An Evening to Celebrate

Join us Sept. 29th at THE Club, to honor Bill & Cyndie Hay.  You should have received an invitation in the mail.  Contact Rhonda rkimbrough@covpres.com to RSVP.

Parenting 101

Dr. Gordon Bals is hosting a parenting seminar on Sept. 25, Oct. 2 & Oct. 9th in the Fellowship Hall from 5-7 p.m.  Childcare is provided for 5 and under and dinner for $5/each.  The focus will be gospel based parenting primarily focusing on parents with younger children.

Lunch Study

 Beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7th, Danny Giffen will be leading a book study, Surprised by Grace.  This study is open to men and women with lunch provided in room E206.  It is a short 8 week study.  Books are $13 each and can be picked up prior to the study or on the 1st week.

Wednesday Nights at Covenant.

Join the church each Wednesday night this Fall.  Music Clubs & Jubilate at 5 p.m., and dinner with Ingram's Café at 5:30 in the Fellowship Hall.  Youth, Children and Chancel Choir begin at 6:30.  Wed Worship also begins at 6:30 p.m.  The Ten Commandments: A Fence is Not Enough is our series this Fall.  Come and worship with us.  The full band led by Bobby Key and Fred Rogan on steel guitar are leading us.  TJ will teach on the 1st Commandent.  Communion served each week.

Fall Ministry Outreach

This Fall, Covenant will be hosting the Birmingham Hospitality Network for a week in September and again in October.  We're hoping that every member of Crosspointe will be able to either bring or serve a meal to our guests during one of the two weeks in which they are here.  For the month of September, our class will also be collecting toys for the children in BHN.  We will have a box in our classroom to collect the new and used toys, and we will have a box at our Fall Kick-off Party.  If you are buying a new toy, think about buying something with few pieces/parts (they tend to get lost or broken easily in the shuffle of families coming in and out).

Fall Kick-off

Mark your calendars... our Fall Kick-off Party will be on Sunday, September 25th at Erin and Wesley's house.  More information to follow!

NEW ROOM!

If you were in Sunday School last week you know that we moved to a new (and hopefully fairly permanent) room!  We're now in E310.  We're excited to have Danny Giffen teaching our class all Fall!

Men's Bible Studies

Michael will be leading a group through Dave Goetz's book called Death by Suburb, on Sunday evenings from 7:30 to 8:30. Paul will also be leading a morning group (most likely Mondays) at his office on Cobb Lane. Book TBD.  Contact Michael, Paul, or Lee to know how to get involved.

New Member Class

If you have been visiting Covenant and are interested in making this your church home, then we invite you to join us for a New Members Class on Friday evening/Saturday morning, August 5 and 6.  The New Members Class is your starting point to becoming a member of the Covenant Family and is required for church membership.  Registration is required by calling Victoria at 871-7002.  Childcare is available by reservation.

Women's Bible Study

Morning Drop-In Study will meet July 12-August 16 on Tuesday mornings from 10:00 until 11:00 with Bible study teacher Kay Gresham.  Kay’s topic for Tuesday, July 26, “Understanding the Males in Your Life”; August 2, “Being a Biblical Wife”; August 9, “Being a Friend”; August 16, “Being a Godly Woman”.

Summer Singers

While the Chancel Choir is on their mid summer break, The Summer Singers will form each Sunday through August 14. All ages are welcome, and we encourage whole families to attend together. We will meet in the choir room at 25 minutes before each worship service to briefly rehearse a simple but effective hymn arrangement for that service. If you enjoy singing along with others in worship, then this is a golden opportunity with a very limited time commitment.

Supper Clubs!

It's time to shuffle all of our Supper Clubs!  I know a lot of you have been enjoying your clubs, but we want to switch the groups up to give everyone more opportunities to form relationships with people they don't already know.  So, if you'd like to be in a supper club (these will meet once a month from August - December), please email me (Anna).  Let me know 1 or 2 nights that tend to work best for you - I'm going to try to group people according to nights that they can most easily meet.  Also, some people have expressed interest in "baby groups", so if you'd like to be in a group with other moms and dads in the class, let me know that too.

We're moving again!

Starting next Sunday, July 10th, we will be back in our old old room (the one we were in for the very first week in January before we were moved to the basement... the youth group is going to be using the basement).  The room number is E306 - it's on the 3rd floor of the Sunday School building.  In July and August, men from our class will be teaching from Ephesians.

Bowling Date Set!

Our next social outing will be on Tuesday, July 26th at 6:30pm.  We're going to go bowling at Brunswick lanes on 280 near Target.  On Tuesdays they have a special, so it will only cost $1.39 per game (plus shoe rental).  Let Anna know if you think you might come!  For those of you with children, let Anna know if you'd be interested in using the nursery at church.

One Service on July 3rd!

There will be no Sunday School this week at Covenant and only one service taking place at 10:00.  We will be celebrating July 4th with a picnic following the service.  Everyone is encouraged to dress casually.

July Bowling!

For our July social event, we will be going bowling!  We are working on getting a date and time - look for more info that will be coming shortly!

Doggy Play Date & Cookout

Join us tomorrow night at 6pm at Kent and Anna's house for a cookout and doggy play date!  There will be toys, baby pools, and treats for the dogs. Everyone is welcome!  We will have hotdogs, chips, and watermelon - bring whatever you'd like to drink.  

E-mail Anna for more info!

New Members Class

There will be a new member's class at the church this Friday night and Saturday morning (May 20 & 21).  If you are interested in learning more about Covenant or becoming a member, please contact the church office for more information.

Covenant Cares - Tornado Relief Efforts - Cooking

Covenant continues to reach out and minister to those impacted by the tornadoes that ripped through our state on April 27.  Donations to our Deacon Fund will assist with relief efforts (check payable to Covenant with a note your gift is designated for Tornado Relief).  Ingram is helping the Christian Service Mission with cooking meals.  She needs assistance to get these meals prepared.  Following are dates and times Ingram needs volunteers:

Tuesday, May 17, 9 a.m. – 12 noon; Thursday, May 19, 4 – 6:30 p.m.; Tuesday, May 24, 5 – 8 p.m.;

Thursday, May 26, 9 a.m. – 12 noon.

New Pastor to be Appointed

The Pulpit Committee has chosen Bill Boyd to be the new Sr. Minister of Covenant.  There will be a reception to welcome him next Saturday from 4:00 - 6:00pm in the Fellowship Hall.  He will be speaking during both morning services next Sunday.  A meeting will be held directly after the 11:00 service to vote on the Pulpit Committee's recommendation that Bill Boyd be appointed as the new Sr. Minister. 

Birmingham Hospitality Network - Toy Donations

The Birmingham Hospitality Network will be coming to Covenant for the week of May 22 - 29.  On Sunday, May 22nd we will be taking toy donations during Sunday School for the children who live with BHN.  These children travel from church to church and often are unable to carry many toys with them.  We would love to replace some of the broken toys currently in the children's box in the BHN room.  You may bring gently used or new toys for the children who range in ages from infants to teenagers.

Baby Shower!

There will be a diapers and wipes shower for Dory and Nancy on Sunday, May 22nd at 2:30 pm at Anna's house.  Look for an evite or contact Anna for more information.

Mark Your Calendar!

Crosspointe's summer cookout will be on June 4th!  Look for more information coming soon!

Covenant's Mission Home

The missions house that Covenant and other missionaries use when they are home for HMA is in need of a few household items:  a microwave oven, a queen size frame and headboard, a dresser with mirror, and some pots and pans.  If you have any of these items or can assist in acquiring them please contact Peggy at 870-9515.

Covenant Sevice Projects

All of us have been effected by this week by the storms that blew through Tuscaloosa and the greater Birmingham area.  It has been hard to organize since most of us were without power and are just now realizing the magnitude of what has transpired.  We have many areas you can help.

1.  The Deacon Fund – we will be targeting monies given for relief efforts this week thru the deacon fund.  Please encourage your Sunday School classes to give here.

2.  Christian Service Mission – We are partnering with Tracy H. in several ways to help which will be more tangible and fluid as needs and accessibility is being updated hourly. Giving financially here is also encouraged. http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Tornado-Relief-Opportunities.html?soid=1104387634762&aid=d-qUueYjIq8 If you join up with us this afternoon or Sat. morning, you can bring many of the items on this site that they need.  Drop off supplies near nursery with Jami or bring with you at the work events listed below.

Where Can I Help This weekend?

****1.  Friday afternoon – William S. and men from the Cornerstone class are meeting this afternoon at their warehouse 3600 3rd Ave south around 2:30 p.m.- 3 p.m.

2.  Saturday Morning – Covenant Cares!!
 Meet at 9 a.m. In the church parking lot for a three-fold effort.
 1.  Men, Women and Youth– bring tools, chainsaws, wheelbarrows, gloves, etc.  John S. is organizing the efforts with Tracy H. to meet their greatest needs for that day—work crews here.
 2.  Women – Come to the kitchen and help prepare meals.  We are targeting Bethel Baptist Church in
 Pratt City to help. They are a wonderful, gospel-centered congregation whose church bldg is no longer.
 We will be providing meals to their members who are currently living in Boutwell Auditorium.
 Please bring the following as we will assemble and deliver these meals downtown.
  1.  Loaves of Bread
  2.  Sandwich meat
  3.  Individual bags of chips
  4.  Grapes, strawberries
  5.  Water bottles
  6.  Bags of candy bars
  7.  Ingram is making cookies to put in the box lunches

3.  Childcare available – we will provide nursery for 5 years and under from 9 a.m. - 1 pm on Saturday.  The childcare is free but we'd ask that you give $10/child you drop off.  All of this money will go towards a Walmart gift card to Jessica L's mother-in-law whose home was wiped out in Pratt City.  Many of you know Jessica as she has loved on your kids here. 

4.  Eastlake Initiative – Lastly, the Jr. High had a group helping out tomorrow morning working in Eastlake but may morph into storm clean-up.  We will keep your families posted. 

Continue to pray for these neighborhoods and families that have been hit by this tragic storm.  As of now, we know of no one from our church family that has been seriously injured or killed, praise God.  Continue to praise God for Murray Lee's family as a tree went through their home but no one was injured. 

New Members Class

If you are interested in making Covenant your church home, we invite you to join us for a new members class on Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21.  Reservations are requested by calling Victoria at 871-7002 ext. 101.

Sunday Lunch at the Lattas'

Join us this Sunday for lunch at the Lattas' after the 11:00 service!  The Lattas are providing the main dish.  Go to PerfectPotluck.com to sign up to bring a side or dessert.  If you need the password, email Lee at covpres.crosspointe@gmail.com.

Sunday School Baby Shower!!

The girls of Crosspointe will be having a diapers and wipes baby shower for Cile on April 10th at 2:30pm at Megan's house.  Please join us!

Baby Shower for Sav-A-Life

Covenant will be hosting a baby shower on Tuesday, April 26th at 6:00 p.m. for a group of women who sought help from Sav-A-Life in Vestavia, and have made the wonderful, life-changing decision to keep their babies.  Please see the information sheet in the Sunday School Folders for details if you are interested in being involved, or contact Anna A. at 205-470-8998.  Nursery will be provided by reservation.

Grace House Ministries

24 young ladies reside at Grace House now, and all would love to have a new Easter Dress!  If you would like to contribute to the purchase of new Easter Dresses for these precious young girls, please send a check designated for Easter Dresses, to 

Grace House Ministries, P. O. Box 547, Fairfield, AL  35064.

Spring Bazaar

Our Holiday Bazaar this past November was a huge success and our Mother's Day Out Ministry is excited to host a Spring Bazaar on Friday, April 1, from 9:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Jewelry, food items, home décor, paintings, candles, crafts, clothing items, specialty products, and much more will be available. Come and bring a friend with you!

VBS teachers needed!

Plans and preparations are underway for Vacation Bible School 2011, June 13-17—and we need 30 more teachers to help lead the way in forming our volunteer team. Sign up is available in the 2nd floor lobby of the Children's Building or contact Jocelyn, Volunteer and Special Events Coordinator, at 968-7366.

Covenant Women's Ministry - Spring Fling 2011

Ladies, mark your calendar and reserve Thursday, April 14, for our annual Springfling luncheon. This year we are delighted to welcome special guest Sally Lloyd-Jones, a British-born writer of wonderful children's books, most notably The Jesus Storybook Bible, which has sold well over 100,000 copies and shows better than many theological texts how everything in the Bible points to Christ. Watch for more details in the coming weeks.

Photos

Check out the photos page above to see pictures of recent Crosspointe events!

All-Adult Sunday School This Week

This week is All-Adult Sunday School in the Fellowship Hall.  Dr. Tom Edwards will be sharing with an emphasis on their recent mission trip to Haiti.  Several members of his team will be lending him a hand so come and hear how God is working.

Facebook Group

Join the Crosspointe Facebook Group to make sure that you stay up to date on important announcements!

Portland, ME (Missions Opportunity)

This is trip is scheduled for July 16 – July 23, 2011.  If you are interested in the details of this incredible outreach opportunity, please contact Rev. Edwards, Team Leader, at 871-7002, ext. 102.

First Monday Lunch Bunch

Covenant's First Monday Lunch Bunch will meet March 7, at 11:45 a.m. in S104.  Lunch is $6 and childcare for children 5 and under is available in SonShine Valley.  All ladies are invited.

Missionaries

Check out the new Missionaries Page at the top.  You can click on that to see information about the three missionaries families that shared with our class during this year's Missions Festival.  Hopefully, we will be able to stay in contact with them and update the page as we hear of new prayer requests.

Sips n' Strokes for the Ladies!

The guys are going shooting, so the girls are going to have some fun of our own!  Ladies, join us for a leisurely afternoon of painting at Sips n' Strokes on Hwy 280.  To see the cute flower painting scheduled for that day, click on the website (https://www.sipsnstrokes.com/calendar.aspx?FacilityUID=al001) .  For those that can, we'll meet for lunch at 12:00 at Edgar's Bakery in the Colonade and then head over to Sips n' Strokes.  Please feel free to invite friends!

*It's best if we make reservations ahead of time on the website!!  So please go ahead and make your reservation as soon as you can by clicking on the painting and then clicking "register now"!  If you have any questions, contact Anna or Amanda by e-mailing covpres.crosspointe@gmail.com.

Guys' Sporting Clay Trip

On Saturday March 12 we are going to get a group of guys together and go down to Tannehill Sporting Clays for the day.  We will probably grab some lunch and then drive to Tannehill (between Bham and Tuscaloosa) for the afternoon.  The facility has a sporting clays course, 5 stand, and a pistol range which should allow everyone to shoot as much as they want for $10-30.  We will be back in town by late afternoon/early evening.
I hope everyone will be able to come and feel free to invite any of your friends (whether they have been to Crosspointe or not). It should be a great time, even if you are not a hunter or shooter.  Please let me know at church, by e-mail, or by phone if you can make it so i can get an idea of how many we will have.  I will make an announcement in Sunday School the next couple of weeks and will have more detailed plans as I get an idea for the size of the group.  For more information, contact Kent or email Lee at covpres.crosspointe@gmail.com.

Missions Dessert Social!!!

Don't forget that the Missions Dessert Social will be tomorrow night (Tuesday) at 6:30 PM.  The location has changed to Lee and Dory Baker's house. If you have any questions, please contact Lee Baker at covpres.crosspointe@gmail.com.  We hope you will be able to join us for a wonderful night of fellowship with missionaries from Covenant.

Missions Dessert Social

Crosspointe will be hosting two missionary families for a dessert social on Tuesday, March 1st at Stacey and Paul Loyless's house in Homewood.  More details will be coming in an evite soon!

Interested in Romania This Summer?

Danny Giffen is hosting an informational meeting immediately following the 11:00am service on Sunday, March 6th in Room E201.

Family Service Trip

Interested in going on a domestic family service trip this summer? Lighthouse family retreat ministry serves families living through childhood cancer by helping them to laugh, restore family relationships, and find hope in God - at the beach!

Rosemary Beach Retreat will be June 19^th-25^th.  For more information call Kate and Clay Wheeler @ 862-2769 or visit  www.lighthousefamilyretreat.org .

24 hours of Prayer for Missions 2011

Join us in our 24 hour prayer line for Missions 2011 on Friday/Saturday, February 25 – 26.  Commit to pray for 30 minutes for this world missions event and the more than 50 missionaries that will be our guests.  Record your commitment today on the prayer board located in the church foyer.

Supper Clubs

Supper Clubs will be starting this month!  Groups have been assigned - but if you forgot to sign-up, there's still time!  E-mail Anna at aghartzog@gmail.com to join a supper club.

Crosspointe Kick-off & Super Bowl Party!

To celebrate the start of our new class, we're having a Super Bowl Party!  Join us on Sunday, February 6th at 5:30 to watch the Super Bowl and eat tons of great tailgaiting food at Wes Specer's parents' house!  If you did not get an evite with information and directions, please e-mail Amanda Spencer at akholmes1@gmail.com to be added to the evite list.  Everyone is welcome!

Wednesday Worship

Join us for Sunday Lunch!

Check the board at the front of the room each Sunday to see where we're planning to meet for lunch after the 11:00 service.  We're in need of some suggestions, so tell us your favorite lunch spot in the comments section!

New Members Class

Interested in becoming a member of the Covenant church family?  Join us for a New Members Class on February 4 -5, 2011, (Friday evening/Saturday morning).  For reservations, please contact Victoria Williams at 871-7002, ext. 101.

Birmingham Hospitality Network

Covenant will be hosting the Birmingham Hospitality Network the week of February 6 – February 13, 2011.  Barbara Finch is the coordinator for Covenant and is seeking volunteers.  Sign up sheets are in the Sunday School folders.  For more information you may contact Suzanne at 335--7667 or Dorian at 410-1023.  

Volunteers are needed to provide guests with breakfast and dinner, eat dinner with guests, and stay over-night in the church with guests.  This is a wonderful opportunity for the Crosspointe class.  It's a chance to get to minister to homeless families in our community.  If you'd like to know more about what the Birmingham Hospitality Network is, feel free to contact Anna at aghartzog@gmail.com

Nice-n-New Shop

As part of Missions Festival we will open a clothes closet for guest missionaries.  If you have clothes (children and adult sizes) in excellent condition that you would like to donate, please bring them to S102 (Sanctuary/first floor).

Missions Festival 2011

Our annual Missions Festival is February 26-March 2 with guest speaker Sam Metcalf, President of Church Resource Ministries (CRM), and close to 50 missionary guests from around the world. Plans and preparations are underway for this church-wide event. If you would like to be a part of our Missions 2011 Volunteer Team, please pick up a “Be Involved” form at the Welcome Centers or contact Phyllis Hamm, Missions Coordinator, at 871-7002, ext. 130 or email phamm@covpres.com.  There are also “Be Involved” forms in the Missions Festival Folder in each Sunday School Class.

Concert and Seminar Tomorrow!

Don't forget that Matthew Smith and Indelible Grace will be playing a free concert tomorrow night at 6:30 at Covenant for Wednesday Worship in the Sanctuary.  


Also, there will be a seminar preceding the concert from 4:30 to 5:30 in room S100 (under the sanctuary) with Matthew Smith leading a discussion and forum on worship and hymnody.  Please RSVP with Danny (dgiffen@covpres.com) if you'd like to attend the seminar.

Christmas Countdown Recipes

If you attended the Christmas Countdown women's event at Covenant in December, you KNOW how great the food was!  Dory and the volunteers did a wonderful job of putting all of the food together for the dinner.  In case you did not get the recipe cards that night or if you were not able to make it, you can get the recipes from the links below.

Zesty Cheese Spread
Parmesan and Thyme Crackers
Pear and Goat Cheese Salad w/ Sherry Vinaigrette
Pork Tenderloin w/ Mustard Sauce
Buttermilk Pie
Spinach Artichoke Casserole
Chocolate Cake w/ Expresso Cream

Missions Opportunity at Covenant

Dr. Bo Bashinsky will be leading a short term Missions trip to Acapulco, Mexico on March 26 – April 2nd with our  MTW missionary Betsy Christiansen.  This will be a medical mercy mission trip – however anyone can come – medical field, evangelism, ministry in an orphanage, etc. Please contact Dr. Bashinsky for more information at Drbobash48@att.net  or by phone at 663-9616

Supper Clubs

Crosspointe Supper Clubs will begin in February!  Each Supper Club will have about five couples and meet once a month.  If you would like to be in a Supper Club, either comment on this blog post or e-mail Anna at aghartzog@gmail.com by the end of January. 

Women's Bible Studies at Covenant

Winter/Spring Women's Bible Studies are starting up at Covenant this week!  For a list of opportunities, visit the Women's Ministries page here.

We're Moving!

We're moving to a new room!  We are so excited to have had such a big crowd on Sunday and to have already outgrown our room!  So, we are temporarily moving to room E108 while changes are being made to give us more room upstairs.  E108 is downstairs below the Fellowship Hall.  From the Fellowship Hall (if you're facing the stage) go out the doors to your left and down the stairs next to the kitchen - you should see us from there.  If you're not sure about where to go, go to the room where we were located last week (E306) and there will be someone there who can lead you to the new room.  We will be in the new room until some time in March.  See you Sunday!

Sunday School Supper Club

Join us on Sunday, January 16th at 6:00pm for a 

Sunday School Supper Club dinner at 

Zona Rosa in Liberty Park.

Matthew Smith and Indelible Grace Concert at Covenant

Welcome to Crosspointe!

Crosspointe is a new Sunday School community at Covenant Presbyterian Church in Birmingham, AL.  We will have our first meeting on Sunday, January 9th at 9:40am in room E108.  Our Sunday School class is forming in order to meet the needs of couples in their 20s and early 30s who are nearly or newly married but is open to anyone who is interested.

This blog will be used to distribute announcements of upcoming events and to post stories and pictures of past events.  Please check back often!

If you have any questions, you can e-mail Lee and Dory Baker at covpres.crosspointe@gmail.com