Welcome to Worship at Covenant Presbyterian Church on January 3rd, 2021. We’d love to get in touch with you about ways to get involved or learn how we can support you. If you’d like to email a pastor you can email Senior Pastor David Kling at david.kling@covhsv.org

If you’d like information about Covenant or if you’d like to join our mailing list to receive weekly updates about our activities and mission a member of our staff will respond if you email info@covhsv.org – we’d love to hear from you!

We are having in-person worship today at 10AM and online worship available for viewing at your convenience. Read on for all the links you need!

Did you miss the announcement about our staff transitions? Here’s a copy of the pastoral letter from the 12/31/2021 newsletter for your reading:

A Letter from Pastor David

Dear Covenant Family,

Happy New Year! On this last day of a very challenging year, we nevertheless have much to thank God and to praise him for. He has brought us through so many twists and turns this year. And he gives us the privilege of worshipping and serving him in a New Year.

Among the many changes that 2021 will bring to each of us, I want to begin with one important announcement for our church and for my own family: Alison Kling will be transitioning off of Covenant’s Staff this month to accept a new role as a the Executive Director of Free 2 Teach, a Non-Profit Organization here in Huntsville that provides school supplies to teachers and students in the Public School System. This means that she will be stepping down from her positions here at Covenant as the Director of our Children’s and Outreach ministries. During the course of 2020 Alison had also taken on many of our communication responsibilities as our need in this area grew and she will be releasing these duties as well. 

Shortly before Christmas, Alison informed the Elders and Trustees of her decision. The Church officers then established an interim staff sub-committee to find interim staffing arrangements to provide a smooth transition for Covenant during Alison’s departure. This has required discretion because Free 2 Teach requested that any public announcement be made simultaneously. Alison will overlap with the new interim staff and continue to serve alongside them at Covenant for the first two weeks of January to make sure that all systems and processes are handed off. I’m delighted to report that the Elders and Trustees have identified and approved a strong interim team that will begin work this Sunday and learn from Alison for two weeks. 

• Rachel Sullivan will serve as the Interim Children’s Director during the Spring. Rachel is a long-time Covenant member and volunteer in our music and children’s ministries. In 2019 she served as the Temporary Children’s Director during Alison’s maternity leave.
• Pastor Dave Hunsicker will take responsibility for our Outreach ministries. This is in line with his responsibilities as Associate Pastor and he is excited to provide leadership in this area. In addition, we are bringing back the position of Communications Director on an interim basis.
• Miranda Wilkinson will serve as Interim Communications Director while the officers reevaluate our staffing model. Miranda serves as our Preschool Director and is a long-time Covenant member. She already does an outstanding job communicating with our large community of preschool parents and teachers and this new responsibility of churchwide communication will fit within her current role nicely.

This interim staffing arrangement will allow the Elders and Trustees to engage a thoughtful process of evaluating Covenant’s current needs and adapting our staff model as necessary. As a part of this exercise, they will be working with the Children’s Discipleship Team to establish a search team and process to find a permanent replacement for the Children’s Director role.

On a personal note, I am very happy for Alison. This is a wonderful opportunity for her to grow professionally as the senior leader of an organization that would not have been possible here at Covenant. It also allows her to have one full-time job rather than multiple part-time jobs. You can read more about her new role by reading the press release here.

However, she will be missed! She has been such a huge part of our staff team and a support to me as my wife and partner in ministry during this last year in particular. Many of us will remember fondly the fifty (!) episodes of “Storytime with Ms. Alison” that she shared on Facebook during the early days of the pandemic. I’m very thankful for your support of her professional growth here at Covenant that made it possible for her to become ordained as a minister in the PC(USA). This means that she will be able to continue to use her Seminary education to serve our church and other churches in North Alabama as a “member at large” of North Alabama Presbytery. In our own congregation, perhaps her greatest contribution has been the strong and creative team of volunteers and teachers she has nurtured in our children’s and outreach ministries. I know that they will do an outstanding job continuing to serve our community this year and I am thankful for these teams.

As this is the final day in 2020 let me express again how thankful I am for your financial contributions this year. As a final reminder, if you would like your donation to count for 2020 please go online today to make that contribution on our website. Otherwise we are delighted to be opening a fresh financial year tomorrow and will be happy to receive your gifts for a new year of ministry.

Thanks for your support of me and Alison during this challenging year. There’s no where else I’d rather be right now than as your pastor. I’m very excited about the new opportunities we have this year to serve together and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Hope, Faith, Joy, Peace & Love in Christ,

David

Many neighborhood prayer groups are continuing to meet in a front lawn near you. Even when you’re not able to meet in person, it is nice to know there is someone near you who cares.

If you need help finding a group please contact our Associate Pastor, Dave Hunsicker at david.hunsicker@covhsv.org.

In-Person Worship Begins again on January 3rd, 2021

We host an in-person worship service at 10AM on Sundays in our sanctuary. Based on a congregational survey, we anticipate most folks to continue worshipping online – so we will continue to provide excellent worship resources and videos each Sunday for those at home. Together we are united in our commitment to one another and our commitment to Christ, whether worshipping in-person or online!

No reservation or permission is required to attend worship in the sanctuary. However, all participants must wear a mask (we will have some available for you!) and we request that you take your temperature and use the restroom before leaving your home.

The elders request that you make a careful and informed decision about the best way for you to worship in June. For those who intend to attend worship in person, please read the following guidelines carefully when making your decision.