Our Award-Winning Executive Director!
Covenant Network Executive Director Brian Ellison was honored last weekend by the Religion Newswriters Association. Together with two colleagues at KCUR-FM, Brian won Second Place in the Radio/Podcast Religion Report of the Year, a national contest recognizing excellence in professional journalists.
Find a Regional Conference Near You
As our local organizers are firming up their plans, details are being added to the Regional Conferences page.You can now find links and registration information to the events in the Twin Cities on Saturday, October 27; the Baltimore/DC area on Friday, November 2; and Milwaukee on Saturday, November 17.
Covenant Network Adopts New Call to Covenant Community
The Board of Directors of the Covenant Network has approved a new Call to Covenant Community, inviting congregations and individuals to renew their commitment — or make one for the first time — to the Covenant Network’s work for inclusion and unity in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).While we rightly celebrate the passage of G-2.0104b, returning historic and just standards for examination and ordination, the new Call reminds the church that there is still much work to do. All are invited to read the new mission statement and Call to Covenant Community – and to sign on by clicking the “JOIN” button at the left of the page.
Journey Through the Land of Ahhs
An Autumn Devotion by the Rev. Jay McKell: "I want you to join me on a journey I took across Kansas recently. Actually it’s a journey we’ve been taking for quite some time now. We just may not have realized it. Join me in the driver’s seat as you use your imagination to create the pictures I describe. But before we get going I want to suggest you read Psalm 139:1-18..."
A Life of Service
A Sermon on Mark 9:30-37 by the Rev. Ken Kovacs: When Jesus embraces the child it’s a symbolic action that demonstrates what Jesus is all about, what matters most in the kingdom of God; he shows us the kinds of values and questions that matter to God.[5] We should not be arguing who is the greatest. Instead, we are called to question the moral structure of society if that structure does not allow for the care of the “least of these” (Matthew 25:40). What is more, we have to work against that structure if society is not willing to care for the “least of these.”
Welcome Home
A Sermon on Acts 8:26-39 by the Rev. Chris Henry: "...All the preventative barriers and exclusive restrictions are no match for the Spirit’s radical acceptance. Who are we to say no when it is so clear that God has already said yes? Can we ever overestimate the love of God?..."
Twin Cities Will Host the Next Regional Conference
Instead of the national conference this year, a series of regional conferences will take place across the country.The first of the fall will be at Westminster Church in Minneapolis on Saturday, October 27; read on for details and online registration. Mark Achtemeier is the keynote speaker, and Dan Vigilante will preach.
Union Presbytery?
Can a PC(USA) presbytery form a “union” with a “presbytery” that has been set up by a group that is not recognized as a denomination, and that has no existing congregations, ministers, seminaries, or programs? Read the complaint against the action of the Presbytery of Santa Barbara to form a "union presbytery" with ECO: A Covenant Order of Evangelical Presbyterians.
God vs. Gay?
God vs. Gay? The Religious Case for Equality, by Jay Michaelson. Beacon Press, 2011.A Book Recommendation from Tricia Dykers Koenig
Book Note: Luke Paul
A Review by Barbara Wheeler of Luke Paul, by Finlay A. J. Macdonald:"The Church of Scotland’s long-time, greatly respected Principal Clerk (Stated Clerk in our terms) has written a book about a minister’s struggle with the issues of gay clergy and same-sex civil partnerships. The book is fiction, but it reads less like a novel than book-length journalism..."
Two Ordinations: Reflections from Nancy Enderle
The Rev. Nancy Hutchison Enderle served the Covenant Network of Presbyterians as Interim Executive Director in 2011-12. As she prepared to conclude her service, Nancy shared her reflections at the Commissioners Convocation Dinner the night before the 220th General Assembly (2012) convened in Pittsburgh:I’d like to start these comments with the tale of two ordinations....
Chick-fil-A: My take
Ruling Elder Jean Reinhold, Cleveland Heights, Ohio, reflects on the Chick-fil-A controversy: "Whether they know it or not, everyone knows a gay person. Everyone’s life has been positively impacted by someone who is gay -- a teacher, a doctor, a dentist, a hospice worker. There are millions of gay people living in God's loving covenant. Throngs of gay Christians worship a compassionate God. The only way for me to help people understand that, and know who I am, is by meeting me. Stories change minds."
WE HAVE FAITH: LGBT Clergy & People of Faith Speak Out
The Covenant Network is pleased to be a co-sponsor of WE HAVE FAITH, a new photo-text exhibit by the creators of “Love Makes a Family.” You can bring the exhibit to to your community - book now!
We offer ourselves...
A prayer by Jay McKell: "...If 'there is no place where earth’s sorrows are more felt than up in heaven,' then we would lift up an encouraging word to you and we would offer ourselves, strange as that seems, yes, we would offer ourselves as your supporters, your helpers in the ongoing, ever-challenging work of bringing to completion the good work which you began..."
O Church, What Does the Lord Require of You
A sermon on Micah 6:6-8 by Randy Bush: "Once the evangelical commotion of the modern church is turned down for a moment, the wisdom of other people of faith can be heard again. Mahatma Gandhi once said: I told the missionaries to refrain from telling India about Christ and merely live the life set before them by the Sermon on the Mount. India then, instead of suspecting them, would have appreciated and directly profited from their presence. Malcolm X once said: Don’t condemn a person who has a dirty glass of water. Just show them the clean glass of water that you have. When they inspect it, you won’t have to say that yours is better."
Scott Anderson's Keynote - CovNet GA Luncheon
"I speak of imagination because I believe there is a movement afoot in our world. A movement for civil rights? Well yes, that’s a big part of the story. A justice movement to address ancient prejudices and right ancient wrongs? Well, of course. But there is a deeper, wider, larger movement that permeates these smaller ones. The movement of God, the One who has gone way out in front of us in the church on a mission to heal, and to reconcile, and to restore all of creation, the One whose gracious hand is visibly evident, I believe, in all of these unimaginables we are now experiencing, signs of the nearness of God’s reign."