Makers' Mornings Are Coming to Abbey Way!

Every other month beginning in November, Abbey Way will host once a month a Makers' Morning to provide space for creative preparation for the upcoming liturgical season.

All ages welcome for conversation and crafts. 

SCHEDULE

Saturday, November 4: Advent: The Season of Waiting (Nests, Ornaments, etc.)

Saturday, January 6: Epiphany: The Season of Light and Revelation (Stars)

Saturday, March 3 : Lent/Easter: The Season of Suffering AND Hope (Crosses)

Saturday, May 5: Ordinary Time: The Season of Finding Life in the Everyday (Growing things)

Time: 9:00 AM-Noon

Place: Elim's Dining Room

RSVP to Pastor Jan or on the contact page so you can find out what you will need to bring!

 

"Living Into Community" Saturday Book Club

You are invited to join a discussion of the book Living into Community: Cultivating Practices that Sustain Us by Christine Pohl. You don't have to come to all of the Saturdays to participate but you do have to RSVP each time.  

The Book Club meets every other month on the first Saturday.

The schedule is as follows:

Saturday, October 7, 8:30-10 AM, Introduction & Section One: Embracing Gratitude as a Way of Life

Saturday, December 2, 8:30-10 AM, Section Two: Making and Keeping Promises

Saturday, February 3, 8:30-10 AM, Section Three: Living Truthfully

Saturday, April 7, 8:30-10 AM, Section Four: Practicing Hospitality and Beyond

Come prepared by reading the assigned chapters and identifying one new thought ("oh my, this is revolutionary!") and one growth area ("oh yeah, I need to pay attention to this in my life") contained in what you read. 

Let Pastor Jan know you are coming. 

We will be meeting at Elim Church in NE Minneapolis in the Dining Room.

Giving to the Victims of Hurricane Harvey

0828-hurricane-graphic.jpg

From Cov Magazine:

A special fund has been established for Covenanters to help victims of Hurricane Harvey.

Following is a statement from the Love Mercy Do Justice mission priority:

Hurricane Harvey is causing unprecedented and catastrophic flooding in southeastern and south-central Texas. With 62 counties under Texas’s disaster declaration, widespread evacuations, 316,000 power outages, and more than 2,000 water rescues since Sunday evening thus far, the damage will be of historic proportions.

The Love Mercy Do Justice mission priority in concert with the Midsouth Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church and Covenant World Relief are partnering to meet immediate needs along the Gulf Coast. Together we can be a part of helping to alleviate the pain and suffering of those most immediately affected through the provision of evacuation assistance, temporary shelter, food, water, and other felt needs.

The generous giving of Covenanters will enable the church to continue to respond as long-term recovery efforts are launched. We are committed to standing alongside Covenant churches and their partners on the ground in this time of urgent need.

Please pray for the churches of the Midsouth Conference and their surrounding communities, which have been affected by the storm. Please visit the giving page to give to Hurricane Harvey Relief. As this is an initial response, we will provide details regarding specific areas of care in the days ahead, particularly as the flooding subsides and needs on the ground can be more clearly assessed.

An Intergenerational Faith Community Resource List

Abbey Way Covenant Church is an intergenerational Christian faith community. Many have written about the value of all ages intentionally worshipping and learning together to foster faith that lasts. Here is a link to a website page that pulls together a variety of articles on the subject including one written by Abbey Way's Lead Pastor Jan Bros. Check it out.

Suggestions for Showing Up to the Sick

“I was sick and you came…” Jesus said. 

 -Matthew 25:36

  • We first ask, “What would be helpful to you?” –letting the person decide what they need, which may or may not be a visit.
  • We remember that the one who is sick is not our host/hostess, and the visit is not about you.
  • We take a moment to prepare/center ourselves before we show up. A simple prayer helps.
  • We sanitize our hands, on the way in and out. #don’tpassyourgerms
  • We take our jacket off, set down our purse/bag, sit at eye level, and refrain from touching the bed or hospital machines.
  • We keep the visit short. #short
  • We listen more than we talk. Go ahead and make silence your friend.
  • We remember that the best thing we can bring is our self, offering to the other the “gracious and unhurried presence of Christ.”
  • We show up. And when we show up, we can be sure Jesus shows up too.

-Pastor Laura

Ordinary Time Embodied Prayer

In the name of God the Father,

Christ the Son,

And the Holy Spirit,

I gather all the pieces of myself into my heart

I open my heart to you, O God

Come into my heart

And transform me

That I may be your person in the world

 

We are your church, the body of Christ

We lift our eyes to you, O God

Come, Merciful One

And transform us

That we may be your people in the world

Amen.