Cornerstone November 2016

November – February | Advent/Christmastide

INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Guide My Steps Pg. 4

Growing Up Alone Pg. 15

Something Beautiful Pg. 17

Table of

CONTRIBUTORS

Contents

SENIOR PASTOR Thomas Daniel CLERK OF SESSION Clark Weatherby

{FROM THE LEAD}

BUSINESS ADMINISTRATOR Duane Dube

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Wrapping Up a Blessing

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Session Update

EDITOR Stephanie Schultz

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Financial Update

DESIGN AND LAYOUT Hilary Pittman CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Beth Feger, Terry Cole, Jon Wasson PHOTOGRAPHY Al Braden, Beth Feger, Doug Kilday, Hilary Pittman, Stephanie Schultz, Danielle Walker COVER PHOTO Danielle Walker daniellewalkerphotography.com SPECIAL THANKS TO Paul Mowry, Brian Sparks

{FEATURES} 4

Guide My Steps

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Leading Off the Map

pg. 4

{LIFE} 10 Advent/Christmastide 14

Showing Up

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Growing Up Alone

pg. 8

{COMMUNITY} pg. 15 17

Something Beautiful

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Jobs We Love

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Hello, New Members

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A Lifetime of Teaching

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A Discipleship Ace

{EVENTS} 27 Calendar

{ FROM THE LEAD}

WRAPPING UP A BLESSING

John 3:16 states: “For God so loved the world that he

our deepest prayers.

gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in

The blessings we shared were real. They were kind. They were love. It was an incredible experience. It was a gift.

Him may not perish but may have eternal life.”

We see in these words that Jesus is a gift God has shared with us so that we might experience salvation both in this world and in the world to come. This gift is a tangible expression of God’s incredible love for you and for me.

Christmas is a time of year when we give gifts to one another. Yes, it can be difficult to find the time to shop and buy meaningful presents for the people we love. It can make the holidays become more hectic and at times that can seem like it is defeating the purpose of the season. This can certainly be the case if we wait and try to accomplish everything at the last minute.

But this year, I invite you to step back from the frenzy. Throughout our Advent sermon series, “And the Soul Felt Its Worth,” we’ll hear and study the priestly blessing found in Numbers 6:24-26:

“The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you,

What if your gifts this Christmas weren’t purchased on Dec. 23 at Target or Macy’s or Academy? What if, instead, you slowed down and thought about all the ways your friends and family members have been blessings to you? What if you thought about the ways that Love Does in your life together with your small group members, families and friends?

And then, what if you looked your loved ones in the eyes and said, “You have blessed me by __________.”

This can be a very powerful thing.

and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.”

In this prayer, God promises to protect us, and give us grace and peace. He promises to bless us, and what a gift this is!

In October, a group from Covenant attended the first Fuller Cohort Retreat. After spending much time in small groups of six people, we had an assignment to tell the other members of our group how they had been a blessing to us during our time together. We had gotten close throughout the three days, sharing

We are called to love God and love our neighbors as ourselves. We aren’t following a rule, rather we are acting toward others the way that God acts toward us. As the holidays draw closer I invite you to value the call to share your lives with one another. This year, give the gift of a blessing and be sent as a follower of Jesus.

Joyfully,

Thomas Daniel Senior Pastor Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

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{ FROM THE LEAD}

Since the last update from Session, the group has had three busy meetings, and its annual retreat with the Covenant staff.

• In August, Session got exciting news from two elders. Kathryn Sedberry was hired as the Associate Director of Discipleship. Kathryn has already been an amazing asset to our Covenant Group facilitators and many lay leaders.

• Thais Kilday, her husband Doug and their three children will go to Cambodia on an International Justice Mission fellowship in 2017! Please pray for them on this journey for Christ.

• In September, Session focused on its operating procedures, discussing how the committee and approval process best works and ways the group could change its meetings to be more in line with Covenant’s vision and priorities. Session’s agenda has been adjusted, putting discussion items immediately after the opening prayer and devotional time, when Session members are most focused for these more challenging items that the group must discern. More routine work was moved to the end of the meeting, finishing with an extended time of prayer.

• Early in October, Session and staff were privileged to hear from Fuller Seminary’s Tod Bolsinger on church leadership in our changing culture. Tod talked about what it means to

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be missional in 2016, and how to identify and address the things holding us back as individuals, a staff and a Session, and as a church.

Tod preached on similar subjects. Find it online: covenant.org/adventure-or-die.

• In our October Session meeting, the group heard about the first session of the Fuller Learning Cohort. The six Covenant representatives, including our three pastors, were excited about what the cohort means for Covenant, particularly since it is a program that starts small and extends outward, eventually reaching all members. The program will be truly transformational! Session also had its first round of 2017 budget discussions. Covenant committees dreamed big. The Session is excited to see what God has in store for the coming year.

• Finally, Covenant was able to make another $1 million payment on our Fellowship and Education Building debt as part of our Opening Doors campaign. Our total remaining debt is now just over $3.1 million dollars.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!

By Clark Weatherby Clerk of Session

FINANCIAL UPDATE General Fund (YTD) Offering Receipts: $2,557,615 Budgeted Offering: $2,627,038 Difference: -$69,423 Actual Expenses: $2,536,582 Budgeted Expenses: $2,812,781 Difference: -$276,199

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

Building Fund Total Loan Balance: $3,122,279 Principal reduction YTD: $2,936,370 Capital Campaign Pledge Total: $4.9m

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SESSION UPDATE

{ FEATURES}

When Joe Farrell of the International Justice Mission (IJM), the world’s leading anti-slavery organization, visited Covenant in January, Covenant mission committee chair Doug Kilday asked how Covenant folks could get involved.

Joe told Doug that it’s hard to find short-term mission opportunities where you can be impactful. Joe talked about praying for IJM staff, volunteers and clients, and about organizing 5K races to raise money. When Doug pressed him to give more concrete activities, Joe mentioned IJM fellowship opportunities—unpaid, long-term gigs mostly for lawyers.

“Our church has a lot of lawyers,” Doug told him.

“Maybe we can recruit someone.”

Then it happened. “As soon as those words came out of my mouth, I felt a tingling down my spine; Joe’s words touched on an unscratched itch,” Doug said, explaining that he thought he’d spend a year in the Peace Corps after law school. It didn’t happen and Doug didn’t look back. But now, he was thinking.

“I told [my wife] Thais these thoughts, not in the form of a request, just describing what had happened and she said the most shocking thing I could imagine.”

“Three or four years ago, we couldn’t have done this,” Thais said. “Three or four years from now, we won’t be able to do this. But now, now we can,” she said.

“That made it real,” Doug said. Soon the Kildays learned there were also opportunities for Thais to

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{ FEATURES}

"...if this is the way the world is and God is really giving us this opportunity, we’ve got to step up and do it..." use her social work skills. “We could do this,” Doug said. “We could take our family on a grand adventure and do something real.”

Later that week, the couple had a regularly scheduled annual meeting with their financial consultant, and Thais mentioned that Doug had been flirting with the idea of a year-long mission trip.

“Our advisor, he’s been working with us for 22 years, looked at our numbers and said, you can make it work. You save so you have options. This is why you do what you do. And he started crying!” Doug said.

Then the couple got serious.

The Kildays attended an IJM Global Prayer Conference in April, an opportunity for staff from the 17 IJM field offices all over the world to meet with churches and pastors. At the three-day conference

held in Washington, D.C., attendees go to breakout prayer sessions where the directors of IJM field offices talk needs specific to their location. For the Kildays’ first meeting, there was one open spot: Cambodia. The couple sat down in the front row and was immediately inspired.

“We learned and heard so much at the conference, and we walked away feeling like, if this is the way the world is and God is really giving us this opportunity, we’ve got to step up and do it,” Thais said. “Once you have the awareness and you have the opportunity, what does it mean if you don’t step up? So we applied.”

“Oddly, it’s a very competitive process,” Doug joked, pondering all the people who are willing to work unpaid for a year in a Third-World country.

The options of where to go were limited. The couple explained that IJM sends only Spanish speakers to Central and South America, and it’s difficult to get visas to India. The best opportunities for nonSpanish-speaking Americans are in Southeast Asia and Africa. When factoring in the safety of the family—the couple has three kids ages 14, 10 and 8—the Kildays’ decision came down to two places: Cambodia and Ghana.

After a lengthy application and interview process, both Doug and Thais were awarded IJM fellowships.

Come January, following a weeklong, intensive training in D.C., the Kilday family will embark on the long journey to Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.

Doug will do legal work in the local office, which is involved with investigations and prosecution of slave trade. “I won’t be licensed in Cambodia. The IJM lawyer will be speaking in court. I will work on trial strategy. I will literally be helping to prosecute slave traffickers. We will have six or seven trials during the year, which is very different than here, where we maybe get one trial to court per year.”

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Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

{ FEATURES} Doug said the legal research is complicated. He explained: “Recently, IJM rescued a woman lured to China to work. She was forced to marry and was then a slave. So our work is more than just local.

The question becomes: ‘Do you go after people in Cambodia or China?’ A lot of the human trafficking in Cambodia is international. We have to figure out how IJM works in this context.”

While Doug is steeped in the law, Thais will be doing administrative social work. She’ll be looking at program design to evaluate how to best help those in need and assessing situations to determine how and where IJM can have the most impact. She will also help develop staff training.

“Most of the direct client contact is done by locals, who speak the language. My role will be very supportive,” Thais said.

two 30-minute periods set aside daily for prayer.

“IJM has Christian practices and they incorporate rhythms into their workday. Every morning at 8:30—it doesn’t matter if you’re in D.C. or Phnom Penh—the entire office shuts down for a half hour to meditate, to study the Bible and to pray. Then, at 11:30, all the offices come together for corporate prayer. IJM really believes in the power of prayer,” Thais said.

WHAT ABOUT THE KIDS? “We involved the kids in this decision,” Thais said, showing a picture of the family with a map of the world, pointing to Cambodia. Thais and Doug wrote emails accepting their fellowships, but didn’t send them until the kids read them. It was the boys who pushed send on the letters, with Naeda close by. The family celebrated with bubbly apple juice.

Ninety percent of the IJM staff are local Christians hired to work in their own country. The model is for missionaries—like Doug and Thais—to come in alongside and support those making change in their own country. IJM works with local law enforcement, social workers, educators and others.

“The kids have been amazing but have also reacted in ways that are age-appropriate,” Doug said. Eighth grader Naeda is worried about leaving her friends and her cheer team for a year, but after talking about it with her D-Group has received lots of positive feedback. Lincoln is not excited about leaving the dog, the pool or his friends, but told his folks, “If we One exciting thing about Cambodia, according to the don’t go, I know I will regret it!” And the youngest, Kildays, is IJM’s progress in the 15 years it has been there. When IJM set up in Cambodia, they focused on the sexual exploitation of children. Today, less than one tenth of one percent of Cambodian children are in brothels. IJM is now working to reduce forced labor and labor trafficking.

A TYPICAL WORK DAY IJM staffers generally work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Kildays have talked to IJM leaders about how they will manage that schedule with kids. IJM has been very supportive, offering whatever flextime the couple needs.

The non-negotiable hours are the

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

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{ FEATURES} David, takes his cues from Lincoln. He is excited because his teacher wants him to Skype with his third-grade class.

The three Kilday kids will go to a school in Cambodia set up to educate children of missionaries. The school has kids of 30 different nationalities, English is spoken and it’s accredited. A key benefit is that school employees are equipped to help kids make the adjustment.

“We’ve been told that the transition over there is difficult, but to expect the transition home to be just as, if not more difficult,” Thais said. “You get accustomed to a different flow to how your family works and what the culture expects. The family bonds in a way that it can’t and doesn’t at home. The first months of the move will be really hard, figuring out everyday things like finding a grocery store that you like and then the last three months are hard because everyone is dealing with the fact that this will end and no one wants it to.”

PREPARING FOR THE MOVE Thais reflected that she had admitted to her Covenant group, before this opportunity came along, that she felt a bit restless with her life and was unsure what she wanted to do next. She asked Covenant Associate Pastor Jill Williams, "How do you know when you’re called to something?" Jill answered that she usually felt a sense of restlessness and discontent in her current situation.

Thais’ restlessness and Doug’s "aha" moment will soon lead them to Cambodia, where they will be met with heat and humidity, a hot season and wet season.

They will be offered delicacies such as fried tarantulas, beetles and grasshoppers (good sources of protein in the Southeast Asian diet). They will know to avoid protests and to hopefully do some traveling.

(Hong Kong is 2.5 hours away.) They know that it’s a city safe for westerners, but not so safe to cross the streets that have no stoplights or stop signs.

At the time of our interview, Doug and Thais were reading books about Cambodia, learning that the bulk of the population makes less than $2,000 a year, and that the Khmer Rouge regime—the com7

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

munist party most known for the mid-1970s Cambodia genocide—is still wreaking havoc on the mental health of its citizens: more than half of the populations suffers from PTSD, raising kids while self-medicating with alcohol and exhibiting violent behaviors.

WHAT CAN WE DO? Doug was pensive when asked what we, at Covenant, can do for the family. “One thing I would really like is for people to think about where their services are useful and put it on a bucket list. As mission committee chair, my idea wasn’t to find one person to do one thing, it was to figure out how to build a pipeline of people to do this one year at a time: law enforcement, lawyers, social workers, church developers, ESL teachers, lots of folks can be involved. It’s a big ask, not something you have to do today. I’d love for our church to continue this work over time.”

The couple asks for prayers for courage. “We are busy, the kids are busy, the kitchen is a mess. We have to clean closets and fix the house. We need visas and shots. We need to get this stuff done when we’d rather take a break.”

And of course, there are unknowns too numerous to count. While Thais and Doug are both excited about the move, they are also apprehensive about what the move will bring. Thais recently said to her mother, Covenant member Kay Davenport, “I just don’t know if I’m brave enough to do this.” And Kay replied, “But what if you are?”

Follow the Kildays on their adventure at kildayfamily.com.

By Stephanie Schultz Director of Communications

LEADING OFF THE MAP Christian leaders were trained for a world that is disappearing.

assumed the geography west of the Continental Divide was the same as the geography east of it.

Instead of canoeing through rivers to get to the coast, they were met with the Rocky Mountains.

So said Tod Bolsinger, vice president for vocation and formation, and professor of practical theology at Fuller Theological Seminary.

Bolsinger was in town in October to talk about how to lead churches today. He spoke at all four worship services and led a retreat for Session and staff.

In essence, Lewis and Clark and their men had to go “off the map.”

They had to lead into unchartered territory. They had to change plans, give up expectations and reframe their entire mission. Bolsinger outlines the journey and the challenges that Lewis and Clark faced in his book, Canoeing the Mountains.

He explained that we are in a “post-Christendom” world. In the past, he said, “Christianity had a home court advantage. It was part of the culture to go to church.

Towns were set up around three things—and one was the church.

If you weren’t at worship on Sunday, your boss mentioned it on Monday. But,” he said, “Christianity is no longer the privileged center.

Church leaders today are facing a similar challenge, rapidly learning that the world ahead is radically different. “All we have assumed

{ FEATURES}

about leading Christian organizations, all that we have been trained for, is out of date,” Bolsinger said.

Bolsigner’s realization came when he was senior pastor at San Clemente Presbyterian Church.

The church was still successful, but he and other church leaders felt enthusiasm waning. He called in a consultant who offered three options: continue to decline, call a new leader or lead differently. Bolsinger chose the latter, a path that eventually took him to Fuller, where 50 percent of the graduates don’t go into pastoring. “We recognized at Fuller that we needed to be much more than preacher and pastor preparation, we needed to do Christian formation for a lifetime.”

LEADING IN THE 21ST CENTURY

“If western societies have become post-Christian mission fields, how can traditional churches become missionary churches?” Bolsinger asked. He used Lewis and Clark to illustrate his point. The two men, on their quest to the Pacific Ocean, discovered that their entire mental model about the continent was wrong. They had

“Leadership,” emphasized Bolsinger, “is energizing a community of people toward their own transformation in order to accomplish a shared mission in the face of a changing world.”

This is a challenge because we aren’t able to solve problems with

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

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{ FEATURES}

Leadership is energizing a community of people toward their own transformation in order to accomplish a shared mission in the face of a changing world. our existing knowledge, skills and tools. While yesterday’s problems could often be solved by adding staff or programs, today leaders must make hard choices about what to preserve and what to let go. People are now required to learn and change; they must make a shift in values, expectations, attitudes and habits of behavior.

As an example, Bolsinger pointed to a church concerned that the families of students in the youth program were leaving the church when their kids aged out. They thought this was because they couldn’t get kids committed to BIG church (worship). Their solution was to augment youth Sunday. When Bolsinger asked if anyone was uncomfortable with the plan, two people raised their hands: the COO and the Youth Minister. The COO said youth Sunday always had the lowest attendance and lowest offerings.

The youth minister said that the kids hate the day.

“You must learn to see differently before you can learn to live differently,” Bolsinger said, explaining that this new kind of change— adaptive change—requires leaders to observe, interpret and then intervene, setting them up to initiate the adaptive process. Leaders “The church couldn’t solve this must relate (interact with new problem by tweaking,” Bolsinger communities), repeat (create new said. “Old solutions wouldn’t practices), reframe (introduce work.” Instead Bolsinger said that new ways of thinking) and make the members of the organization, radical change (no tweaking). in this example and many others, must determine what will never ADAPTIVE LEADERSHIP PROCESS change and then be prepared to change everything else. “People 1 OBSERVE don’t resist change,” he said. “They resist loss.”

3 INTERVENE

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2 INTERPRET

So many changes require that church leaders, like Lewis and Clark, go off the map. They must

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

chart a new course with changed expectations and a new mission.

“God is taking us into unchartered territory to transform us,” Bolsinger said.

Shortly after meeting with Bolsinger, Covenant pastors spent three days at a Fuller cohort retreat where they continued to learn to lead differently. Their knowledge is the first phase of Covenant’s Institute for Missional Leadership. The program will grow to include more people as we train our leaders and members to embrace change in the postChristendom world.

By Stephanie Schultz Director of Communications

{ LIFE GUIDE}

A DV E N T / C H R I S T M A S T I D E

Anticipating the coming reign of God and waiting for what is beyond us As the seasons change, we are given a natural opportunity to reflect on our lives and rethink our intentions, priorities and practices. Each season in the liturgical year offers its own distinct invitation into the life of Christ. Advent is a season of waiting and expectation in which we are invited to anticipate the coming reign of God. This can be difficult because waiting and expectation often put us in touch with the realities of pain, sorrow and grief in the world that we would rather avoid. This is precisely what Advent prepares us for.

If we had it our way, we would rush to Christmas morning. But the season of Advent slows us down and invites us to feel the aches of our own discontentment and to pay attention in new ways to the deep discontentment in the world. There is a reason that the liturgical year begins with Advent and not with Easter. In Advent, we are taught to wait for what is beyond us: We are taught to wait for God to act for us.

Christmas is the celebration of God acting for us in the incarnation of Christ. If Advent teaches us to wait in the dark, Christmas is our reminder that the light of the world “shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.” Christmas issues forth an invitation to live each day in the light of Christ-

mas morning. How will you respond to this invitation this year?

Maybe you'll respond like the Magi, who traveled from their home, guided by the stars in the heavens, to seek the Christ. When we tell this story, we tend to concentrate on the Magi’s journey to Christ. Let’s consider this year what happened when the Magi returned home. In T.S. Eliot’s poem, Journey of the Magi, he writes, “We returned to our places, these Kingdoms, but no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation.”

The Magi returned home, but they knew that nothing would ever be the same. What about you? How does your world look after you encounter Christ?

In this new season, and as you begin this new year, we continue to invite you into four practices that will help you respond to the good news of Christmas morning.

We invite you to pray, study, share and give…

By Jon Wasson Associate Pastor of Discipleship

Advent November

Christmastide December

27 28 29 30 1

Hope

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3

4

January 5

6

7

8

9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 1

Joy

Peace

3

4

5

6

Love Christmas Eve Christmas Day

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Epiphany

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{ LIFE GUIDE}

PRAY STUDY

COMMUNING WITH GOD

“The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective” (James 5:16). It is our privilege as Christians to commune with God through prayer. We invite you to participate in one or more of these opportunities this season: Opportunities: DRIVE-THRU PRAYER: Our neighbors have the opportunity to bring prayer requests to our prayer team in the Covenant parking lot on weekdays from 7 to 9 a.m. Be on the lookout for spring dates for this innovative ministry.

WEDNESDAY SERVICE OF MORNING PRAYER: A brief, midweek lay-led worship service is held in the chapel of the Fellowship and Education Building (FE 100) on Wednesdays at 7 a.m.

RENEWING OUR MINDS

“Be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God" (Romans 12.2). The word disciple comes from the Greek word meaning “learner.” We learn in many ways; one of the most important is the regular study of scripture in pursuit of the truth. We invite you to join others to continue your journey as a learner: Opportunities: MEN IN THE WORD: Men’s Bible study meets on Thursdays at 6 a.m. in FE 200. The group resumes Thursday, Jan. 5.

DOWNTOWN MEN’S BIBLE STUDY: Wednesdays at 11:30 a.m., location TBA. Contact mcrawley@covenant.org for more information.

PRAYER LABYRINTH: Soon to be located in the southeast corner of the church parking lot, the labyrinth will be a sacred space available to anyone, anytime for meditation and prayer.

LAMPLIGHTERS: Women’s Bible study meets on Wednesdays at 10 a.m. in FE 200 (and in various locations and times). Resumes Wednesday, Jan. 4.

More info at lamplightersbiblestudy.com.

PRAYER VIGIL: Covenant’s deacons will sponsor a prayer vigil in the Sanctuary Jan. 20-21. The congregation is invited to devote themselves to prayer for families, the congregation and our nation.

SUNDAY MORNING LEARNING COMMUNITIES: A variety of learning opportunities are available to adults on Sundays at 9:30 a.m., including Bible study, book discussions and conversations at the intersection of faith and culture. See covenant.org/sundaymorning.

PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN (PW): PW is part of a national group that offers learning, serving and fellowship opportunities through Bible studies, mission projects, special events and trips. Visit covenant.org/women.

COVENANT LABS: Intensive, month-long learning experiences are designed for spiritual and cultural renewal. Labs will be offered during the month of February at 9:30 a.m. Topics TBA. Get more info at covenant.org/sundaymorning.

RSVP to ksedberry@covenant.org.

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Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

{ LIFE GUIDE}

SHARE GIVE SHARING IN CHRIST

“For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20) As followers of Christ, we can count on His promise to be present with us when we are gathered together. We invite you to pursue an authentic relationship to God and others in the context of Christian community here at Covenant.

Opportunities: COVENANT GROUPS: Small, intentional groups designed to support and encourage spiritual friendship. Groups decide on meeting time and place. Curriculum and support provided. Signups begin in January for new groups forming for Lent. Contact ksedberry@covenant.org or visit covenant.org/covenantgroups.

MIDWEEK CONNECT: Gather together to enjoy a meal on Wednesdays from 5-6:30pm in FE 200.

At 6:30pm, age-appropriate discipleship programming begins for all ages. Resumes Wednesday, Jan. 4.

MARRIAGE COURSE: This eight-session course, consisting of video and discussion time, is designed to nurture and strengthen marriages.

Meets Jan. 15–Feb. 26 at 9:30 a.m. Space is limited, RSVP to ksedberry@covenant.org.

EXPLORE MEMBERSHIP: Explore Membership classes offer the chance to meet new people, learn more about Covenant, and explore the possibility of becoming a member. The next four-week class will be offered Sundays in February at 9:30am.

Contact askaggs@covenant.org.

RESPONDING TO GOD

“Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10). We can use our gifts and talents in many ways to serve God and each other at Covenant and within our community. We can help you find opportunities to support Covenant’s mission partners who are seeking the Kingdom of God in Austin and beyond. During this Advent season and as we enter into a new year, we invite you to reflect on how you spend your time, resources and talents in response to God’s grace and generosity to you. Find more opportunities at covenant.org/volunteer.

Opportunities: CHRISTMAS GIVING TREE: Covenant members have the opportunity to purchase inexpensive gifts for missions and neighbors the church supports: Street Youth Ministry, New Covenant Fellowship, Texas Reach Out, Austin Voices for Education and Youth, LifeWorks’ Daily Bread, McCallum High School, and Movin’ and Groovin’.

Ornaments, which include instructions for selecting and delivering gifts, will be available on the patio between Sunday services on Nov. 27, Dec. 4, 11 and 18, and in the Fellowship and Education Building foyer during the week.

STREET YOUTH MINISTRY: Street Youth needs include: canned food to stock its new food pantry (tuna, chicken, soups, beans, peanut butter) and warm clothing (hoodies, coats, thermal tops and bottoms). Contact terry.cole@gmail.com.

MEN’S SKI TRIP: Join a group of men from Covenant for a ski trip to Wolf Creek, Colo., from Feb. 16-20. Space is limited. Contact jwasson@covenant.org.

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SHARE YOUR LIFE: SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP We talk a lot about community at Covenant and in each new season, we invite you to share your life with others. But community is a squishy word that different people use to describe different things. We all bring our different expectations and experiences of community to the church. What do we mean when we talk about community?

Both the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament remind us that the point of our lives is to love God, and love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Loving relationships require freedom to grow. This is why it is so difficult to program community. To grow in our love for others is a difficult, often slow process that yields good fruit over time. But where do you begin?

A GUIDE TO SPIRITUAL FRIENDSHIP When we think about spiritual disciplines, many of us immediately think of prayer, Sabbath keeping, fasting and Bible study. Few of us consider friendship to be a spiritual discipline.

Community at Covenant is built upon the foundation of hundreds of spiritual friendships. Spiritual friendship is an intentional relationship grounded in a mutual commitment to follow Jesus Christ that includes the practices of vulnerability and interdependence in search of living a more integrated, wholehearted life.

Our invitation to you in this new year is to cultivate this kind of friendship in your life. While we cannot promise “community” for you, we can commit to creating opportunities for connection as well as coaching and resources for you to use.

Now what? Our hope is that you will take the next step toward cultivating spiritual friendships.

1) Ask someone or a small group you see regularly on the patio to get together for a drink or meal. Let us know and we can coach you through how to tell your stories and pray for one another.

2) Create or join a Covenant Group. Maybe you want to explore your friendship in the context of a small group over an extended period of time. Covenant Groups discuss sermons and relevant books, and share their lives together by praying for and supporting one another.

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3) Form a spiritual friendship. Invite someone you regularly bump into in Bible study or at a committee meeting to commit to meeting intentionally for a specific amount of time. This will set the expectation of your time together. If you have not written a Rule of Life, we encourage you to walk through this process with another person.

For opportunities, coaching and additional resources, contact Jon Wasson (jwasson@covenant.org) or Kathryn Sedberry (ksedberry@covenant.org).

{ LIFE} "How come nobody is doing a mission trip in Austin?"

- Dr. Leonard Moore

Showing Up

Exploring Hot Topics For Community Delivered at more than 100 locations around the world, Q Commons offered an opportunity for people to come together for one moment. “This world transforms through the power of God. It’s about relationships. We want to engage in our culture, and be the kind of people who show up,” said Q founder Gabe Lyons.

Q, an organization that seeks the renewal of all things in Jesus Christ, together with Covenant hosted the event locally, welcoming more than 150 people to our church in mid-October to discuss hot topics for our community and the world. Local and global leaders, either presenting live or via video, posed difficult questions to participants. The intended outcome: to see how the group might bring hope and leadership to the different communities in Austin.

time to discuss the topics, to sit with one another and debate, and to talk about how this affects our world.”

group in poverty are the people who most want out of poverty.

Most resources are directed toward a need, not an outcome.”

In perhaps the most emotive presentation of the night, Dr. Leonard Moore, an American history professor at the University of Texas, addressed racism. He said many groups plan mission trips to Africa, and he asked, “How come nobody is doing a mission trip in Austin? Why is white man’s dream so infatuated with going to Africa? It’s become a staple of the young white Christian experience,” Leonard said.

Kallendorf and her husband, foundation co-founder Jack Speers, started Dream Come True to disrupt poverty cycles in Austin by helping those in poverty achieve their dreams. “We would find people stuck in poverty, with tons of talent, resilience, optimism…and a dream that they had already taken huge steps to achieve on their own. We would walk side by side with them to make those dreams come true and cross the bridge from poverty to self-sufficiency.”

Leonard called on those planning mission trips to know the hard teachings of Jesus; to understand the complicated history of the destination country; and to change the terminology from mission trip to global engagement encounter.

He called on participants to end spiritual gentrification. “Too many times, white Christians want to go over [on a mission trip] and do something new. We do that at the expense of the folks who are indigenous on the ground. Instead of taking a group of kids to Cape Town, why not send a check to people already doing the work?”

“This process will be difficult. It will take some courage. It will open some spaces that make us feel uncomfortable,” said Covenant Associate Pastor Jon Wasson. “Every single one of us will be challenged tonight. Everyone will disagree with something—and that’s a good thing.”

The Q format is similar to a Ted Talk. Via video, Lyons said, “We created this space to actually ask questions. Each presenter has nine minutes. Then, we work in

Another local presenter, Carol Kallendorf, cofounder of The Dream Come True Foundation, said, “The most underserved

Other presenters via video were Christian apologist and bestselling author Dr. Ravi Zacharias, New York Times columnist Ross Douthat, Fox News liberal analyst Kirsten Powers and hip-hop artist LeCrae. Locally, Jennifer Carr Allmon, executive director of the Texas Catholic Conference, talked about payday loans that discriminate against low-income individuals and the fight to regulate them.

This story was the focus of “The Ordinance,” a film screened at Covenant this fall. Watch the film at deidox.org. See videos from Q Commons at covenant.org/Q.

By Stephanie Schultz Director of Communications

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

14

{ LIFE}

Growing Up Alone Our job is to help kids navigate life's complexities

Kids today are growing up in a changed world.

Chap Clark, a professor at Fuller Seminary in the Department of Youth, Family and Culture, was at Covenant in October to talk about how the church can best love and encourage teens. The most important thing to know as we approach the subject: the world that kids today are growing up in is nothing like the world most of us grew up in. Life has become far more precarious.

“We react to changes everywhere, except in human development,” Clark said. “We tell kids, ‘I get it, I understand because I’ve been there.’ But what kids are going through is unprecedented in human history."

Clark hears often that our youth are a generation of narcissists. “That’s simply not true,” he said. “Kids are just trying to figure out what it means to be part of a culture that doesn’t want then.”

Many parents today measure their success by the accomplishments of their kids, Clark said, using a Saturday Night Live clip to illustrate the absurdity of some parents. “When was it okay to start shaming kids?”

15

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

Clark asked. “Why are grades, sports, friends a reflection on parents?

“Our job is to make sure we help kids navigate the complexities of life as they grow up, not 'how dare you embarrass me!' They need to know parents are safe regardless of their performance or attitude.”

While suffering from walking pneumonia, Clark had some time to watch television, and tuned into Dennis the Menace. He explained that Dennis was always getting into trouble with the Wilsons, the elderly neighbor couple. But, Clark said, Dennis still went over there and he tried to right his wrongs. Mr. Wilson gave him a hard time because he cared about him. He was part of Dennis’ network. This scenario is similar to the social network of people older than about 45, but not of the younger generations.

Clark explained in every culture until about 100 years ago, there were two stages of life: childhood dependency and interdependency. “Adults took the collective primary responsibility that every child was called into the community and their uniqueness was okay. The young lived within the context of communal support.”

{ LIFE} Today, however, Clark said that we have become “atomized,” disrupting ties with our neighbors. “Every kid feels on his own. Our systems and structures have gotten so out of control. They have become about the adults focusing on their own pathological needs. Our kids have been wounded because of that.”

Clark’s human development research links to how we treat kids and faith. He said adults assume human processes and struggles are disconnected from the demands of the gospels. “We use the same words with a 13-year-old that we do with a 40-year-old.

‘Deny yourself!’ But we need to provide the appropriate spiritual transformation for kids in the church.”

WHAT KIDS NEED All kids need family stability, Clark said. “Their home needs to be a place where they can let their hair down. Parents have to work hard not to lose their cool so kids can count on them to be stable and consistent. We have to be the grownups as our kids go through their lives in this complex culture.”

Kids also need a church community that gives them the gentleness of maternal attachment, the comforting encouragement of paternal attachment (urging them to live lives worthy of God), and the trajectory of community attachment.

Clark said the rule of thumb when going on field trips or off-campus events is five kids for one adult.

In Sticky Faith, he turns that around. “Project 5:1 is having five non-parental adults who will know and love each kid in the church when they graduate from high school.” He challenged participants to initiate, nurture and include kids in their lives.

“Our call is to live into our adoption. We have to recognize that we were all orphans before Christ found us. We are all children of God. We need to make sure kids have the opportunity to live fully into their right as our siblings, to be empowered and equipped to live as agents of the kingdom as their vocation,” Clark said, adding, “A family of siblings is a sticky community.”

By Stephanie Schultz Director of Communications

Previous Page: Pictured are Avery Claire Palm and Nick Marra "human bowling." Below: Whitney Bell and Chap Clark

“Kids don’t need more programs,” Clark said. “They need segues into the family of God.” From his research on high school seniors who drift away from the church, Clark wrote Sticky Faith. He explored the reasons graduates feel abandoned and unprepared, and don’t know the Gospel. To have faith that sticks, kids need to: 1) Feel comfortable and even enjoy corporate worship 2) To be known by adults outside of obligational relationships 3) To be encouraged to doubt and ask hard questions

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

16

{ COMMUNITY}

Something Beautiful The author, Beth Feger, traveled to Cuba this summer to help with Vacation Bible School at our sister church in Luyanó. This is Beth’s story.

Sometimes, I wake up in the middle of the night. When my brain kicks in, I start to think about why I might be awake: a difficult problem at work, problems with my kids, a friendship that is changing, dishes in the kitchen sink or a conversation that didn’t go well. I start unpacking these problems, rearranging and trying to solve them, playing out difficult conversations in my mind, trying to figure out why I am feeling upset, unsettled, disappointed, fearful or sad. All the while fretting about the sleep I am losing and how it will impact the coming day. The knot in my stomach grows ever tighter as I wonder and worry about how I will work out these situations. Sometimes life can tie me into very tight knots. In the last few years, the middle of the night knots had turned into a general headache that permeated my waking life too. It created a thick cloud that I could ignore but couldn’t quite figure out. God felt distant and silent.

When I heard the sermon about thin places, I mostly felt angry 17

and one question kept swirling in my brain: How could I find a thin place when God was distant and silent, and my life was stressful and complicated? I emailed Thomas looking for some help unpacking the difficult problems and figuring out exactly how I

How could I find a thin place when God was distant and silent, and my life was stressful and complicated? could find a thin place. We had lunch and talked; God already felt closer. I had experienced thin places in my life before, times when God was near, most notably, John Knox Ranch when I was in college and more recently, a 2012 trip to Cuba. I told my husband I wanted to go back to Cuba. We figured out a way to make it work.

I wasn’t sure what to expect; our trip did not start as planned. We arrived in Havana after two long days of traveling and without

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

Evangeline Herring, our leader and interpreter. Our friends picked us up at the airport in the same van that has been driving Covenant folks around Cuba since at least the early 90’s. When we arrived at the church, neighbors were lined up filling containers with fresh drinking water. Clean water isn’t something Cubans take for granted and Luyanó Church is one place where clean water is available. The church shares the water without asking anything in return. Already I could see God in action. Witnessing this simple kindness began clearing the clouds that had fogged up my life for the last few years.

Early in the week, we went to a nearby beach with some young people from the church. As we rumbled through the streets in the same antique van, I listened to the kids laughing and joking together.

I didn’t understand most of their Spanish, but I understood their friendship and love for one another. We arrived at the beach and enjoyed the spectacular afternoon together, playing in the water and talking. I watched as these kids shared the snacks we brought, each making sure that the others had some. No one worried about getting enough. Being included in the fellowship created a longing in me. It wasn’t that they had no

{ COMMUNITY} problems; being young in Cuba created an endless supply of problems: it was that they didn’t seem to let the problems determine their experience of God’s goodness in the moment. I wanted to experience more of God’s goodness. I need to do that in spite of all the difficulties I was facing.

wires, I sat down next to Daniel, a shy and handsome guy; we attempted a conversation in spite of our language issues and talked about our families and life and the weather.

He gathered the tangled pieces of wire and asked if he could have them. I said, sure. It was just a bit of trash as far as I was concerned.

I left a little while later and when I returned, Daniel had taken the wires and created a sculpture of a tree clinging to a small piece of rubble. These tangled wires that I had been about to throw away had been transformed into a thing of great beauty.

When we began our work with the kids, my job was teaching crafts. I am not a crafty person and I don’t speak Spanish. And yet I was tasked with teaching children and adults how to make paper flowers. I began the process of figuring out how to make a paper flower and explain it to the children in Spanish. In the process, I turned a spool of flower wire into a tangled mess. I began clipping pieces and letting the remnants fall here and there. After the flowers were made, I gathered the trash and put it the box with the rest of my materials. Later, we had the opportunity to spend another afternoon with the young adults for some crafts. It was wonderful to sit down with this group.

They appreciated the beads and fabric paint, chatting and working together. With my box of materials for flowers and all the tangled

Daniel handed it to me; it was for Evangeline. He wondered if I had more wire. I found some, and he created another one and gave it to me. God had sent me a message. God doesn’t untangle knots in order to fix the problems and restore the orderly precision of a perfect spool of wire; he takes the knotty mess of my life and creates something beautiful.

truth settle into my heart: God wasn’t going to remove all of the messiness from my life. He wasn’t interested in my list of possible solutions. He doesn’t want me to figure out what created the problems, how I can work to solve them and exactly what I can say to explain them to others. He simply wants me to hand Him the tangled mess of wires and trust that He is indeed in the process of creating something beautiful.

The other night I woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep. I started to pull, ponder and ruminate about a situation that had my stomach in knots, my head beginning to ache. Again I was expecting myself to untangle the details and figure out a solution. After some time, I turned the tangled mess over to God and went to sleep. I am trusting that this too will become something beautiful.

By Beth Feger Church Member

At the end of the week, on a long bus ride to Varadero Beach in Matanza, I felt this profound

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

18

{ COMMUNITY}

Jobs We

LOVE Supporters ask us, "Why don't they just get a job?"

Clients tell us, "I just need a job!"

Indeed, getting a job is the number one way off the streets, but getting the job isn't really the issue. In our efforts to help our clients, we discovered three surprises about street youth and employment.

Surprise #1: Most of our clients can get a job quickly. Austin’s economy is booming and unemployment is low. Once clients start to apply, jobs come quickly.

Take Georgia, for example. She came in this past month and said, "Shazaam! I got a job today.

They hired me on the spot! I start 19

Clients served by Street Youth Ministry (SYM) generally take one of three paths to escape the streets: find a job, reunite with family or go to school.

This story is one of a series written by missionary and SYM founder Terry Cole. One valuable SYM offering is Job Club, designed to help street youth reach independence through finding—and keeping—jobs. Read to see what we learned about job patterns of our clients.

tomorrow.” I had watched her behavior on the streets for a while and I was skeptical things would go so quickly for her. Turns out, she was very good at navigating the interview for an entry-level job.

Surprise #2: Most street youth quickly leave new jobs, not because they are fired (as we had assumed), but because they quit!

When we asked clients why, most told us they quit in order to avoid social awkwardness they encounter at work. After her first week, Georgia came to us, worried. "Somebody told my boss I wasn't doing a good job,” she said.

“I guess this job is about over." As we role-played her options, she

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

said her first instinct was to tell off the “somebody,” a co-worker.

She talked herself out of that.

Her second idea was to plead her case with her boss, saying “I’m just a street girl doing the best I can.” We know from experience that it's almost always a bad idea to disclose your homelessness.

It raises stereotypes, if not fear or suspicion. “Just ask your boss for feedback,” we suggested. “If the boss is a straight shooter, any issues will be addressed.” Georgia plans to do this now, but if experience holds, she will soon quit for another reason.

Surprise #3: We have discovered through our Job Club efforts that it's very important for clients to be looking for something they really

{ COMMUNITY} want even at entry level. In our weekly Job Club, we ask, "What is your dream job? Who or what company would you work for, no matter what you had to do?"

I remember Jason, a frustrated young client, giving this surprising answer: "I want to work in trend-setting marketing. I want to be involved in top fashion, top trends, top anything." And he had just quit three food service jobs in a row! We helped him list entry-level fashion jobs: janitor at a mall, salesperson at a clothing store, model at an ad agency.

Within a week he was selling swimwear! I ran into him not long ago and he's still there. “The job is not a soul-sucking grind,” he

said. He’s considering community college, is no longer on the streets and pays rent monthly!

We believe such an exercise will help Georgia find an entry-level job she can hold on to! So many of our clients delight and surprise themselves by finding meaningful and productive jobs to lift themselves from the streets. It’s never easy, and us “older folks” probably couldn’t manage a job, being homeless, feeding ourselves, staying clean and all that without a home. But our clients are strong, resilient and amazing! We are so blessed to get a front-row seat to watch them develop. Thank you for being a part of it!

The opportunities we offer street youth -- to wash clothes, eat a sandwich, get an ID, study the Bible, find a shirt that fits, provide bug repellent -- help us make inroads into their lives. Positive results often follow! Volunteers who give of their time and in-kind donations play important roles.

For more information on participating with SYM, go to Donate.StreetYouthMinistry.org.

By Terry Cole Church Member, SYM Founder and Missionary

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

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{ COMMUNITY}

Hello, New Members

Covenant welcomed 28 new members into the church family after they completed Explore Membership, the class for those interested in finding out more about Covenant and what it means to be Presbyterian. The class also offers participants the opportunity to learn about classes, mission opportunities, Covenant Groups and more.

Visitor and New Member Coordinator Amy Skaggs said the Explore Membership Class continues to grow and evolve. "We have had more ministries, staff members and mission partners request to be part of our curriculum. The new members are learning more and are finding even more places to plug in once they finish the class. It has been so much fun to watch class participants learn about Covenant, meet new people and make decisions to grow in their faith.

I love being part of this class!"

21

The next session of Explore Membership will be held on four Sundays, beginning Feb. 5, and running through Feb. 26, from 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. in CO 208.

"My favorite part of the class is watching the interaction between the class members and our pastors, who come in to talk about our church, what they do and their vision for Covenant. It's a great introduction to the class," Amy said.

Senior Pastor Thomas Daniel agreed. "This class is another example of the fertile soil at Covenant," he said. "The vast majority of the people joining Covenant after these classes are not coming from other churches. This is Kingdom growth!"

For more information about Explore Membership, contact Amy at askaggs@covenant.org.

Rick and Susie Banta

Catherine Camp

Will Cowden

Jessica Henderson

Mark and Faye Hilpert

Cat Hyland

Margi Ligarde

Bryant and Becky Lucas

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

{ COMMUNITY}

Margo McCormick

Katie McFarlane

Michael McIntush-Mobley

Laura Mittan

Sharon Nabhan

Linda Rutherford

Colton and Melanie Sanders

Dan Sinacori

Richard Tarun

Will Volk and Carley Gunter

Molly Vural

Sue Wagner

Nicole Wayman

Charlie Wohleber and Bailey Morledge

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

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{ COMMUNITY}

A Lifetime of Teaching One theme that runs through Bretna Hackert’s life is teaching—teaching math and computer science to middle school students, teaching software users how to make sense of computer language, teaching computer literacy at Manos de Cristo, and mentoring and tutoring fourth and fifth graders at Wooldridge Elementary School.

“I love to teach,” said Bretna, who taught in Round Rock for six years before she was hired as a computer programmer at the University of Texas. Bretna said UT preferred to hire teachers for that job to work with the users. “It takes a teacher mentality to be patient and explain things,” she said.

Bretna Hackert, family and friends celebrate her award.

Bretna downplayed her involvement in the PW. “As moderator, I get a lot of people to do things." She says she does more hands-on work leading the Lydia Circle. This summer, because her volunteer and church activities slowed, she took up knitting and joined the Prayer Shawl Ministry.

This year at the Presbyterian Women’s fall brunch, Bretna’s many years of teaching were recognized when she was awarded the Honorary Life Membership. The ways Bretna serves—and often teaches— at Covenant are many. In addition to teaching at Manos and Wooldridge, Bretna is active in the PW, “Bretna has done it all,” said a friend. “She is a peran ordained elder and deacon, a lay leader, choir sonification of faithful service to God and our church. member, an usher and more. A seventh generation You will always find Bretna working and organizing Presbyterian, Bretna was the second family member and making things happen.” to receive the award. Bretna's mother also received it.

On a fun note, Bretna met Marv in the Covenant A member since 1989, it was music that attracted parking lot. “There was a city-wide Presbyterian sinBretna to Covenant. "I visited every Presbyterian gles group. Marv was looking to do something social. church in Austin. When I came to Covenant, the We met in the parking lot to go see a movie. After music was just wonderful. Music is a big part of me. the movie, 14 of us went to TGIFridays. Marv and I I think I joined the choir before I joined Covenant.” weren’t even at the same table. In fact, we knew each other for two years before we started dating.” The Bretna says her volunteer activities took off after two were married on July 4, 1992, at Covenant. she retired in 2009, adding bus driving to her long resume. Dave Mead asked Bretna's husband, Marv Nearly 25 years later, Marv—and many other family Hackert, to get his commercial driver’s license and members—were invited to watch Bretna receive the drive the bus for the senior activities. Marv, still lifetime honor. Bretna was completely surprised, and working, suggested Bretna. “I think Dave reluctantly accepted the award with humility. Still teaching, this agreed,” laughed Bretna, now the only driver for the time she showed all how to be a gracious winner.

VISIONS activities.

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Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

{ COMMUNITY}

A Discipleship Ace Kathryn Sedberry won the Louisiana State High School Girls Tennis singles championship four straight years. In addition to knocking off opponents with a well-honed game strategy, she also learned to juggle during the many hours spent on the court.

Little did she know then that her tennis experience and even her ability to juggle would lead to her first job out of college and eventually to a job at Covenant.

Covenant’s new associate director for discipleship, Kathryn started her work life developing grassroots tennis programs in small Texas towns. “My job was to help communities grow tennis. I trained people to be instructors, equipping them with the confidence to teach tennis and bring the sport to their towns.”

Next, Kathryn taught in a Christian school; her favorite part, leading chapel. “I was able to bring the love of Jesus to preschool kids through music and chapel, like a mini-form of discipleship.”

ADVANTAGE, COVENANT These experiences eventually led Kathryn to her Covenant job. “We equip our members and friends to share their lives with others, and to discern the call that Jesus has for them in their own lives through learning and being part of community,” Kathryn said.

Kathryn explained: “Our group came together very quickly because one of us had a life crisis right at the start. It immediately pulled us together and gave us purpose. We encouraged our friend through her ordeal and learned what real community feels like.”

From that, Kathryn came into this job being "honest, vulnerable and okay with not being in control" and she understands what people need in a small group.

“I love getting to know people and to help them find a place. I love the idea that they will be part of a community that will fulfill and enrich their lives.”

Kathryn is busy developing this new role, and among her chief duties will be creating curriculum for discipleship activities. Thus far, Kathryn has focused on Covenant Groups, Midweek Connect activities and supporting Sunday Learning Communities and Covenant Labs. “Discipleship is really vast; there is so much potential for growth. Part of the new position is to figure out how to prioritize and focus on what is most important."

And, she said, she’ll employ another talent she picked up the tennis court. “I can still juggle,” she said. That will come in handy as she explores the never-ending opportunities in discipleship.

A member since 1996, Kathryn is married to John Sedberry who grew up at Covenant. They have two boys, Will and Henry. At Covenant, she’s filled many volunteer roles: Sunday school teacher, deacon, children’s choir director, Upward coach, and most recently, Elder and Traditional Worship Committee chair. “I have loved all the volunteer roles I’ve had. I believe in the mission and the direction of Covenant.

I am thrilled that I can be here on a full-time basis.”

Being involved in a Covenant Group was a big advantage for her new job. “Kathryn's life has been impacted by a Covenant Group,” Thomas Daniel said. "She’s gone through the process and sees how it is making a difference in her life. It’s a unique perspective.”

Kathryn Sedberry is Covenant's Associate Director of Discipleship

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

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{ EVENTS}

DECEMBER

NOVEMBER 23

WED

Thanksgiving Worship and Light Lunch 12 p.m. in the Sanctuary

24– THU– Office Closed for Thanksgiving 25 FRI

01

Thu

Armchair Travelers in FE 200 at 7 p.m.

04

Sun

Congregational Meeting in FE 200 at 12:15 p.m.

27

SUN

Hanging of the Green 9:30 a.m. in the Sanctuary

06

TUE

Senior Activities Day 10 a.m. in FE 200

27

SUN

"And the Soul Felt Its Worth" Sermon Series starts

11

SUN

28

MON

Upward Practices start 5:30 p.m. in FE Gym

Special Service of Christmas Music 9:30 and 11 a.m. Traditional Services

14

WED

30

WED

Journey to Bethlehem 5:30 p.m. in Eaton Hall

Church-wide Carol Sing 6:30 p.m. in the Sanctuary

15

THU

Preschool Christmas Chapel 9 a.m. in the Sanctuary

18

SUN

GraceNotes Christmas Concert 3 p.m. in the Sanctuary

20

TUE

VISIONS Senior Luncheon 11:45 p.m. in FE 200 Christmas Eve Services • 2 p.m. Traditional Service with candles and communion, Sanctuary

24

SAT

Group of women writing letters of encouragement to victims of human trafficking.

• 4 p.m. Service for young kids, Sanctuary • 5 p.m. Contemporary Service, FE 200 • 8:30 p.m. Traditional Service with candles, Sanctuary • 10:30 p.m. Traditional Service with candles and communion

25

SUN

Christmas Day Worship, One Service 10 a.m., Sanctuary

Mereidth Weatherby, Ben Milam and Christy Milam handing out snow cones at Trunk or Treat.

25

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

{ EVENTS}

JANUARY 01

03

SUN

TUE

FEBURARY

New Year’s Day Worship • 9:30 Traditional, Sanctuary • 11:05 Contemporary Senior Activities Day 10 a.m. in FE 200

02

THU

Armchair Travelers 7 p.m. in FE 200

05

SUN

Explore Membership 9:30-11 a.m. every Sunday through Feb. 26

05

SUN

Covenant Labs Sundays in February, 9:30 a.m. in various locations

04

Dinners and Midweek Connect WED resume (Faith and Culture Lecture Series, 1st and 3rd Wednesdays)

07

TUE

Senior Activity Day 10 a.m. in FE 200

05

THU

Armchair Travelers 7 p.m. in FE 200

09

THU

Officer Training starts at 7 p.m.

07

SAT

Upward Basketball Games start 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Covenant Gym

12

SUN

Session Conversation 3 p.m.

08

SUN

New Sermon Series starts name TBA

18

SAT

Covenant’s Got Talent 7 p.m. in FE 200

08

SUN

Parent Meeting for Confirmation at 9:30 a.m. in FE 400

21

TUE

VISIONS Luncheon 11:45 a.m. in FE 200

08

SUN

Marriage Course starts 9:30 a.m. in FE 100

26

SUN

Jazz Sunday

08

SUN

Deacon New Member Party 12 p.m.

12

THU

Preschool Open House in FE 300

13– 15

FRI– SUN

DNOW In-town Youth Retreat

14

SAT

Walking the Mourners Path starts 10:30 a.m. in the Parlor

17

TUE

VISIONS Senior Luncheon 11:45 a.m. in FE 200

20– 21

FRI– SAT

Prayer Vigil 7 a.m.–12 p.m. in the Sanctuary

22

SUN

Congregational Meeting 12:15 p.m. in FE 200

29

SUN

Confirmation Class starts Sundays through Feb. 19, 2 p.m. in FE 400 Chris (Back), Lee and Chesney Szaniszlo family at Party on the Patio

Cornerstone | November – February | Advent/Christmastide

26

3003 Northland Drive Austin, TX 78757

Christmas Events Wed,NOV. 30th Advent Event, step back in time to explore the

5:30–7:30 pm

extraordinary events surrounding Jesus' birth

Wed,Dec. 14th Church-wide Carol Sing in the Sanctuary : pm

6 30

SUN,Dec. 18th GraceNotes Vocal Ensemble Christmas

3:00 pm

Concert in the Sanctuary