November 2016

PASADENA COVENANT CHURCH

All-Church Advent Breakfast

Sunday, November 27th 8:30-10am gym
Family Craft & Devotionals
Advent breakfast is a time for the entire family to join together and shift focus from our day-today lives to anticipating with joyful expectation the birth of our Savior. All ages are invited to
join us for breakfast, followed by a simple family craft. This year we will be making advent
wreaths. Families will be given a guide that can be used to center a simple family devotional
time around their wreaths each week leading up to Christmas. Breakfast will be provided by
PCC Student Ministries, with a free will offering going to support youth scholarships.

Christmas Shoebox Project Collect Nov. 20th

We encourage each family to put together a Christmas shoebox as a gift to a child in need.
Shoeboxes are sent to children in war-torn countries, refugee camps, and in developing nations.
Instructions for putting your shoebox together are in the children's classrooms. Bring your box
with you to church on Sun., Nov. 20th. If you would be available to help deliver the shoeboxes
after church on the 20th to distribution centers in Arcadia, La Crescenta or Eagle Rock, please
contact Vikki Randall at vrandall@pasadenacovenant.org.

First Sunday of Advent - November 27th

On the first Sunday of Advent, November 27, we invite you to prayerfully reflect and prepare
your heart for the season ahead. There will be a desert Advent art installation in the Courtyard,
a beautiful collaboration between Mary Lou Totten and Steve Stuckey, combining poems, desert
landscape paintings and a prayer guide to assist your time of reflection. As a congregation in this
time of transition, we are reminded of the nation of Israel who waited for centuries for their
Messiah to arrive. This wait was compared to the dry desert waiting for the spring rains to refresh
the earth. We wait for all that God has for us in the years ahead. We wait. We pray. We listen.
We pay attention.
Advent begins in the dry thirsty desert. It begins in a place of lonely silencewaiting. We invite
you to take 20-30 minutes of silent time to come, walk through the space and sit in the
Courtyard to read and pray. The installation will be open from 9am - noon. Come to the desert
to meet the Lord.

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Bible Study, hosted by Couriers: 9am Sundays

Come to the Bible Study, hosted by the Couriers, in the Fireside Room, at 9am. All are welcome.

Small Communities
Here is the full slate of monthly small communities that will be gathering. They are all entry points
for connection, fellowship, and a meal or sweets. They are offered at various times during the week
so we hope they will meet the needs of all those interested in taking part. Please connect directly with
your host if you are interested in attending any of these groups. If you are interested in hosting an
additional group or have any questions, please email Anita at asorenson@pasadenacovenant.org.
Community Dinner (will return in the Spring)
Family-Friendly Dinner (2 Sundays a mo. 4-6:30pm)

Melissa and Blair Heuer

melissaheuer@gmail.com

Baked Potato night (3rd Sunday)

Terry and Chuck Fields

fieldsX3@yahoo.com

Points East Potluck (Last Sunday 5:30 PM)

Lee and Kitty Purgason

LPurgason@sbcglobal.net

Third Thursday Potluck Dinner

Susan and Wayne Aoki

susanaoki@sbcglobal.net

"The Nixon Group" (3rd Friday 6-9pm)

Steve Stuckey
stevenstuckey@sbcglobal.net

Koinonia (1st Sunday) at Corner House

Judy Pruitt
dapruitt@earthlink.net

Women's Book Group (4th Tuesday 7pm)

Jennifer Mawhorter
jmawhorter@pomona.edu

Men's Book Group (2nd Thursday 7pm)

Rich Doyle
doylerjrb@aol.com

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Urban Ministries Team

The Urban Ministry Team invites you to join
us Monday, November 7, at 7pm in the
Santa Barbara room (across from the
sanctuary building, next to nursery). Sara
Tompkins, CCLA Refugee Resettlement
Director, of Catholic Charities, will join us
for exploratory conversations about refugee
resettlement.
For more info, contact Vikki Randall at
vrandall@pasadenacovenant.org.

The Men's Book Club will meet on

Thursday, Nov. 10 to discuss THE SISTERS
OF SINAI, by Janet Soskice, which tells the
true story of two adventurous Victorian ladies
who defied sensibilities to travel in the
Middle East, where they discovered one of
the earliest copies of the Gospels.
For more information, please contact Rich
Doyle at DoyleRJRB@aol.com.

Womens Book Club

The Pasadena Covenant Women's Book
Club will meet on Tuesday evening,
November 29, at 7:30pm in the Corner
House to discuss A Man Called Ove: A Novel
by Fredrik Backman.
Book kit copies are available.
Newcomers and visitors are welcome.
Questions? Contact Jennifer Mawhorter at
Mawhorter jmawhorter@pomona.edu.

Upcoming Preacher Schedule

November 6 - Vikki Randall
November 13 - Ron Short
November 20 - Ron Short
November 27 - Dave Rinker

The next Koinonia Prayer and Praise potluck

will be on Sunday, November 13, at 6pm at
the home of Paul and Tonia Fletcher. Please
contact Tonia to coordinate your potluck
item at ptfletch@pacbell.net.

There will be a congregational business

meeting on Sunday, November 13, following
the worship service. We will discuss our 847
Santa Barbara Property along with
information regarding a Search Committee.

Trustee & Staff Meeting

Monday, November 14
6pm in the Corner House

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Kids Ministry: Journey FROM the Promised Land:

Sharing the Light of Gods Love
Sunday Mornings at 10:30am nursery thru 5th grade
This year we set off on the final leg of our 3-year journeythe Journey FROM the Promised
Land! This year all three classes (2's & 3's, PreK/K and gradeschool) will study the same lesson
each week, making it easier for families to follow up at home. In the fall and winter, we will
finish up our study of Jesus' life and teaching, focusing on the question: What does it mean to
live IN God's Kingdom? In the Spring quarter we will study the book of Acts, as the story spreads
to the ends of the earth: the journey FROM the promised land. Next summer we'll learn how the
story is still being spread throughout the world.

November lessons and follow up suggestions for families:

Nov. 6th: The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:1-3, 11-32), Mighty Memorizers (the Lord's prayer)
Nov. 13th: Jesus heals 2 blind men (Matt. 20:29-34)
Nov. 20th: The Sower (Matt. 13:1-8, 18-23)
Nov. 27th: A Child Called Immanuel (Is. 7:10-17)

Follow up questions:
1. What surprised you in this story?
2. What does it tell you about Gods Kingdom?
3. How could we respond to this story?

Follow up activities: this month's story is all about noticing the "signs" of the Kingdomthe
ways that Jesus is showing us that the Kingdom is already here. This would be a good time to
begin to build traditions focused on "noticing"what is God doing among us? Many PasCov
families have already begun this thru a simple practice of the Ignatian Prayer of Examen: choose
a time at the end of the dayperhaps dinner time or bedtime. Invite your family members to
each share where they felt close to God that dayto notice where they were aware of God's
presence. You may want to write these down in a calendar or journal to look back on later. This
simple practice can help both parents and kids begin to be more aware of God's presence in your
daily lives. (For more ideas re: using the Prayer of Examen with children, see Sleeping with Bread,
by Matthew and Sheila Linn.)

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(continued)

Mighty Memorizers
Mighty Memorizers is our program to encourage Bible memorization among our kids, PreK
through 5th grade. Kids learn one verse each month, related to their Sunday morning lessons. All
our memorizers are honored each June. We encourage families to learn these verses together and
make them part of your daily routine! In the fall, we will be learning together the Lord's prayer.
In September and October we learned the first four verses of the prayer (Matt. 6:9-12). In
November we will learn the final verse: Dont let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the
evil one. For yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. Matt. 6:13,
NLT

Dry Seed Pods, Acorns and Mini-Pinecones needed

Please collect and save dry seed pods, acorns and mini-pinecones from your gardens. PasCov Kids
Ministries can use them to decorate advent wreaths at our annual Advent Breakfast. Please leave
your items in the basket in the narthex (lobby) of the sanctuary.

THE FALL - PCSM

Wednesday, November 9 If You Could
Wednesday, November 16 Turkey Tom
Monday, December 21 Christmas Times Deuce
For times, locations or other information about these events,
please contact Dave Rinker at drinker@pasadenacovenant.org.

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Pasadena Covenant helps man the Bad Weather Shelter on 16

Wednesday evenings from November 30th thru March 15th
Pasadena Covenant partners with area churches and the City of Pasadena to
help respond to this need. During winter months when temperatures drop to
42 degrees or below, or there is a 40% change of rain, Pasadena Covenants
gym transforms into a shelter for those who need a safe place to stay at night.
Area churches share responsibilities: as the host church, we cover the 16 Wednesday nights from November
30th through March 15th. There are several jobs, so if your time is limited, you can volunteer with what
fits your schedule. Our volunteers basically help anytime from 6:30-9:00pm, so even if you need to arrive
late or need to leave early, there will be opportunities for you to help. Trained, professional staff will be on
site to help direct volunteers. You may sign up for one, two, or more Wednesday nights, either as an
individual or as a group (e.g. small community or group of several families). Children are welcome to serve
with their families under their parent's close supervision.
To sign up to help, or for more information about the BWS, come to the Bad Weather Shelter table in
the Courtyard/gym on Sundays during hospitality time. You may also email Kim Dorman at
jckkdorman@sbcglobal.net or Vikki Randall at vrandall@pasadenacovenant.org.

Christmas Eve at the Shelter - December 24

At Christmas our hearts turn to home and family, even as we tell the story of Mary and Joseph traveling to
Bethlehem, in search of shelter for baby Jesus to be born. So it seems particularly appropriate for us to
think of and care for the members of our own community who are without home or shelter this Christmas.
As part of our own Christmas celebration and Christmas Eve worship service, PCC will be hosting the
shelter, come rain or shine, with a full Christmas dinner. We are expecting up to 144 homeless men and
women from our community to join us for this very real Christmas celebration.
This is an amazing way to celebrate the birth of our Savior, and there are many ways you can be involved,
even if you will be traveling over the holidays.
Financial donations to help provide for paid staff (director, social worker, security, cleaning crew) for
the shelter as well as paper goods and other components of the meal
Donation of items to be included in the 144 gift bags PCC Kids ministry will put together for our
guests
Donations of cooked food on Christmas eve to be part of our dinner
Volunteers needed to serve Christmas Eve from 6-9 pm (can come after the Christmas Eve service)

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2016 Thanksgiving Offering: Covenant World Relief

Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the way the Lord has been faithful to each of us during
the past year. In response, we have the opportunity to share with those who are less fortunate
and are struggling with basic living issues. Covenant World Relief has been the Evangelical
Covenant Churchs response to human suffering and injustice in the world for more than
60 years. Through disaster relief and community development, we partner in the
transformation of individuals, families, and communities. Our mission is to join God in
loving, serving, and working together with the poor, the powerless, and the marginalized.
Relief is immediate assistance in times of natural or human-made disaster by providing
water, shelter, and food. Transformational Development is working with communities and
families as they help themselves through micro-enterprise, micro-finance, sustainable water
development, community health initiatives, agriculture, and sustainable food programs.
Covenant World Relief depends fully on donations from local Covenant churches and
individuals and this year Pasadena Covenant Church's Thanksgiving offering will support the
important work of CWR. More information will be mailed out in November and the CWR
offering will be collected on Sunday, November 27th.

Ministry Opportunity (for all ages) Door of Hope Birthday Club

Door of Hope is a local ministry for families transitioning out of homelessness. Once a month,
PasCov families host a simple birthday party for children at the home. Families rotate
responsibility, serving 3-4 times over the course of the year to provide either pizza or cupcakes.
This is a ministry that any age can do a great opportunity for families with kids to serve
together in a fun way, building friendships with the Door of Hope families. We are looking for
4-5 more families, couples or individuals to join our team for the coming year. For more
information contact Vikki Randall at vrandall@pasadenacovenant.org.

Pasadena Covenant Church

539 North Lake Avenue
Pasadena, California, 91101-1217
Return Service Requested

Page 8

November 2016
1 Tuesday
2 Wednesday
5:45pm Childrens Choir
6:30pm PCSM LifeGroups
3 Thursday
4 Friday
5 Saturday
6 Sunday
9:00am Classes
10:30am Worship Service
11:45am Hospitality
12:00pm Miriam Singers
4:00pm Family-Friendly Dinner
5:00pm Alpha Parenting Course
7 Monday
7:00pm Urban Ministries Meeting
8 Tuesday
9 Wednesday
5:45pm Childrens Choir
6:30pm PCSM LifeGroups
10 Thursday
7:00pm Mens Book Club
11 Friday
Offices & Facilities Closed
12 Saturday

13 Sunday
9:00am Classes
10:30am Worship Service
11:45am Congregational Business Meeting
11:45am Hospitality
12:00pm Miriam Singers
5:00pm Alpha Parenting Course
6:00pm Koinonia Prayer & Praise potluck
14 Monday
6:00pm Trustee/Staff Meeting
15 Tuesday
9:30am Sarah Circle
16 Wednesday
5:45pm Childrens Choir
6:30pm PCSM LifeGroups
17 Thursday
6:00pm 3rd Thursday Potluck Dinner
7:00pm Womens Bible Study
18 Friday
6:00pm The Nixon Group
19 Saturday
20 Sunday
9:00am Classes
10:30am Worship Service
11:45am Hospitality
12:00pm Miriam Singers
4:00pm Family-Friendly Dinner
4:00pm Baked Potato Night

21 Monday
22 Tuesday
23 Wednesday
5:45pm Childrens Choir
6:30pm PCSM LifeGroups
24 Thursday - Thanksgiving
Offices & Facilities Closed
25 Friday
Offices & Facilities Closed
26 Saturday
27 Sunday
8:30am All-Church Advent Breakfast
9:00am Classes
10:30am Worship Service
11:45am Hospitality
12:00pm Miriam Singers
5:30pm Points East Potluck
28 Monday
29 Tuesday
7:30pm Womens Book Club
30 Wednesday
5:45pm Childrens Choir
6:30pm PCSM LifeGroups