Covenant Community

Worship at Sarah's Circle 2551 17th St.0 N.W. (lower level) Washington, DC

Mailing address: c/o John Cook & Elizabeth Black, 226 South Lee St., Alexandria VA 22314

The Covenant Community is in formation.

Our Call

God calls us as a family in Christ to provide a spiritual home and training in the Christian faith for each member. We shelter at the center of our community families witb children and other members who are often overlooked and pushed aside. We aim to hold each rmmber accountable to the inward and outward aspects of his or her faith journey.

God calls us as a community to join an ecumenical family of Christian coninunities. Our conununity needs discipline just as our members do. We envision communities holding each other accountable to our common faith and to their unique expressions of it.

God also calls us to people outside our family of communities. Sonie of us are sent to teach children or to assist people learning reading, writing, math, and other basic skills necessary to get along in our society. Sonie of us assist homeless people and people dying of AIDS in their efforts to create home.

Small Groups

1. Formation Groups

- Three of our small groups are formation groups. Members of each group share an inward journey, working with faith and discipleship. They do not necessarily share a common outward journey. For some, call coincides with profession. Someare called to creating family and raising children. Others are taking a sabbatical from mission.

Contacts:

Jim Bodner 202/667-7504 (h)

PhU Boyer 301/431-0949 (h)

Mac Cosgrovle-Davies - 703/536-9452 (h)

2. Mission Groups

Learners (1992)

- The Learners are called to follow Cbrist, the Teacber, in a life-long dedication to learning. Their orientation derives from Paulo Friere and others who study the systems that limit our freedom of thought and action and maintain oppression. The Learners envision for our community a "people's seminary," a school of Christian living where all are teachers and learners about the Acts of the Holy Spirit in history, in the world today, and in our individual lives. Sorm group members teach at the Academy of Hope (see Eighth Day), and some teach professionally. Contact Mary Frances lemat - 202/362-7312 (h)

AIDS (see Potter's House Church)

Assistance (1992)

- The Assistance group is cared to the assistants at Community of the Ark, which is a L'Arche community formed around mentally handicapped adults. In L'Arche, "assistance" entails mutual helping. All of us are "handicapped" in various ways. Each of us has needs, and each of us has gifts. Together we approach wholeness. We seek to support the assistants in that spirit.

Contact Sue Bodner - 202/667-7504 (h)

Worship Circle (1992)

- The Worship Circle calls the conununity to worship. Its members create our liturgies, plan our services, and coordinate our teachings. The group leads us through the liturgical seasons. They also try to discern our community's "seasons" by staying in touch with the community and the Holy Spirit. They help us as a community keep up with the Spirit's leading through seasonal themes in our worship services.

Contact Dixcy Bosley-Smith - 202/723-3050 (h)

Retreat (see Dayspring Church)

Academy of Hope (see Eighth Day)

Worship

Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m. We meet at Sarab's Circle, lower level, 2551 17tb St., N.W.

Children are welcome to remin for the entire service. After a children's teaching and song, however, adults are available to accompany children to the Festival Center for supervised child care

Sunday School for Children (3-12 years)

8:45 a.m. The children nieet at the Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Rd., N.W. After Sunday School, their teachers accompany them to the worship service. Sunday school is held in conjunction with the Eighth Day and Christ House communities.

. After the service, adults return with the children to Sarah's Circle.

Church Coordinators:

Elizabeth Black 703/836-2345 (h)

Jim Bodner 202/667-7504 (h)

Sue Bodner 202/667-7504 (h)

John Cook 703/836-2345 (h) .

Lisa Cosgrove-Davies 703/536-9452 (h)

Mac Cosgrove-Davies 703/536-9452 (h)

Ann Eustis 301/681-6840 (h)

Allen Holt 202/244-3495 (h)