Easter Egg Hunt

April 12 th (Easter!)

It’s time for our fourth annual Easter Egg Hunt. On Easter morning, at 9:15, you are invited to join us for a hunt around Covenant, as we look for hundreds of Easter eggs. The hunt will begin with prayer in the Quilter’s Room, and will close with silence (as children’s mouths are full of chocolate eggs, thus impeding their ability to speak). Don’t miss this activity!! And, once you’ve claimed all of your eggs, or your children have claimed all of their eggs, you can join us for the Easter Breakfast (see the next article).

p.s. If you’re not interested in having fun with young children, experiencing the wonder and joy of a child finding an egg filled with a toy or candy, or you don’t like games, or laughter in church, please stay home. But by all means, SEND YOUR KIDS!

 

Easter Breakfast

Our 7 th Grade Confirmation Class and their families will be hosting the Easter morning breakfast on Easter morning from 7:30 to10:30 am. Join us in the Fellowship Hall for a wonderful breakfast that will include eggs, sausages, fruits, various breads, muffins and much, much more. There is no sign up required for this event, just come with empty stomachs. A free-will donation will be accepted at this event as well, with the proceeds going to offset the costs of Confirmation Camp.

 

Adopt-A-Highway

God has blessed us with this beautiful Earth. It’s our responsibility to help keep it that way. Covenant Youth has adopted a portion of Rutland Dunn Town Line Road west of Stoughton. Our next clean up date is scheduled for April 18 th at 9:00 am. We will meet at church and ride to the clean-up together. All youth, interested adults and families are welcome and encouraged to participate – “many hands make small work.”

 

Youth-Led-Worship

April 18 th

On Saturday, April 18 th, we will be having a youth-led worship service, built in part around Earth Day (April 22), and our responsibility to God’s creation. What a great time of the year to have this focused worship, not only with Earth Day, but with the highlighted ministry of the month being the Landscaping Team, and coming off of March, during which the highlighted ministry of the month was the Social Justice Team. We hope to have youth greatly involved in all facets or worship, including music, assistant ministry, leading scripture and helping write the message. If you are interested in participating in this worship service, please e-mail Mark at markdoll@chorus.net.

Family Movie Night! – April 3 rd

From Walt Disney Pictures comes an animated comedy adventure featuring a super-dog named BOLT (voice of JOHN TRAVOLTA), whose days are filled with danger and intrigue-at least until the cameras stop rolling. When the star of a hit TV show is accidentally shipped from his Hollywood soundstage to New York City, he begins his biggest adventure yet-a cross-country journey through the real world to get back to his owner and co-star, Penny (voice of MILEY CYRUS). Armed only with the delusions that all his amazing feats and powers are real, and the help of two unlikely traveling companions-a jaded, abandoned housecat named Mittens (voice of SUSIE ESSMAN) and a TV-obsessed hamster named Rhino (voice of MARK WALTON)-Bolt discovers he doesn't need superpowers to be a hero.

Did you read that correctly? A TV-obsessed hamster? Has there ever been a bad movie with a TV-obsessed hamster? I don’t think so.

Family Movie Night is a great night of family fun. Meet in the Fellowship Hall between 6:30 and 7:00. The movie will start promptly at 7:00 pm, the evening should end around 9:00. Popcorn and lemonade will be provided. There is no sign-up, there is no fee, just a lot of family fun!

 

A Bit More Grown-up Movie Night!

For youth/adults who have seen enough dog+cat+hamster movies, during Family Movie Night we will be showing the movie Flywheel, a 2003 movie made by the same people who made Facing the Giants.

A bit of information about Flywheel:

Jay Austin wants to sell you a used car, but watch out! Many victims have fallen prey to his smiling face and hasty promises. Austin does everything his way until his dishonesty and manipulation are repeatedly exposed. Like many men, he becomes disgusted by the masks he wears and lies he tells. While having a classic convertible repaired, Austin begins a humorous and inspiring journey to win back the hearts of his wife, his son and his community. In every man's life, there can be a turning point. When Jay Austin makes his turn, he never looks back.

As this movie is a bit longer (120 minutes), we will also be starting this movie at 7:00, in the Youth Room, and running it straight through to its conclusion. Come and join us!

The youth room will also be available for those who would like to play ping-pong, bumper pool, basketball, foosball or just to hang out!

 

Mission Trip 2009

We are in the midst of building our own Mission Trip this year. Given economic conditions (and the knowledge that transportation costs are one of the largest expenses of a mission trip), we are looking to stay within the general area. We (the Youth Team, hopefully with the help of many, many youth) are attempting to design a trip that has us working in communities in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois, staying at churches in those communities, and providing a variety of services as part of the trip, while we deepen our faith. We will be leaving Sunday, July 5 th, and returning Friday, July 10 th. Information letters will be sent out to our High School youth in the next couple of weeks, but set those dates aside!

 

30 Hour Famine

If you aren’t familiar with the 30 Hour Famine, here’s a brief description (which you can also find at 30hourfamine.org: 30 Hour Famine is an international youth movement to fight hunger. It will bring your group closer together and to God, feed hungry children, and change our world forever. Students fast for 30 hours and raise funds to help feed and care for children around the world. By sacrificing and serving others, they are learning to think outside themselves and see the world as Christ sees it.

 Much more information will be coming via bulletin announcements, mailings, and the March Promise. Covenant will be holding its 30 Hour Famine the weekend of April 24-25.

 

Summer Mission Trip

At this point, we are looking at Mission Trips not too far from home, to be as financially responsible as possible. Right now, we are leaning towards a mission trip to Benton Harbor, Michigan. Benton Harbor is a town similar in population to Stoughton, but nearly 40% of the families in this community live in economic conditions below the poverty line. There are a number of mission trips available in the area, where we would work with those in the community to help build up an area that has been through devastating economic times. Benton Harbor is only about four hours from Stoughton, and yet the community struggles in ways we can’t even imagine.

Plus: Guitar Lessons start this month, see the article on the Boundary Waters trip, and help us get our kids to camp!!

 

2009 YOUTH WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE

AUGUST 5 – 12

We still have one opening, youth or adult, male or female. We will need to fill this right away. If you haven’t experienced the BWCA, now is the time.

This is offered as a youth event for 8 th grade through High School ages in the Boundary Wilderness Canoe Area for one week. We are limited to a total of 18 – 24 people (male and female). This trip leaves on Wednesday, August 5 th (very early); with a nights stay at our outfitter before entering the BWCA on Thursday - Tuesday. We will return August 12 th early in the evening. This wilderness experience includes two days of travel and six days (five nights) canoeing, portaging and backpacking. Cost is around $350.00 per person and includes transportation, permits, canoe and equipment rental and food. We will spend winter and spring preparing in small groups. All meetings will be in the Cinema Room, unless otherwise specified. The preparation highlights include:

• April 19th, 11:30 am: Turn in Permission Slips. Safety & Medic Day: Preparing first aid kits, handling saw and axe in the wilderness. What happens in case of an emergency?

Future Date: Fishing Equipment and Bait

Future Date: Cooking & Food Planning

Future Date: Packing Day: Pack your duffel bag for the week. Equipment instruction.

Future Date: Canoe training day – how to paddle the canoe, portage a canoe and provide helpful suggestions on spending a week in the wilderness. (Final Payment is due.)

 

Are you interested?

Contact people are:

Pastor Mark 873-7494

Dennis Hilgendorf 279-1655

Greg Pigarelli 873-0296