This Fall our theme is going to be “From Generation to Generation.” One of Covenant’s many strengths is that it is truly an intergenerational congregation. And as a congregation, we are young enough for many of you to have living memories of Covenant’s founding generation, which for many of you included your own parents or grandparents. Thus, many of you have connections with the very first Covenant generation and with our very youngest generation.
In hopes of enhancing this generational connection, we are launching a new program called “Covenant Kids,” which will pair older members of our congregation (55 and older) with children in Kindergarten through 5th grade. The hope is that these two generations will get to know each other as young and old converse with each other during our public worship and fellowship time. The pairings will last through the fall semester, and then in the winter / spring we will have new pairings. You can read more about this program in this edition of the newsletter.
Another example of this “generation to generation” theme is our family tree of faith. In our worship together, we will have a tree in the sanctuary that is symbolic of a family tree. Each week we will add ornaments and symbols to the tree as reminders of each biblical story we explore during Year 2 of the Narrative Lectionary, which includes stories of creation, belonging, community, struggle, exile, and resilient hope.
You’ve often heard me say that “faith is more caught than taught,” but I’m hard pressed to think of a time when I was too repetitive or when I shouldn’t have said it. It’s one thing to talk about loving God and loving neighbor and partnering with God to work for peace and justice, but it’s a much, much better thing for the youngest generation to see us doing our best to live out these values in our everyday lives.
I hope to see you in worship.
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Jack