February 2016 - Covenant Community Church

Volume 4, Issue 02
COVENANT COMMUNITY CHURCH ~ A UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST CONGREGATION
February 7th, 2016
35th ANNIVERSARY GUEST SPEAKER!
Our Guest Speaker
A dynamic Ambassador of the Gospel,
Dr. Wendy R. Coleman has preached and taught
since July, 1995, when she was licensed at the
Greater Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in
Tallahassee, Florida, by Pastor Craig P. Riley,
Sr. She opened her home in January, 1996, and
founded “This Blessed Place: For Women
Only”, a ministry aimed at discovering, discussing, and healing the special hurts of women.
Her former ministry work includes serving as
Assistant Pastor at First Monumental Faith Ministries in Albany, Georgia, where her mentor Rev.
Roosevelt Carter is Senior Pastor. One of the
ministry’s outreaches, Crossroads Transitional
Housing Program for Homeless Families, was
founded under the Executive Directorship of Dr.
Coleman. She is also an entrepreneur whose
business Sweet, Sweet Spirit Design &
Publication Company, an arm of Remnant
Ministries, specializes in Creating Designs Worthy
of Your Name. The company’s Windows of
Worship Magazine began publication in February
2008 and will soon launch in Montgomery.
Currently, God is using Rev. Dr. Coleman to lead
His people as Pastor of First Congregational
Christian Church, UCC, in Montgomery,
Alabama.
A 1993 graduate of Alabama State University,
Dr. Coleman returned to her alma mater and
worked from 1996-1999. She was an Instructor of
Theatre in the University’s Theatre Arts Program
and also served as Faculty Advisor to the
Tribe of Judah Choir. She worked at
Albany State University in Albany, Georgia, as Director of Theatre and Associate
Professor of Speech & Theatre and Advisor to The Anointed ASU Gospel Choir
for 10 years. Dr. Coleman also had the
honor of serving as President for The
National Association of Dramatic &
Speech Arts, Inc. (NADSA), a 73-yearold Theatre organization – the oldest in
the United States – for four years. From
August 2010 to the present, she has
served her alma mater as Chair of the
Department of Theatre Arts.
A talented actress, singer, director,
orator, and scholar, Dr. Coleman completed doctoral studies at Florida State
University in 2001, earning a PhD. in
Theatre and Dramaturgy. Her travels
have afforded her the opportunity to
perform in several states in the contiguous United States, as well as in Alaska
and internationally in Muju-Chunbuk and
Seoul, South Korea and Lagos, Nigeria.
Dr. Coleman is also a writer whose
works cover a variety of subjects and
encompass several genres. Some of them
include:
Woman of God, What Is Your Report?
(Inspirational),
Born Again: The Rebirth of a Nation (Play – 1993),
But Satin Sheets Slide: A Play About
Relationships (2005),
If You Live Long Enough (Play),
We the People (Play),
Africa To America (Play),
The Man of God (Novel),
In My Father’s House (House),
Umuji’s Servant (Novel),
Abundant & Clear: The Stories of Five Good
Black Men (Novel).
Dr. Coleman’s work as a writer has been
featured in Essence Magazine [“Where the Heart
Is,” July, 1998], as well as in the scholarly
journal Theatre Topics [“When Failure Works . .
.” March, 1998]. Articles highlighting her work
at Albany State and in the community have been
published in Black PhD/Ed Magazine, The Albany Herald, The Albany Journal, and The
Georgia Southwestern Newspaper.
In 2006, Dr. Coleman was named one of
Southwest Georgia’s 40 Under 40, which ranked
her among the top 40 professionals under the age
of 40 in the area. As a result of her writing gift,
she was awarded the 2007 Bayer Dream Fund
and conducted a 5-city tour of This Is Our Story:
Learning, Loving, and Living Well with Diabetes, an original play based on her own diagnosis
with diabetes.
Dr. Coleman’s style of preaching incorporates the gifts that God has blessed her with,
including singing, teaching, and making the
Word of God relevant to the struggles and
triumphs of everyday life. Hers is a unique gift
for which she gives God all the glory and credit,
and works to return it to Him by blessing His
people. She lives by this motto:
“I know to whom much is given,
much is required. I’m just trying to
fulfill the requirements.”
After enjoying a wonderful service, please stay and enjoy an amazing meal with our Covenant family.
PAGE 2
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 0 2
By Tammy and Jennifer
An Anniversary celebration
wouldn’t be complete without music.
So to end our 35th Anniversary weekend, we will have the amazing Jason
and DeMarco in concert. Here is just
a little information on who they are.
Jason & deMarco have had
the opportunity to perform at numerous high profile events including the
National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
Awards in Los Angeles, the Matthew
Shepard Foundation's annual gala in
Denver, and the 2006 Human Rights
Campaign Gala at the Waldorf Astoria
New York." They have also been a
part of the Human Rights Campaign
star-studded benefit two-pack CD
album celebrating marriage equality,
"Love Rocks", alongside artists such
as Christina Aguilera, Pink, and The
Dixie Chicks.
Jason & deMarco will be
celebrating 14 years together this
summer. In 2011, after touring almost
a decade together, they welcomed
twin sons through surrogacy, each a
biological child with the same biological mother, which is documented in
Jason’s recently released book, “The
Journey of Same-Sex Surrogacy”
available on Amazon.com. Shortly
after the births of their sons, Jason &
deMarco announced the launch of
their non-profit, (S.A.F.E.) Safe,
Affirming, Family Environment in
2011 with the opening of a drop-in
center for homeless youth. In less
than eight months over 400 youth came
through SAFE’s doors and received
services. At the eight month mark, their
landlord sold the property and Jason &
deMarco decided to relocate to Franklin,
Tennessee, moving the non-profit as well.
“When reviewing the data, it was clear the
majority of the youth we served were
homeless due to aging out of the foster
system”, says Jason. “In relocating to
Nashville, rather than opening another
drop-in center, we felt we could better
serve youth and the community by helping
to prevent them from being homeless.”
It was in Franklin, Tennessee, in
a village called Leipers Fork, that Jason &
deMarco relocated and purchased a six
acre ranch that they have named
‘Gratidude Ranch’. “Our hope is that the
ranch will be a place where foster youth
and foster families can come to experience
moved from Los Angeles and
ended up on a ranch in
Franklin, TN still amazes
me”, says Jason with a smile.
Through people visiting
the ranch, the duo hopes to first
and foremost educate the community on the need for fostering while connecting potential
foster parents with the Department of Child Services
(D.C.S.). They also hope to
connect affirming foster families with the State so LGBTQ
and other diverse youth can be
placed in SAFE homes.
So, Jason & deMarco
obviously are busy. But where
does all of this leave the duo’s
music? “We’re living in Music
City”, says deMarco.
“Although we’re not touring
full time (Jason is a local real
estate agent and deMarco is a
Health and Wellness coach),
we will always make music”.
The duo released a Christmas
CD this past Christmas called
“Christmas Reflections” and
will continue songwriting and
releasing a single this year.
They are touring at least one
weekend per month, often
community, nature, working and playing
with animals and one another”, says
deMarco. They’re also presenting this
opportunity to the public with
www.fosterafarmpet.org where families
in the community can choose to foster a
farm pet on the ranch for a monthly
donation. These donations help support
S.A.F.E. and its mission.
“Our goal is to provide a place
where kids, youth and adults can come
and connect with one another while
being in nature and escaping the craziness of life if even for a day”, says
deMarco. “We just want the ranch and
the animals to be used to help people
who may need a little extra love.”
“How two gay guys who have
been the poster boys for an openly gay
pop duo with a Christian background
bringing their twin sons and Jason’s
parents along for support. They continue
raising awareness and funds on tour
while sharing through story and song.
Visit www.jasonanddemarco.com
or www.safehouseforall.org
for more info.
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 0 2
PAGE 3
35 YEARS AND GOING STRONG!
Courtesy of Covenant’s Website
Covenant began as Metropolitan
Community Church, Birmingham in
February 1981, when 12 people came
together for the first worship service of
a GLBT affirming congregation.
Speakers included student clergy and
others who helped provide pastoral
guidance during our first 16 months.
In 1986, the name Covenant was
officially added to the church's name.
In 1987, long-time pastoral leader
Mary Moore decided to follow another
calling and Cliff Morrison was
appointed as the pastoral leader in
September 1989. He remained our
pastor until his death in 1994.
In 1994, a decision was made to
relocate to the church's campus at 5117
First Avenue North in Birmingham at
which time longtime MCC clergy,
Rev. Marge
Ragona became
Covenant's pastor,
serving until her
retirement in
February 2000.
A new period of
growth at Covenant
began when Rev.
J.R. Finney, II began as Senior Pastor in September
2000. His ministry
has spurred even
greater growth in
membership, ministries, attendance,
children's church,
outreach, community involvement and
community exposure. The history of
Christian love and effort of this church
is made possible by Covenant's long
time dedicated members, new comers,
and friends and is reflective of Covenant's commitment to its vision.
After much prayer, two congregational forums with total attendance of 139 people, due notification and a pastoral letter from Pastor
J.R., Covenant, in the largest attended congregational meeting in
our history, voted 97% to disaffiliate
with UFMCC on January 8, 2006.
After Covenant's disaffiliation
with UFMCC, the membership rolls
continued to grow at a robust pace
and the congregation soon outgrew
the facility on First Avenue North.
Covenant embarked on an ambitious
drive to sell the First Avenue North
campus and purchase a larger facility
in the Birmingham area. It was our
goal to relocate the campus by Spring
2009 and relocation to
the new worship center
and ministry complex in
Center Point became
reality in March 2009.
Covenant's first service at the new campus
was March 29, 2009 and
included the largest attended Sunday morning
worship attendance in
the church's history. A special dedication service was held Easter morning
in April 2009.
After being an independent congregation for several years, and following extensive dialogue with the
Southeastern
Conference
(SEC) of the
United
Church of
Christ
(UCC),
Covenant
voted at its October 2012 annual congregational meeting to seek membership in the
UCC. On
April 28,
2013, the
Board of
SEC/UCC
voted to receive Covenant as a
member congregation. In
a celebratory
worship service on May 19, 2013,
Covenant was officially received as
"A United Church of Christ Congregation" by Reverend Tim Downs,
Conference Minister.
On February 19, 2014, Covenant
Community Church was certified as
an "Open and Affirming" (ONA)
congregation within The United
Church of Christ.
Our vision is to be an inclusive
community of faith:
Offering Hope + Showing Faithfulness + Sharing Joy!
We invite you on a journey of
discovering God's unconditional
love for all people without the
guilt of religion.
PAGE 4
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 0 2
Black History Month, also known as African-American History Month in America, is an annual observance in the
United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom for remembrance of important people/events in the history of the African
descent. It is celebrated annually in the United States and Canada in February, and the United Kingdom in October.
Black History originally began in 1926 and was known as “Negro History Week” later to become “Black History
Month.” Dr. Carter G. Woodson, who earned a Ph.D. from Harvard, is highly credited for the celebration of Black
History. During his studies, he came to the realization that history books pretty much ignored the black American population, but when mentioned, it reflected the Population in an inferior position. To change this, Dr. Woodson established the
Association for the study of Negro Life and History (now known as the Association of Afro-American Life History) in
1915. In 1916, he founded Journal of Negro History. Ten years later, Negro History Week was launched during the
second week of February to bring attention to the contributions of black people throughout American history. The decision
to have this the second week of February was because of the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln, who
both greatly influenced the black American population.
Information collected from en.wikipedia.org and http://947thewave.cbslocal.com/2016/02/01/black-history-month/
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 0 2
PAGE 5
“Africans and the Bible?”
By Carol Dowkings
charge of all the treasury
On my 8th birthday my parents gave me
of the Kandake (which
a beautifully illustrated children's Bible. Full
means “queen of the
of white people! Of course, I knew that the
Ethiopians”). This man
pictures were not true representations of anyhad gone to Jerusalem to
one found in the pages of the Bible, just like I
worship, and on his way
knew that the pictures of caucasian men representing Jesus that I saw hanging in some of
my relatives' homes had nothing to do with
my Lord and Savior. I knew that the actors in
Queen of Sheba
movies like "The Greatest Story Ever Told"
and "The Robe" and "The Story of Ruth"
were only portraying Hollywood's idea of
biblical times...with British accents no less!
As I got older I began to wonder about
the blue eyed, fair skinned, fair haired "Jesus"
pictures. I think He looked like the people of
the region, not Europeans. After all, He was
able to get lost in a crowd. My point is that as
a child and then a woman of African descent,
I don't remember anyone ever saying that
Africans appeared anywhere in the Bible.
The exception is the Queen
of Sheba mentioned in 1 Kings 10.
I was under the impression that
there weren't any other folks of
African heritage who participated
in anything regarding God's plan!
What does all of this have to do
with Black/African-American
History Month, an American holiday?
First of all, African American
history did not start on this continent. It didn't start with slavery.
It started with people from
the African continent with unique
cultures, traditions and heritage.
Much of that heritage has been
The Last Supper from The Roman Catacombs
lost to Black people in this country. Most of us don't even know
home was sitting in his chariot reading the
what part of Africa our ancestors came from!
Book of Isaiah the prophet. The Spirit told
We lack the confidence of that continuity of
Philip, “Go to that chariot and stay near
culture.
it.” Then Philip ran up to the chariot and
Secondly, as a Christian I think the conheard the man reading Isaiah the prophet.
text of the Bible is as important as the content.
“Do you understand what you are readIt's important to the African-American psyche
ing?” Philip asked. “How can I,” he said,
to know that we participated in history, in“unless someone explains it to me?” So he
cluding His Story. It's important to learn the
invited Philip to come up and sit with him."
truth. I have heard Black people call Christianity the "white man's religion". Wrong and
Starting with the passage in Isaiah,
divisive on so many levels. God sent His son
Philip shared the gospel with the official.
for all nations and all people.
As they travelled farther down the road they
There were Christians in Africa long
came to some water and the official asked
before there were any in Europe. How do I
for and received baptism. The Holy Spirit
know this? The same way I know that Jesus
took Philip away and the official "went on
loves me: the Bible tells me so! Acts 8:26-39
his way rejoicing" (Acts 8:39). Do you
relates the story of Philip and the Ethiopian.
think this man shared his faith when he
returned to Ethiopia? I truly believe that he
"Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip,
did. There are many other examples of
“Go south to the road—the desert road—that
Africans involved in the events of the Bible.
goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he
I have listed a few below:
started out, and on his way he met an Ethiopian[a] eunuch, an important official in
Simon the Cyrene
Mark 15:21: Simon the Cyrene
carried the cross for a distance during the
crucifixion of Jesus. Cyrene was an ancient Greek city on the North African coast
near present-day Shahhat, a town located in
north-eastern Libya.
Acts 13:1: Two of the four prophets
and teachers at Antioch were Africans,
namely Lucius of Cyrene and Simeon
who was called Niger, a Latinism for
"the Black Man."
1 Corinthians 3:11: Apollos, the
African Preacher from Alexandria on
the Nile Delta.
Genesis 16; 21:8-21: Hagar, the
Egyptian maid of Sarah
Genesis 25: Abraham married
Keturah after Sarah's death
Numbers 12:1: Moses' Cushite wife
Zipporah of the Kenite clan of the
Midianites (Exodus 2:21-23).
Zephaniah 1:1: The Prophet Zephaniah. Zephaniah's father was Cushi, his
grandfather Gedaliah, his greatgrandfather Amariah, and his great-greatgrandfather (King) Hezekiah
Matthew 1:1-14 : The genealogy of
Jesus, in which four Afro-Asiatic women
are included: Rahab, Tamar, Ruth, and
Bathsheba.
I acknowledge that color of these folks
skin wasn't made clear in the Bible, but
they were of African heritage and they
were part of God's plan. The goal of Black
History or African-American History
Month is to educate. It's my goal as well.
For further reading please go to the
following websites: http://
bibleresources.americanbible.org/
resource/blacks-in-biblical-antiquity
www.gci.org/bible/africans
https://sojo.net/articles/faith-action/
black-presence-bible-uncovering-hidden
-ones#sthash.DfMrveCg.dpuf
PAGE 6
Three P's
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 0 2
from God!
By Ron Collins
It's all about that
music. Music can
bring out all kinds
of emotions in us;
some good, some
bad. All of us
have songs that
are burned into
our memory disk.
For me, if a tune
or words can bring
about a reaction in
my inner soul,
then it's good music. Bill Gaither
wrote a simple
little song that has
lots to say, I Am A Promise. Here
are some of the words:
"I am a promise,
I am a possibility
I am a promise
with a capital P,
I am a great big
bundle of
potentiality."
Yep, 3 "P's"
from God that
can help us as
we continue
our walk with
Him. From
Isaiah 41:13
we read, "For
I the Lord thy
God will hold
thy right hand,
saying unto
thee, Fear not;
I will help
thee.” This is just one of many
promises God gives us as we read the
Bible. In the poem Footprints In
Sand, God was asked by the man,
why at his most stressful time? God
replied, My child it was during those
times that I carried you. So child of
God, you are a promise and you have
God's promise that He is with us in
every area of our life, even those
times when we feel the most alone -A promise and a possibility. Jesus
said in Matthew 19:26, Jesus looked at
them intently and said, "Humanly
speaking, it is impossible, But with
God everything is possible". In high
school my English teacher told her
students that "can't never could do
anything anyhow". Way too often we
talk ourselves out of blessings and opportunities to be a blessing to others
by sitting on the premises instead of
standing on the promises. Or, as Pogo
would say, " We have met the
enemy and they is us."
Moving on to that last "P" potentiality, Psalm 139, Potentiality 101, we all need to ace this
class. In verse 14 we read, “I
will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.” It
sure sounds like a plan and a purpose for your life to me, hey more
"P" words. Yep, Child of God,
you were made for a reason.
Don't let anyone, including yourself,
tell you anything different.
Isaiah 40:31 (NLT) says "But those
who trust in the Lord will find new
strength. They will soar high on wings
like eagles. They will run and not
grow weary. They will walk and not
faint."
The poet Ogden Nash
wrote, "I am me, and I am
good, because God don't
make no junk".
No junk, because you
are a promise,
a possibility.
a bundle of potentiality.
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 0 2
PAGE 7
DID YOU KNOW?
By Jim Ball
I grew up in
a small country church
where folks
shouted and
ran the
aisles. They
proclaimed
their love for
God and His
Great love
for them in,
what were called 'testimony services.' These were conducted between Sunday school and preaching.
Some folks got lively with all the
hollering and running. Others were
more tranquil in their profession of
God's love. It all made for a wonderful spiritual experience. Sometimes,
when nostalgia kicks in, I miss those
heart felt services. At times I wished
Covenant had a testimony service.
Then during a Sunday service I had
an epiphany: We do have a testimony service here at Covenant! Each
time we say our Covenant Affirmation, we are testifying!
"I am a child of God! I celebrate
God's Holy Spirit coming into
my life! Come, Holy Spirit,
Come. I accept God's spirit and
power to inspire me, guide me
and motivate me to be a witness
of the Gospel "Offering Hope +
Showing Faithfulness + Sharing Joy." ALLELUIA! AMEN!"
Isn't this a wonderful testimony? It
is a strong and powerful testimony.
Can't you feel in it your heart as it
reaches down into your soul. I love
uttering it before God, our Sustainer! I love declaring it with my
Alicia has been working towards
providing a creative, educational,
spiritual and inviting atmosphere for
the youth here at Covenant since 2011.
She, and her team of leaders have
built a trust and bond with the youth
through lessons, trips, concerts, fundraisers and community projects, such
as, putting together “Goody Bags” for
the less fortunate. At this time, the
youth are currently looking forward to
working with local soup kitchens.
Alicia is in the process of preparing a
NEW fifteen week study on “Is God
Real?” With this study she hopes to
help prepare the youth to be strong
church family, testifying that I and
we have accepted God's love and
are willing to be in His service!
I miss that part of the service
when we don't voice it on Sunday
mornings.
Covenant does have a testimony
service- a great testimony service!
It makes for a wonderful spiritual
experience! 'It does a body good.'
I love it! I hope you do too!
Reading Reference:
Romans 10:8-10
A Bat!
against the wiles of adult life since
many of them will be faced with
obstacles that can test their faith.
Alicia has also been happily married
to the love of her life, Amanda, for
two and half years. They have just
been blessed with the adoption of
their daughter, Amelia. Alicia and
Amanda have been foster parents and
have plans to be foster parents again
when Amelia is older.
If you have youth or would like to
participate in the youth program,
Alicia would love to talk to you and
answer any questions you may have.
PAGE 8
V O LU M E 4 , I S S U E 0 2
WEEKLY OPPORTUNITIES:
MONTHLY MINISTRY MEETINGS:
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Wednesday Night
6:00 PM – Supper; $5 Donation
6:30 PM – Upper Room Prayer
7:00 PM – Praise and Worship
Covenant’s Transgender Outreach
3rd Saturday, 4PM – Danko Hall
Feb. 10th Feb. 14th Feb. 21st 10:00 AM
Thursday Night
7:00 PM – Choir Rehearsal
Sunday Morning
9:00 AM – Lighthouse
~ Adult Bible Study
9:00 AM – Choir Rehearsal
9:30 AM – Synergy Youth Group
~ (Grades 6 – 12)
10:00 AM – Worship Service
10:00 AM – Children’s Church
~ (Nursery - Grade 5)
Staff Meeting
2nd Tuesday, 7PM – Danko Hall
Glenn’s Reading Room
2nd & 4th Saturday, 2PM – Judy Hand-Truitt’s Home
(While a book or topic is under discussion.)
Mar. 13th
Inquirer’s & Membership Class
2nd Saturday, 10AM – Danko Hall (Quarterly)
Mar. 20th - Palm/Passion Sunday
Mar. 24th - Maundy Thursday
Mar. 25th - Good Friday
6:00 PM - Stations of the Cross
7:00 PM - Tenebrae Service (Liturgy of the Nails)
Mar. 27th - Easter Sunday
7:30 AM
- Easter Sunrise Worship Service
8:00 AM - Easter Breakfast
10:00 AM - Easter Worship Service
Family Game Night
3rd Friday – 7PM – Danko Hall
Open Board Meeting
4th Tuesday – 7:15PM - Danko Hall
MONTHLY QUOTE:
I don't want
a BLACK History
MONTH...
BLACK history IS
AMERICAN history.
By Morgan Freeman
Tablespoon Olive Oil
Large Cloves Garlic,
Minced
1 Large Red Onion, Diced
1 Stalk Celery, Diced
1 Green Bell Pepper, Stem &
seeds removed & Diced
2 (1-pound) Cans Red Kidney
Beans
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Black
Pepper
1 Tablespoon Hot Sauce
2 1/2 Cups Chicken Stock
1 Cup White Rice
1 Tablespoon Butter
1 Tablespoon Fresh Minced
Cilantro Leaves
* * * HOLY WEEK * * *
What was Luke's
occupation?
The answer can be found
in Colossians 4:14 NKJ
In Isaiah 2:5-22 what
cave dwelling animal
is mentioned?
Somewhere in this
Newsletter is a picture
of that animal.
Isaiah 2:5-22 NKJ
Recipe courtesy of Robert Irvine
INGREDIENTS:
- Daylight Savings Time Begins
A LITTLE TRIVIA:
Red Beans and Rice
1
2
6:00 PM
7:00 PM Ash Wednesday Service
Purple Sunday
Covenant’s 35th Anniversary Sunday
Anniversary Service
After Service Anniversary Dinner
Jason & DeMarco Concert
DIRECTIONS:
Heat olive oil over medium-high
heat in a large saucepan. Saute
garlic, onion, celery, and bell
pepper until tender. Stir in kidney beans, onion powder, salt,
pepper, and hot sauce. Reduce
heat to low and let mixture simmer slowly while you
cook the rice.
Bring the chicken stock
to a boil and stir in rice
and butter. Return to a
boil, reduce heat to low,
cover and cook for 20
minutes without removing the lid. Remove
from heat and let stand for 5
minutes.
Fold rice and beans gently together and transfer to a serving
dish. Serve garnished with
cilantro.
Total Time: 30 Minutes
Prep: 10 Minutes
Cook: 20 Minutes
Yield: 8 Servings