April 27, 2012

Dear Covenant Kin,
Well, we aren’t very far away from our intergenerational mission trip—a little more than a month! This year’s trip is going to be a little different, and there is a really meaningful element to it.

This year, rather than just cleaning up after a disaster, we will be working to help prevent one. As you all know, Northern Arizona was torched by wildfires last summer. One of the consequences of that kind of destruction, is that without the vegetation, those areas are far more prone to floods. So in an effort to help prevent such problems, we will be headed to Arizona, to help people protect their homes.

It’s kind of an exciting way to do mission—make sure we prevent disaster, rather than pick up the pieces later. I

f you’re interested, there is more information below, or you can talk to Nicole Stansifer!

BEFORE SUNDAY
PW Spring Salad Luncheon
The annual spring Salad Luncheon will be held on Saturday, April 28 at 12:00 noon here at Covenant. Bring a salad to share – drinks, bread and dessert are provided. The Birthday Offering will be collected.

ABOUT SUNDAY
Worship
The scripture reading is Acts 4:5-12. Rev. Seth Finch will be preaching on "What's in a Name?"

Covenant Corner Preschool Open House Don’t forget to wander down and check out the Preschool during their Open House on Sunday, April 29 at 9:45am.

Sunday School:
**Helen Bennett’s study on The Parables will be on hiatus April 19 through May 6 and will start again of May 13.

**Through the Wardrobe to The Hogwarts Express: Christian Faith and Fantasy Fiction
The use of the imagination as a way of expressing Christian thought and faith is at least as old as stories of King Arthur and the Holy Grail, and as recent as J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books. In the 20th century authors like C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkein used the genre of fantasy literature to reflect on the great battles of good and evil, and the personal journeys of the common folks (hobbits and wizards too) drawn into the great struggles of their times. Using both the books and video clips Ken Cuthbertson will help us in looking at some of the stories and themes of the fantasy genre, and on how they relate to living a Christian life.
Week 1 (May 6): Heroes and Heroines -- Unexpected Journeys in Strange Worlds From Hobbiton to Mt. Doom, through the wardrobe into Narnia, from Platform 9 3/4 to the "other" King's Cross... the "quest" of faith happens to unsuspecting saints.
Week 2 (May 13): Black, White, and Red -- Spiritual Alchemy and the Refiner's Fire Alchemy is not just a early form of chemistry. For centuries it has served as a metaphor for spiritual growth and "sanctification". J.K. Rowling made it the central organizing theme of the Potter series.
Week 3 (May 20): Yer a Christian Harry! -- The Message of J.K. Rowling There were clues early on, but with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Jo Rowling tipped her hand as to what Harry was all about, all along. (Warning: Ken is probably going to blast the way they changed the ending in the last movie!)

The Missionary Life
On May 27th, Lola will speak on the subject of being a child of missionaries.

Youth Group - April 29th: Choir 11:30-12, Lunch: 12-12:30, Youth Sunday rehearsal: 12:30-2:00, Homework time: 2:00-2:45, Minute to Win It @ Sandia Pres. 3-6pm

May 6th: Youth Sunday! No Youth Group after church

OTHER NEWS & OPPORTUNITIES
Mary Ruth Circle
The Circle will meet on Wednesday, May 2 at 9:30 for a potluck brunch. Bring something to share. Dorothy Smith will give devotions and Sharon Oler will introduce next fall’s Bible study. Study books are available for $8.25.

The Gourmet Club Derby Day Party will be Saturday, May 5 at 6:00 PM at the home of Dennes and Ann Goswick. Bring your own place settings and drinks and your favorite southern dish to share. We’ll be recording the big race to watch together, so don’t peek! You will have an opportunity to donate to the YAV fund for Jensen Blankinship. Call 856-6256 if you have questions.

Stewards of Creation
As you may have heard in worship last Sunday, Covenant is continuing it's legacy of caring for creation by looking toward joining the national church's initiative, Earth Care Congregations. Our task force, Stewards of Creation, will be starting work toward becoming an Earth Care Congregation and the task force is looking for members and a leader! If you feel called to join, please talk to Lindsay Stansifer for more information.

Thank You
PSF would like to thank everyone who supported our mission trip, brought us dinner, or gave us a donation in the past year. To do so, we will be hosting an appreciation dessert on May 6th at 3:00 pm at Shepherd of the Valley Presbyterian Church where we will have a slideshow of what we did on our trip to New Orleans and all throughout the year. Thanks again for supporting us in so many ways!

Dismas Benefit: "Seeds of Hope"
Dismas House is holding its annual spring luncheon fundraiser titled "Seeds of Hope" on Saturday, May 26 from 12:00-2:00 pm. The event will be hosted by Scalo Northern Italian Grill. Tickets for the fundraiser will be sold at Covenant starting Sunday, April 15 in the Fireside Room.

We are gearing up for the summer!!
The children's Sunday School is going to have a "Storybook Theme" where the adults are invited to bring in their favorite story book and read it to the children for Sunday School. We are also preparing for Vacation Bible School which will be July 23 through the 27. We need volunteers!!! Please talk to Sarah Braaten if you are interested in volunteering for VBS or want to read your favorite story to the children. You can reach her at church or call her cell at 710 - 2574.

Intergenerational Mission Trip
Covenant's intergenerational Mission Trip will take place June 4-8. This year, we’ll be going to eastern Arizona to do wildfire relief and flood mitigation work. It is about a 3 hour drive from Albuquerque, so if you'd like to meet the group for part of the week, that is also an option. Please speak to Nicole Stansifer for more information or to sign up. Space is limited, so sign up ASAP!

Covenant’s Going Camping!!!
What better way to celebrate our fathers than to go camping on the weekend dedicated just to them! Get ready everyone because this will be an ALL-church event! Camping will be Friday, June 15 and Saturday, June 16 ending with worship together lead by Rev. Seth Finch on Sunday morning, June 17. The location is not yet decided, but will be within an hour of Albuquerque and anyone who does not choose to camp will be encouraged to meet at the camping site for worship, as there will be NO WORSHIP at Covenant that morning! Please read the Epistle and talk to Lindsay Stansifer for updates. Please also sign up with Lindsay between now and May 13th!!!

“Within Our Reach: Ending the Mental Health Crisis”
Monday, May 14 at 5:30pm in Popejoy Hall Speaker: Former First Lady Rosalynn Carter Admission and parking are free. To guarantee your seat, register by May 6 at ideasinpsychiatry.unm.edu or call 272-3592.

NAMI Walk
NAMI - the National Alliance on Mental Illness - is holding its annual walk on Saturday, May 19. Covenant is a sponsor of the event and we will have a team participating this year. Speak with Bert Dugan for more information or to sign up to walk. There is also a sign-up table in the fireside room. Please consider participating. We would love to have a big Covenant team this year to show our support!

Baseball Game
We will go to an Albuquerque Isotopes game on June 23 at 7:05 pm. Fellowship committee will be taking sign-ups for the baseball game from May 6 through May 20. Tickets will be approximately $10/person.

MADFest
Join the Menaul Community in a Celebration of the Arts on May 5 from 10:00-6:00. Local vendors, student art and performance, food, evening benefit – dinner & dancing. Check out the website for more information www.MenaulSchool.com

MEDITATION
For the meditation today, I was hoping to find a quote from a book that Andrew Loyd got me reading, The Name of the Wind. It is a tremendously good read, and as you can tell, names, play an important role in the lore of the book. However, I didn’t quite find anything that dovetailed with where the sermon would be going on Sunday, so instead I leave you with a couple of questions to ponder in preparation for worship this Sunday:

What are some of the different names you have picked up for yourself along the way?

How might your names have shaped who you are?

See you Sunday!
Grace and Peace,
Seth