To celebrate those graduating from high school and college, we would like to send you off in style with our favorite foods that we often ate in the cafeteria.

Whether you were one of the cool kids or one of the band nerds (even COOLER, right?), come join us as we celebrate the accomplishments of our Covenant family.

Please bring YOUR twist on traditional high school cafeteria favorites like fancy chicken nuggets, Italian square pizza or truffled tater tots.

WARNING: You might see some hair nets and plastic gloves!  Cake, of course!!!

 If you are, or you have a child who is graduating from high school or college, please email Jeremy Lee  at  kychristianman20@yahoo.com to let him know so we can recognize that accomplishment.

]]> http://covenantofthecross.com/may-potlucks-morning-the-13th-evening-the-27th/feed/ 0 http://covenantofthecross.com/memorial-day-picnicpotluck-may-28th-11-a-m-to-2-p-m/ http://covenantofthecross.com/memorial-day-picnicpotluck-may-28th-11-a-m-to-2-p-m/#comments Sun, 20 May 2012 13:44:59 +0000 Patrick.Molloy http://covenantofthecross.com/?p=5908 If you’re not planning to be sitting on the beach with a iced drink in your hands, come join us as we celebrate the 3-day weekend with food, fun and fellowship.

There will be contests and prizes, so you won’t want to miss this picnic.  We will be posting more details bout this fun event in the weeks to come.  

If you would like to help with this, please email Jeremy Lee  at  kychristianman20@yahoo.com to let him know.

Hope to see you there!

Fun and games with the Kids Ministry folks!  These events are ALWAYS a lot of fun, and they are an opportunity to invite kids from the neighborhood, and their parents to come and join the excitement.

See Associate Care Pastor Linda for more info.  You can email lkbCOTC@gmail.com or call her at 615-513-1842 to find out more information, OR to volunteer to help.

Immediately following Morning Worship Celebration

Please sign up at the Connections Booth in the Church Lobby or see Carly Price, John Lassiter, Ashley McKinney or Scott Thweatt for more details.

See Associate Care Pastor Linda Brendlinger for more info.

Sermons – baptisms – music – an area for kids with games, etc. – potluck meals – etc. Lots of opportunity and involvement.
Mark it on your Calendar.

This year we will have an outreach booth at the Festival.  There will be signup sheet in the Vestibule if you would like to help staff the booth, or contact Jeremy Lee at kychristianman20@yahoo.com and let him know when you can be there.

Please check back here for times and location.

Please plan to attend, and as always, everyone is welcome.

The first type of fellowship in which we find ourselves is the Fellowship of the Comrade.  This is based on a common opposition to something, or someone.  This fellowship is based in conflict and ends when the common foe is defeated.  While the battle is joined we stand with one another, but only because our joint enemy is greater than we and we need allies to defeat them.  We see this in war, in politics, and in the negative and caustic relationships where people are denigrated and belittled.  This fellowship never builds, and in fact, may one day cause the comrades to fight one another because the only common bond was being against something.  It is like Preachers and Bootleggers finding common purpose in defeating a ballot initiative to make a county wet.  One fights because they thing legalizing selling alcohol will cause harm to the community, whereas the other fights to keep their income from contraband alcohol.  Once they win, or lose, they will once again go to their respective corners to renew their previous conflict because they came together because of opposition or hate of something.

The second type of fellowship in which we find ourselves is the Fellowship of the Constituent.  This fellowship engages in creating something, or reaching a common goal.  This fellowship most closely mirrors that the last one we will speak of today – but thinking they are the same brings great pain.  This fellowship is what the United States did when the country was focused on sending people to the Moon.  It causes people to focus on a great goal and they work, strive, and seek to achieve the goal.  The people involved in this fellowship may not stay if they believe that there is a better, faster, or more complete way to achieve the same goal.  They want to achieve the goal and are focused on that rather than building deep abiding relationships.  Think of this as if you need to hire some temporary workers for a while.  You do not fall in love with them because you hired them for 6 months.  They are not destined to stay with you because they are about the cause, not about you, or the community you are in.  Love them as they come and love them as they go.  Do not get bitter, many are in this part of your life and they look and act like the last and most powerful of the fellowships.

The last fellowship, and most powerful, is the Fellowship of the Community.  This is the fellowship where it is not about who you are against, or what you are for, but rather about being for one another.  This is the fellowship in which Jesus is most fully seen.  It is a place where people want one another to succeed and become more than they were.  John 1:14 says this about Jesus: “And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”  This fellowship is filled with Grace and Truth.  It is a place where people can be honest about who they are, and given grace for that.  It does not find fault, but rather gives strength for the coming storms of life.  It is not born in perfection, but rather is born in speaking the truth about where a person is and then giving them the grace to allow Jesus to change them from the inside out.  It bears up the week, challenges the inappropriate, healing the broken, and teaches all the live in the way of Jesus.  It is a fellowship, which creates a way where we are not destroyed by the storm, but sustained by the presence of Jesus within the community.

Each year here in middle Tennessee we have storms that do damage to trees that stand-alone.  Those that stand-alone are usually settling for the fellowships of comrades or constituents.  Whereas the fellowship of the Community is a forest where the trees roots intertwine and cause a stabilization of the trees within it.  They bend, but do not break.  They sustain through the storm, even if it is hard to do so.  My prayer for you this week is that you understand you can’t live in the first two and that the last one is the only one that will sustain.  Let us not forsake the gathering of the saints – that we may overcome the storm.