Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Camping Trip with FIT International Students
May 31, 2011

On May 29, 2011, Linda Condon and Daniel Hedman took a van packed full of camping equipment, food, and friends, and headed to Princess Place Preserve in St. Augustine for a fun weekend camping trip and beach excursion.

Linda and Daniel have built relationships with many international students from Florida Tech over the years.  Deep friendships have formed, and much love has been shared over coffee, game nights and numerous meals.

International students at Florida Tech represent over 30% of of their student body, from over 100 different countries around the globe.  Many of them know just enough English to come here for school, and most of them have never been to the United States before coming here to get educated.

There is a huge need for Americans like us to get to know these students, help them practice their English, and help them adjust to the inevitable "culture shock" of living in a completely different country, thousands of miles away from their family and friends.

If you are interested in joining Florida Tech's International Friendship Program or simply getting involved with what Linda and Daniel are doing, contact Pastor Jonathan at (321) 727-2661 or jculley@covenantpalmbay.org.



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Monday, May 23, 2011

Parker Small Group Serves Children's Outreach
May 23, 2011

Don Parker's small group got a vision to serve the children in our church and neighborhoods.  When they heard about the need for our summer Neighborhood Backyard Bible Clubs, they kicked into gear to help Jennifer Reinecke (our Children's Ministry Director) put together teaching packets for the children that would be impacted through our summer Clubs during the week of July 25th.

Neighborhood Bible Club's mission is to take the Gospel to the neighborhoods where children live.  Children attending will hear a clear Gospel message and be given an opportunity to receive Jesus as their Savior.  Because of the sacrificial service of the Parker Group, this task was made much easier.

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Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Synergy Open Gym and Game Night
May 18, 2011

On May 16, 2011, our Synergy Young Adults Ministry hosted an open gym and game night.  We had about 20 folks come out, some playing basketball, and others playing card and board games.

On this particular occasion, we had three Saudi Arabian students and one Chinese student from Florida Tech join us.  We had a great time getting to know them and building relationships with them.

We use these kinds of events to reach out to all kinds of people around us, offering the hand of friendship and love.  For more information about our Synergy young adults ministry, click here.




Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Space Coast Volunteers in Medicine (SCVIM) Grand Opening
May 4, 2011

On April 25th, 2011, Space Coast Volunteers in Medicine (SCVIM) held their "ribbon cutting" ceremony and open house.  With over 175 people in attendance, and with many distinguished guests, this was truly a God-glorifying moment in our community.

Among the distinguished guests were Pam Gillespie from Comgressman Bill Posey's office, Dr. Richard Roberts, President of the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation, Dr. Todd Sagin, Board Member from Volunteers in Medicine, Jim Barfield, President of Luke and Associates, Palm Bay Mayor John Mazziotti, and Dr. Heshmati of the Brevard County Health Department.

SCVIM is a local ministry that provides free health care for the working uninsured. This clinic is special because it houses very skilled Christian physicians, dentists, and dental hygieneists, nurses and others who volunteer their time and energy to help people in need, both physically and spiritually.

Covenant Presbyterian Church has joined other churches in providing both financial and volunteer help on a regular basis.  This is a great way for us to put "hands and feet" on the Gospel as we seek to make a difference in our community.

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Photos by John Trudeau, Dream Team Events.  Used by permission.
Lockmar Elementary School "Spring Fling"
May 4, 2011

On April 30th, our church had the privilege of serving our neighbors at Lockmar Elementary School by providing almost 40 volunteers to help run their annual "Spring Fling."

This year, there were a couple dozen game booths, five huge bounce houses, food, face painting, and we saw a whole lot of smiles and laughter.  A few hundred students, parents, and faculty members showed up.  What a success!

Over the past couple years, Covenant has been in the process of asking how we can make more of an impact in our community by serving the families and community right around us.

Pastor Jerry Klemm's discipleship group took on the task of mobilizing volunteers from Covenant to man booths, cook and serve food, and help set up and tear down.  What a great example of a small group serving our community!

We intend to continue helping Lockmar with this event in the coming years.  In addition, later this year, we will also be looking for volunteers to help them with their reading and math tutoring programs starting in the Fall semester.  More to come on that!

If you are interested in helping with any of this in the future, or if you would like to discuss ideas about how your small group can serve the community, please contact our Local Missions Pastor, Jonathan Culley at (321) 727-2661, or jculley@covenantpalmbay.org.



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