Opportunities for Engagement
We want to acquaint all current and future participants in our Covenant faith community with these opportunities for involvement and invite you to consider embracing one or more of them.
In addition to all the energy and commitment our people bring to these activities, we work hard at welcoming everyone (and we mean everyone) into our faith community. So, whether you’re liberal or conservative, black or white, straight or gay, young or old, wealthy or not, be assured that we take seriously our Lord’s injunction to love our neighbors – all of them.
Worship
This ministry team, together with the pastor, is responsible for planning the worship services. We meet monthly with the pastor, the music director, and others on the staff to make the worship experiences meaningful, creative and coordinated. We also pay attention to the décor and arrangement of the sanctuary and the living room to ensure they all build on the Scriptural themes of the liturgical calendar. Volunteer opportunities include being a greeter, an usher or a lay reader.
Coordinator: Kathy Dirks and Judi Morgan
Landon Spencer directs the praise team and Mary Spain directs the choir. They both introduce the congregation to a variety of worship music genres and recruit talented musicians to join them.
Coordinators: Landon Spencer and Mary Spain
Whether you’ve heard our marimba band during worship, or at one of their gigs throughout Eastern Washington, you’re sure to remember the vibrant energy they bring to any gathering. Played by both young people and adults, the marimbas bring a touch of African music to our worship experience once a month.
Coordinator: June Lamberd
Education
The adult education program offers an opportunity to be more informed and challenged as followers of Jesus Christ. The adult education session is held after the morning service in rooms 13 and 14 off the gym. The resources for the class include teachers from our congregation, area university professors, or a video presentation from a national figure facilitated by a member of the adult education team. We sometimes have small group conversations as part of the class, and other times we have question-and-answer sessions. When classes are online, a Zoom link sent in our eNewsletter.
Coordinator: Needed! Do you feel the calling to help coordinate topics with a small group of individuals? We need a point person for this valuable ministry. Contact Kim in the office with any interest.
This ministry offers a variety of short-term classes that help us cope with the day-to-day demands of our lives. These are offerings that will appeal to our neighbors, but which are also grounded in a Christian world view. Topics and sessions vary by interest.
Youth & Children
Our youth groups are age-specific. The older group (grades 7-12) meets every Sunday night from 6:00 to 8:00 pm in the church to have fun and to learn about the Christian faith. Our activities include church overnights, ski weekends, and mission trips.
Youth Director: Ellie Shoop
“FROG” means “Fully Reliant on God,” the theme followed by the ministry team that creates our children’s Sunday School, which is held during the worship service. Children accompany their parents to the beginning of the worship service, gather for the children’s sermon, and then leave to attend their activities in the church’s educational wing.
Eden Kids Garden Club (V.B.S.)
We are announcing a major change to Eden Kids Garden Club for 2023 summer…we are going to a one-week format, rather than the six weeks that we have done in prior years. The week is August 14-18, and we will focus on ‘the harvest’. As the guiding team we have been very blessed in the past four years with tremendous support from the congregation, and will continue to need that support for this exciting one-week adventure. Please watch the newsletter in coming weeks for ways that you can support, volunteer, and participate in this wonderful all-church, family-oriented event in August.
Coordinators: Nancy Morlock, Fleeta Holcomb, and Peggy Donovan
This group of adults meets with the youth group leaders to support them and provide a liason with the rest of the church. They also help make the ski trips and mission trips possible.
Youth Ministry Team Leader: Ellie Shoop
Connection
These groups help people to connect with the community in a deeper way. These small groups focus on the following:
1. Deepening our relationship with God and each other by exploring Sunday’s scripture from the lectionary and relating it to our own lives.
2. Deepening our willingness to risk Christian action by sharing how we practice the Wesleyan Three Simple Rules: Do No Harm, Do Good, Stay In Love With God.
Coordinator: Megan Madsen
This is a group for people who want to learn more about the Covenant community. It is an opportunity to meet with other seekers to see if our faith community is a fit for you.
Coordinators: Diane and Rick Thomas
CWM is a group of women making positive changes in our church, community, and world. CWM meets on the 2nd Monday of each month at 7:00 pm. We usually meet in person at the church; however, we may meet by Zoom if necessary. Our meetings are informative with lively discussion, meditative with scripture/reflection, and busy with various missions. We host a flea market in the fall as our fundraiser, a church-wide sock drive at the beginning of the year for Cup of Cool Water (homeless teens), and other local missions. We have financially supported many programs for this church: Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, Lay Ministry, Sister Church, Scout Eagle projects, and mission trips. We manage a KIVA fund which helps empower women all over the world and we nurture our church’s congregation when we see a need and can help. We live out our mission statement, “to develop a creative, supportive fellowship; and to expand concepts of mission”. Join us – we’d love your ideas, your energy, and your talents to help this UCWM body grow in God’s purpose.
For the latest activities visit the Covenant CWM Facebook page.
Coordinator: Peggy VandeLeest
These small dinner groups offer an opportunity to share good food and conversation with others at Covenant. You can join a group that meets in homes four times a year, or a dining-out group that meets monthly at a variety of restaurants. These groups are formed in the fall and continue through the rest of the year.
Coordinator: Marty Erb
Reading a good book and being able to discuss it with others is a treasured activity. Our women’s book group meets at 9:30 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month. We choose a variety of books to read, including best sellers. Newcomers are welcome.
Coordinator: Barb Miscoi
Monthly meeting for conversation and coffee. This is a great way to connect outside of church and to get to know others better.
Coordinator: Betsy Hartman
Health & Wellness
The Tai Chi class is designed to promote a stronger mind-spirit-body connection. We are learning how this gentle Chinese martial art helps us with body awareness, balance, strength, flexibility, and healing. Praying the Lord’s Prayer with hand motions links our Christian faith with the gift of tai chi movement. This group meets on Wednesday evenings at 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. Date and time subject to change.
Coordinators: Fleeta Holcomb
Whether you’ve ever played pickleball or not doesn’t matter. Join us on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. in the gym for some friendly competition and an opportunity to meet new friends.
Coordinators: Mahlon Dirks
These seasonal feast potlucks are scheduled every quarter, immediately after the morning service. We encourage people to bring foods that are locally and organically grown, but we primarily value a time to share a meal during each season of the year.
Coordinator: Diane Ketcham
The Covenant Community Garden ministry incorporates all facets of Covenant’s mission as we try to be good stewards of God’s gifts of nature. Participants may grow organic flowers, fruits, vegetables, and herbs in personal-sized raised beds. There’s a small charge and we ask you to donate some time to help maintain the common areas of the garden. For more information go to Eden Community Gardens website.
Coordinators: David Yarbrough and MJ Woods
Latest Community Activity
Advent Mission 2024
So many people go hungry and miss meals. The Mead Food Bank will be Covenant’s [...]
Trunk or Treat 2024
Covenant's Trunk or Treat will be Sunday, October 27th from 2-5. Please invite friends and [...]
Annual Sister Church Scholarship Drive Now Live!
Since 1989, Covenant UMC has had a sister church relationship with Buenas Nuevas Lutheran Church [...]
Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion – it is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ.
Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.
God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.
Questions on Plugging In?
There are so many ways to become involved in a way that aligns with your faith journey. Let us know if you want to get connected to any of our ministries, or if you have ideas of your own you’d like to create.