Service Check-up: November

Service Check-Up

Holy Covenant UMC 

 

November 2015

In This Issue

Angel Tree

Advent Conspiracy

Food Pantry

S.A.L.T.

TCADP

RMN

Calendar Update

 

Upcoming Meetings

Missions         Nov 12   6:30

Advocates      Nov 10  7:00

Blood Drive Dates:

January 3

 

Harvey’s Kids Dates:

November 14

 

Check Out Advocates:

 

Check out the Holy Covenant Website for the new updated description of your Advocates for Justice and Peace.  With fidelity to the DNA of Holy Covenant, we invite all to join us at our regularly scheduled monthly meetings.  Next meeting will be held on Tuesday, June 16th.  We hope see you there!

As we barrel into Advent, our thoughts become more jumbled and scattered, with to-do lists multiplying in our pockets!  We sometimes forget how truly blessed we are. 

Missions, Advocates for Peace and Justice, and Elijah Connection are all here to help you remember those blessings, and share that blessing with our neighbors.  

 

Angel Tree

Missions 

Holy Covenant is partnering with The Peter’s Colony Learning Center again this year to help provide Christmas gifts for our neighbors who may be struggling this year. 

The Director of the Community has been gathering paperwork for needs and requests among her residents.  These request will make their way to us, and find themselves hanging on our tree in the Narthex. 

You will soon be able to select an Angel from our tree and purchase gifts for that person.  You will return unwrapped gifts to our tree by December 13, ensuring plenty of time for sorting, wrapping, and distribution.

 

More hands make for lighter work!  To volunteer to help with this opportunity, please reach out to Linda Hill ([email protected]).

Food Pantry Needs YOU!

Missions – Food Pantry

What:  Food Pantry pick up from Metrocrest

 

When:  Tuesday – choose to help once, once a month, or every week!

 

How:  contact Colleen Evans ([email protected]) to find out more or volunteer

 

Who: YOU!!!

 

SALT – Seek Accept Love Transform   

Missions

With the beginning of school comes the ramp up of our SALT program for this school year.  SALT is an elementary school program adults are paired with students from Furneaux and Davis schools.  There are a couple of ways that you can participate.  We have a reading program which requires 20 mins of your time each week to meet with the student and read.  Occasionally other activities may be given by the teacher.  If you cannot make a weekly commitment, there is a Lunch Buddy program that is a once a month meeting with a student at lunch.  During this time, you will eat and get to know the child.  This is a great opportunity for the child to get one on one care that they might not otherwise get.  

If you would like to volunteer but can’t make daytime commitments, there is a need for a volunteer coordinator for a side project for the teachers.

If you would like to volunteer, please reach out to Andrea Allen at [email protected] or call 214-402-3244 with any questions.  

If you’ve already expressed your interest in this program, be patient!  The schools are currently in the process of identifying the children with whom we will work.

Please volunteer to help these children in our community grow into great readers and students.  

Texas Coalition to Abolish the Death Penalty (TCADP) 

Advocates

During this calendar year, the state of Texas has executed 12 people, with one more scheduled on November 18th.   To date, there have been 10 stays of execution, and there have been only 2 people sentenced to death. Currently, there are 255 people on death row. Your Advocates for Justice & Peace conduct 30-minute vigils on every execution date @ 6:30PM. Join us and meet in front of the HC sign.

The final scheduled execution for 2015 is 11/18- Raphael Holiday

Reconciling Ministries Network (RMN)

Advocates

The congregational “Survey of Discernment” has been completed, and Advocates for Justice & Peace presented results and recommendations to the Administrative Council on October 17th. Using Constant Contact, website, and hard copy, there were 121 respondents:

Key statistics:             

  • 88% believe that HC is a warm, open and welcoming congregation.
  • 74% feel that the current marquee statement “reflects what I believe”.
  • 36% state that HC should work to be fully inclusive… without an affiliation with the RMN.
  • 50% state that HC should affiliate with the RMN.
  • 58% believe that HC should support amendments to the Book of Discipline to ordain any qualified person for the clergy.
  • 75% believe that HC should support amendments to the Book of Discipline to offer universal acceptance and full inclusion of all persons.

Recommendations by Advocates that were approved by the Ad Council on 10/17:

  1. That the marquee statement should remain as it is.
  2. That HC should not conduct a vote for seeking affiliation with RMN at this time.
  3. That Ad Council research and endorse resolutions for full inclusion of all persons at the 2016 UMC General Conference.
  4. That Adult Education provide training opportunities on both the RMN and the UMC Book of Discipline; such training to consist of both current and historical aspects.

 Complete survey statistics are available for anyone who would like a copy; please send the request via email to Bob Michael ([email protected]) or to Kathy Amos ([email protected]).

Calendar Update 

Advocates

We invite all to join us at our regularly scheduled meetings on the second Tuesday of each month. Upcoming meetings will be held on Tuesday, Nov 10th, and Tuesday, December 8th. Our recent “priorities setting” exercise mentioned Fourteen Justice Issues- the top six that were ranked by Advocates were:

  • Reconciling Ministries
  • Immigration
  • Youth First
  • Interfaith and Peace
  • Community Engagement (Missions & Elijah Connection)
  • Death Penalty

Meetings begin @ 7:00PM in EB203. Join us as we seek to “Do Justice, Love Mercy, and Walk Humbly!