Exposure to smoke is the 4th worst

risk-factor for disease in developing countries and causes four million premature deaths per year.. Providing efficient brick stoves with chimneys, custom-built for each family, this project prevents lung disease, motivates the families to continue farmer-training, and conserves a ton (literally) of firewood per year, per stove! For more information please visit: www.airguatemala.org

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WHO’S WHO? Who at Covenant was an “Irish Elf” cheerlead-

er for her college sorority, wearing rainbow suspenders, elf

ears and elf shoes?

Moment For Remembrance What's your favorite Covenant memory? Our 50th

anniversary calls for a full year of celebration and

thanksgiving. Whether you are a long-time member or

a newcomer, you are invited (encouraged, urged) to

share your memory in 60 seconds or less during our

weekly "Moment for Remembrance.” Add your name to

the sign-up sheet to reserve your preferred date or to

be contacted if you have questions. "Come Celebrate

the Journey Now and Praise the Lord!"

Covenant’s Jubilee 50th Anniversary is on its way – Sunday, May 1, 2016 - as we count down the days! Look on the easel by the front doors for monthly postings of historic photos

from our life together, provided by Linda Koehler.

Are You a “Wishful Recycler”?

Quoting Suki Janssen, director of ACC Solid Waste, wishful recyclers “…put things in the bin

that they wish were recycled but aren’t.” (Flagpole, 2/17/16, p. 5) It seems that we have wishful

recyclers at Covenant because I often find granola bar wrappers mixed in with the candy bags

and used deodorant containers in the personal products drawer. We cannot send these items to

TerraCycle, so they contaminate the recyclable items. Contaminants that are frequently found

among the cereal bags are bags from boxes of raisins, cake mix, confectioner’s sugar and saltine

crackers. It is easy for me to separate unacceptable from acceptable items for TerraCycle, but on

a larger scale, contamination of recyclables can cause big problems. Plastic bags of any kind can

get wound up in the single-stream sorting equipment and bring the conveyor belt to a standstill.

Food and liquids make paper unusable and shredded or other small pieces of paper cannot be

separated from other types of recyclables. Too much contamination can turn a batch of perfectly

good recyclables into just that much more trash. According to Suki, “Quality is better than quanti-

ty in the case of recycling…. When in doubt, throw it out.”

Caren Snook for the Green Dream Team C

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WHO’S WHO: DeLynda Tweedell

Come and join us Tuesday, March 15, on our Restaurant Roadtrip to the Catch 22 Gastropub on Epps Bridge

Parkway, at 1021 Parkway Blvd, at the traffic light near Kohl’s. They have interesting flavors in their menu

that scored highly in the latest Athens Banner-Herald surveys of favorites. Carpools leave the church at

11:15am, and we’ll eat around 11:30am, if you choose to meet us there. Signup on the bulletin board to let us

know who’s coming.

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The purpose of Christian Education at Covenant Presbyterian Church is to nurture our disci-pleship, build our spirit of community and cultivate clarity of thought about our faith.

Wonderful Wednesdays March 16, 2015

5:15pm—6:00pm K-2nd grade Choir; 3rd-5th Servant Time; Youth (supervised)

6:00pm—6:30pm Family Dinner for children, youth and adults ($15.00 donation for meals per semester)

6:30pm—7:15pm 3rd—5th grade Choir; K-2nd Servant Time; Youth (6-12 grade) Faith & Film

7:00pm Wednesday Evening Devotionals 7:25pm Adult Choir

5pm YOUTH GROUPS——

This week and next week at youth group we will have normal activities: rec, dinner, and program. I hope to see you there! IMPORTANT INFORMATION!

If you are registered to go on the Mobile Mission Trip this summer, I have medical forms and release/waivers ready for you to fill out. Please ask me about them the next time you see me. In the meantime, please email me current age, t-shirt size, and any special dietary needs. There is a registration form I need to send in ahead of the release/waivers with this information.

How may we help refugees during this recent Syrian crisis? Support the Presbyterian Disaster Assis-tance ministry with your prayers and contributions. See this website - http://pda.pcusa.org/situation/syria/ - and read how PDA has been helping since Syria’s civil war began in March 2011. Give – act – pray. Part of the annual One Great Hour of Sharing offering which we receive Easter Sunday also supports PDA.

In March the WoRM students are learning about the Easter story and Peter's denial and Jesus' forgiveness.

TEACHERS NEEDED for April and our activities about Zacchaeus!

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TWO BY TWO: Many expressions come in pairs. Find the missing part. Example: Forever and a Day. 1. ___ and fro.

2. Alas and _______.

3. ______ and foremost.

TWO BY TWO ANSWERS:

1. To 2. Alack 3. First

ANDREW MINISTRY—The opportunity to welcome visitors and encourage member-ship is extended to all of Covenant’s mem-bers and friends. A new group focused on growing our membership has developed

some ideas & tools – and wants your ideas & participa-tion too. Come and join us, by speaking to Mark or Beecher, to Warren or Arnelle Combs, to Charlie or Carol Huber, to Rich Reaves, or to Ellen Stoneburner. And add your name to the Andrew Ministry signup sheet on the bulletin board. Many thanks.

Covenant is hosting the Annual Gathering of Presbyterian Women for NEGA Presbytery on Sat. Mar.19, from 9:00am-1:30pm, including lunch. Covenant Elder Joan Prittie, Director of Project Safe in Athens, will be preaching for worship on the theme of domestic abuse, “Turning Mourning into Action,” and using

Psalm 30:10-12 as her text. All women are invited to attend. A box lunch ($10) from Jason’s Deli will be served. Regis-tration brochures will be available NOW, due March 10. Please see Marcia Verbrugge if you are able to help as greet-ers, ushers, parkers, or kitchen helpers, as well as bringing finger foods for a light, continental breakfast . If you’d like to eat lunch with us, then simply make your check out to Covenant and give it to Beecher. No need to post mail your registration

Please mark your calendars to join Covenant's 50th Anniversary Celebration! Sunday, April 24 at 8:30am &

10:45am Worship, with a video created by Steve Bell about Covenant’s wonderful history. Saturday, April 30, 2016 Picnic BBQ on the grounds at Covenant. Sunday, May 01, 2016 Jubilee Worship with a reception following in the fellowship hall.

Help Rhys Dartez with his Timothy Task for the Confirmation Class, by

buying some baked goods from him the next few Sunday mornings during Church School to benefit the cats in the ACC Animal/Cat Shelter. Bring

some cash instead of checks, to make things easier. Many thanks!

NOMINATING PROCESS BEGINS. After changes were made to this process in 2015, Covenant now annually elects 4 Elders to serve a 3-year term on the Session. The involvement of the congregation is important during the entire pro-cess - first electing a Nominating Committee, and then second, electing a new class of Elders to serve on the Session. First, a Nominating Committee is formed, to be composed of one Elder currently serving on the Session (to serve as Chair) and two other active members of the congregation, whether an Elder or a non-Elder. The Chair is elected by the Session, the second person is nominated by the pastors, and the third person is elected by the congregation. This year, the 2 persons already approved to serve on the Nominating Committee are - Elder Warren Combs, currently on the Session and serving as Chair – and Elder Sandy Whitney, not currently on the Session. The congregation is now to recommend one active, congregational member to serve on the Nominating Committee, whether an Elder or a non-Elder. Please submit your suggestions on the form in your mailbox and put in the drop box on the table in the gather-ing room , avoiding the names of those currently serving on the Session. Warren Combs and Sandy Whitney will con-sider all suggestions and then select one name to bring to a congregational meeting this spring, as a slate of one. Other nominations may be made from the floor of that meeting, with permission of the person nominated.

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HOLY WEEK AT COVENANT

Sun.Mar.20 8:30 & 10:45am, Palm Sunday Worship

9:30am, Church School for all ages

IHN hosting week

5:00pm, Youth Groups

Mon.Mar.21 8:00am, Breakfast Club at Cracker Barrel

7:30pm, Softball game at Bishop Park, Field #1

Wed.Mar.23 10:00am & 6:30pm, Adult Bible Studies

10:00am—12pm, Presbytery Leadership Development Team Meeting

5:15-7:15pm, Covenant Connection

7:00pm, Evening Devotions

7:30pm, Adult Choir

Thu.Mar.24 2:00pm, Knitters & Knotters

7:00pm, Maundy Thursday Communion & Tenebrae Worship

Fri.Mar.25 NO Cave

7:00pm, PCUSA Good Friday worship, at Friendship Pres Church

Sat.Mar.26 10:00am, Covenant’s Great Easter Egg Hunt

Sun.Mar.27 Easter Sunday - - One Great Hour of Sharing offering

7:30am, Sunrise Worship outdoors

8:30am, Covered Dish Breakfast

9:30am, Church School for all ages

10:45am, Worship indoors

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WEEK OF March 13, 2016 SUNDAY— DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS 2AM! 8:30am Worship 9:30am Church School for all ages 10:45am Worship 3pm Confirmation (Covenant History Tour) 3:30pm OE Anonymous 5pm Youth Groups MONDAY— OFFICE CLOSED 6pm Scouts 7pm Climate Change Meeting 6:30pm Bishop Park Field #2—CPC Softball Game TUESDAY– 9:30am Athens Mothers Center 11:30am Restaurant Road Trip to Catch 22 Gastro Pub 6:30pm Stated Session Meeting 8pm New Freedom WEDNESDAY- 10am Adult Bible Study 2pm Grad. Council Meeting 5:15pm –7:15pm pm Covenant Connection 6:30pm Adult Bible Study 7:00pm Wednesday Evening Devotional 7:25pm Adult Choir THURSDAY— 9:30am PW Bible Study 10am—12pm Welcoming Athens 1pm—2pm Thornwell Luncheon 2:00pm Knitters & Knotters 5:30pm Project Safe FRIDAY— 9:30am Athens Mother’s Center 3:30pm The Cave 8pm New Freedom SATURDAY– 8:30am—1:30pm NEGA PW Meeting at Covenant 9:30am—10:30am Chime Choir in Music Room Fellowship Hall Cleaned

WORSHIP—March 20, 2016

8:30am Reader: Rich Reaves

Ushers: Dennis & Carol Calbos Coffee: Dennis Calbos

10:45am

Reader: Sandy Whitney

Ushers: Steve & Sue Rathbun, Evan Carrithers, Bill Rigsby

Greeters: Kay & Paul Brooks, Don Bower

Piano: Cliff Brock

Counters: Bill Barstow, Randy Parish

Flowers: Juergen Wiegel

Plant Care: Frank Allen

Open the Building: Alan Edwards

Close the Building: Alex Clark

Grounds Steward: Hank Tweedell (March 21—27)

Nursery/Super: Ellen Stoneburner

Birth—Walking: Ellen Stoneburner

: Dolly Barstow, Kay Brooks, Tim Foutz

WORSHIP—March 13, 2016

8:30am Reader: Heidi Wolfe

Ushers: Judy Capie, Elsie Bothwell Coffee: Shirley Hunt

10:45am

Reader: Juergen Wiegel

Ushers: Carol & Dennis Calbos, Kent Silver, Mary Ann Johnson

Greeters: Katie Bemisderfer, Bert Ballard-Myer, Julie Bower

Piano: Marcia Verbrugge

Counters: Paige Campbell, Caren Snook

Flowers: Betsy Burmeister

Plant Care: Frank Allen

Open the Building: Nathan Brooks

Close the Building: Hank Tweedell

Grounds Steward: Alex Clark (March 14-20)

Nursery/Super: Marie Ballard-Myer

Birth—Walking: Marie Ballard-Myer

: Wyatt Herndon, Carrie Tweedell

Pam Knox

WEEK OF March 20, 2016 SUNDAY— IHN BEGINS 8:30am Worship 9:30am Church School for all ages 10:45am Worship 3:30pm OE Anonymous 5pm Youth Groups MONDAY— OFFICE CLOSED 8:00am Covenant’s Breakfast Club at Cracker Barrel 6pm Scouts 7:30pm Bishop Park Field #1—CPC Softball Game TUESDAY– 9:30am Athens Mothers Center 8pm New Freedom WEDNESDAY- 10am Adult Bible Study 10am—12:30pm Presbytery Leadership Team Meeting 5:15pm –7:15pm Covenant Connection 6:30pm Adult Bible Study 7:00pm Wednesday Evening Devotional 7:25pm Adult Choir THURSDAY— 2:00pm Knitters & Knotters NO Project Safe NO Happy Squares 7:00pm Maundy Thursday Worship FRIDAY— 9:30am Athens Mother’s Center NO Cave 7:00pm Good Friday Worship at Friendship Pres. 8pm New Freedom SATURDAY– 10am Covenant’s Great Easter Egg Hunt Fellowship Hall Cleaned