March 30, 2022
What a great celebration we had this past Sunday! We celebrated the abundant and unmerited mercy of our God in worship and followed that with the celebration of our Prayer Partner ministry. At the same time, we celebrated the generous efforts of our Nurture Faith team and all they have done for our church in the season of our being physically dispersed but virtually connected. In the midst of those celebrations came the joy that many of us felt of being together as a church, generations together, catching up on time that has passed—even as parents caught up to their young children as they toddled away, maybe something they could not do the last time they were seen. It all gave us a glimpse of a new normal on the horizon that felt like home again.
We have much to celebrate as a church. With all of the variables that make our future less clear than we would like, we have a ‘present’ that is stable. Our church is unlike many in that we have had good attendance, giving, and contributions to our ministry in and through this ongoing pandemic. While a majority of Americans have contracted COVID, we as a church community have been very fortunate to have few cases in our midst.
We have made steps forward in a season frequently described as a season of retreat. I just received a hearty ‘thank you’ from Dean David Kersten from North Park Theological Seminary for providing four scholarships that have allowed four inmates to receive a seminary education. And we have attracted new people to our church, both online and in person. And we want to celebrate those people by inviting them to a “Getting to Know First Covenant” series. On May 8 and 15 after worship, we will have a light lunch and a two-hour presentation and conversation. On May 8 we will get to know each other as well as get to know the Covenant denomination. On May 15 we will look at First Covenant Church, its ministries, past and present. All are welcome, please sign up through Cinda Madonna. cmadonna@firstcovenantseatt;e.org
Though we have much to celebrate, we do not live with our heads in the sand. We know that this season has been, and is, a difficult one for many, both in our church and around the world. In our church, we recently lost a member, Bonita Blake, and though we celebrated her life and her promise of life to come, we grieve her loss and continue to pray for her family. If you have intended to, but have not yet contributed to her memorial fund, please do so soon. Those funds will go to her niece, Jessica Blake Heyde, who has shouldered all the costs associated with Bonita’s death.
In the world, we need to look no further than Ukraine. On the positive side, the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Ukraine has garnered support from people around the world, and Ukrainian refugees have been welcomed in countries with hospitality not seen in years, if not decades. People from other war-torn countries and regions have not and are not receiving that same sort of hospitality, however. In the United States, we have a backlog of unaccompanied children at our borders awaiting a place to call home. Most recently we had a large number of Afghan refugees arrive at our borders. The Ukrainian refugee crisis is unfortunately one of many in the world today.
Our own Natalie Means works in a foster care program that serves unaccompanied minors (detainees at the border), as well as recent refugee arrivals from Afghanistan and elsewhere. The current global refugee crisis is creating an unprecedented need for foster homes. In particular, there are many Afghani children waiting in shelters at the border for home placements. Natalie’s agency tends to work with homes outside of Seattle, primarily Pierce County. I encourage you to consider how you might spread this information to those you know who might be interested in the ministry of fostering refugee children. Of course, you might be interested in learning more about this opportunity yourself. In either case, please contact Natalie, to learn how to assist her and her colleagues in this most desperate time for so many children.
In Lent, we assess the needs of our world, and how well prepared we are to minister to those needs. The answer is always that we fall short. But we believe that God’s grace is sufficient to magnify and multiply our efforts to proclaim God’s ongoing work of redemption in a world that so desperately seeks evidence of that work. Might God grant our First Covenant community the faith to become part of that evidence, giving more and more people our reason to celebrate the life in Christ we know.
Pastor Todd