(704) 599-9810 | Worship Sundays @ 10:55 a.m.
(704) 599-9810 | Worship Sundays @ 10:55 a.m.
Nov 13, 2025
On November 11, the United Church of Christ released a deeply sobering news story about the Rev. Jorge Bautista, a UCC pastor in California who was struck in the face by a pepper round fired by a federal immigration officer while he was standing in peaceful prayer and solidarity with migrants.
Because this story is copyrighted by the National Setting of the UCC, we encourage all readers to view the original reporting directly at UCC News:
While we cannot republish the article or its photographs, we can reflect on what Rev. Bautista’s courage reveals about our call as followers of Jesus — and as a community committed to justice, welcome, and radical love.
“When one part of the Body suffers, all suffer together with it.”
— 1 Corinthians 12:26
Rev. Bautista chose to show up in peace. He chose to stand publicly for the safety and humanity of migrants — many of whom are members of UCC congregations across the country. His witness exposes the alarming rise of militarized responses to peaceful prayer, protest, and pastoral presence.
And yet, even in harm, his testimony remains anchored in hope — hope in community, hope in justice, and hope in the power of faith that refuses to look away.
This moment calls us to be spiritually awake and morally engaged. As Rev. Bautista has shown, faith is not merely belief — it is presence. It is solidarity. It is love with skin on.
May we continue to be a church that shows up, speaks out, and embodies the justice and compassion of Christ in a world aching for both.
#HCUCCEverywhere • #StandOnTheSideOfLove • #ImmigrantJustice • #FaithInAction • #UCC • #ProgressiveClergy • #BeTheChurch
Nov 07, 2025
On October 28, Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica as a Category 5 storm — one of the most powerful and destructive hurricanes ever recorded in the Caribbean. Its impact stretched across the region, with devastating effects also felt in Haiti and Cuba.
Thousands across the Caribbean are in urgent need of shelter, water, and healthcare following Hurricane Melissa.
At present, more than 13,000 people in Jamaica remain in shelters, with 34 confirmed fatalities — a number expected to rise as search and rescue operations continue. In Haiti, authorities report 25 fatalities and widespread displacement. The full human toll is still unfolding across the region.
The United Church of Christ has issued an urgent appeal to support both immediate and long-term recovery efforts. Primary needs include shelter, safe drinking water, sanitation, healthcare, and food for thousands of affected families. Your generosity will help provide these essentials and rebuild lives in the aftermath of this unprecedented storm.
“We do this work through your generosity. Every gift helps rebuild homes, restore hope, and remind our neighbors that they are not alone.”
— Michelle Carver, UCC Philanthropy Director
Your gift provides critical assistance to our partners serving in areas of greatest need across the Caribbean.
Holy Covenant UCC joins the wider United Church of Christ in prayer and partnership with our Caribbean siblings as they recover from Hurricane Melissa. Thank you for being part of a church that believes in love made visible.
#HCUCCEverywhere #UCCDisasterRelief #LoveOfNeighbor #PrayForTheCaribbean #ProgressiveClergy #UCC #BeTheChurch
Nov 06, 2025
Be the Church — Everywhere: turning compassion into groceries, meals, and hope.
“As people of faith, we remember that feeding hungry people was central to Jesus’ own ministry. When he broke bread and shared fish with the multitudes, it was more than an act of compassion, but a living expression of God’s love and justice. Our response today follows that same call.”
— Rev. Christopher Czarnecki
This week, Holy Covenant’s Endowment Ministry Team approved a $10,000 gift to Nourish Up, a Charlotte nonprofit working at the front lines of hunger in our community. The organization reports a sharp rise in demand as SNAP benefits face disruption and cuts, with visits across its pantry network up by roughly 20% in recent weeks. (Charlotte Observer)
Nourish Up—formerly Loaves & Fishes/Friendship Trays—rebranded in 2024 but continues the same mission: to nourish our neighbors with food and compassion. As Mecklenburg County ramps up emergency support while federal aid remains uncertain, local partners like Nourish Up are scaling operations to meet urgent needs for families, seniors, and children.
Mecklenburg County alone has approximately 138,000 SNAP recipients, according to The Charlotte Observer, underscoring the magnitude of this hunger crisis. County officials have committed $740,000 in emergency support to local food programs as partners like Second Harvest Food Bank, Crisis Assistance Ministry, and Nourish Up work in tandem to serve those most affected.
Why give cash instead of canned goods? As noted in Observer reporting, food banks can purchase in bulk at wholesale cost, acquiring exactly what’s needed—fresh produce, proteins, and dairy—far more efficiently than individual donations allow. Cash gifts stretch resources and reduce sorting, storage, and waste.
This gift expresses our congregation’s call to love made visible—standing with vulnerable neighbors, responding quickly to real need, and partnering with trusted community organizations. It’s how Holy Covenant lives our mission beyond our walls and into the city we love.
Our thanks to the dedicated members of the Holy Covenant Endowment Ministry Team, whose stewardship and generosity made this gift possible:
Together, their leadership ensures Holy Covenant’s endowment continues to grow, serve, and make tangible impact in our wider community.
Your gift helps purchase nutritious food at scale—right when and where it’s needed most.
Learn more:
Nourish Up (pantries & Meals on Wheels) •
Charlotte Observer Article •
Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina •
Crisis Assistance Ministry
#HCUCCEverywhere #ProgressiveClergy
Oct 23, 2025
This Sunday, October 26, Holy Covenant’s youngest members will be joyfully putting their faith into action! During worship, children are invited to create original Christmas card artwork that will be printed and offered at our Craft Fair on November 2 to benefit Time Out Youth, a Charlotte-based nonprofit supporting LGBTQ+ youth.
With crayons and compassion, our children will share messages of love, welcome, and hope — one card at a time.
This project is part of our Christian Education Ministry’s mission to nurture spiritual growth through creativity, generosity, and connection. Children will explore how their talents and hearts can serve others — especially those who may need a message of joy this holiday season.
👩🏽🎨 Who Can Participate?
Everyone! Whether your child is a weekly attendee or a first-time visitor, they are welcome to join the fun. We’ll have supplies ready and a warm space waiting for them!
💌 What Happens Next?
All of the children’s artwork will be professionally printed as greeting cards and made available at our upcoming Craft Sale. Donations collected will directly support Time Out Youth’s life-affirming programs for LGBTQ+ teens and young adults across Western North Carolina.
Through this joyful act of creation, our children are reminded that they are the Church — right now. Their voices, gifts, and compassion make a real difference in the world around them.
#HCUCCEverywhere | #FaithInAction | #LittleHandsBigHearts
Oct 15, 2025
On this UCC Access Sunday, our children learned about access—and how God’s love makes room for everyone. Guest leader D Evans joined Pastor Chris to show how people move through the world in different ways. Braces, crutches, and walkers became tools of courage and connection, each reminding us that accessibility is another word for welcome.
Our kids’ curiosity filled the Sanctuary. They discovered that when we see what helps others thrive, we begin to understand what community really means.
Then, as the message came to a close, D taught both the children and the congregation a few words in American Sign Language—and together they learned a short, joy-filled signed song. Hands moved, faces lit up, and hearts opened wider to God’s inclusive love.
At Holy Covenant, children are not the future of the church—they are the church right now. Their energy and openness lead us deeper into God’s inclusive story every week.
And as Pastor Chris reminded us this Sunday—our prayers have been answered! Families are arriving, our Children’s Church is growing, and now we need more caring adults to help nurture that growth. 🌱
#HCUCCEverywhere
Sep 28, 2025
No more excuses—now you really can volunteer from anywhere.
Holy Covenant UCC has launched a brand-new, visually engaging Volunteer Station in the Gathering Room, making it easier than ever for you to share your gifts, your time, and your heart. With a quick scan of a QR code, you can sign up for any of our key ministries—whether you’re heading out the door, checking your phone after coffee hour, or simply passing through.
This centralized station includes direct sign-up links for many of our most essential ministries:
Each role includes a short description and a QR code that connects you directly to its **SignUpGenius** form—available anytime from your phone or device.
This is more than a clever slogan—it’s a call to embody our church’s mission beyond the walls of the sanctuary. With this new system, you don’t need to wait for clipboard sign-ups or email reminders. You can step into service with just one tap, anytime, anywhere.
The United Church of Christ teaches that every person is a minister. That means each of us has a role to play in building up the Body of Christ—through music, through prayer, through hospitality, through action. This new station empowers that belief.
“Volunteering isn’t just about filling a need—it’s about living our faith out loud. The world doesn’t need perfection; it needs participation.”
Whether you’ve been with Holy Covenant for decades or you’re brand new, this is a great time to jump in. Try something once. Learn a new skill. Show your support for the ministries that make Sundays (and every day) happen. You’ll be guided by friendly team leads and surrounded by a community that cheers each other on.
If you need help getting started or have questions about a particular role, please reach out to:
Eric Miner
(620) 636-1171
[email protected]
Stop by the Gathering Room on Sunday, find the board with our signature ❤️🤝💛💙 icons, and scan your way into service. You are needed. You are called. You are already equipped.
Come as you are. Give what you can. Be part of something sacred.
Sep 18, 2025
At Holy Covenant, we believe access to ideas matters. Our Banned Book Library is a small, growing collection you can borrow from on Sundays — a practical way to stand for curiosity, compassion, and the freedom to read. Stop by the display, pick up a title, and join the conversation.
Challenged means someone has formally requested a book be removed or restricted in a library or school. A challenge seeks to limit access for others.
Banned means the removal or formal prohibition of a book from a library or school collection. Sometimes a title remains available only with limited or conditional access (for example, in a restricted section).
(Definitions adapted from the American Library Association.)
The American Library Association’s Office for Intellectual Freedom documented 821 attempts to censor library materials in 2024, targeting 2,452 unique titles. While the volume fluctuates year to year, organized efforts to restrict access continue to affect both school and public libraries nationwide.
Banned Books Week • October 5–11, 2025
An annual nationwide event that highlights the harms of censorship and celebrates the freedom to read. Come browse HCUCC’s Banned Book Library this Sunday, choose a title, and reflect with us on how reading expands empathy, strengthens critical thinking, and supports a just community.
These summaries highlight themes of resilience, justice, compassion, and belonging. Each of these books has been challenged — but all invite deep reflection and dialogue.
#1 — All Boys Aren’t Blue
George M. Johnson
Summary: Memoir-style reflections on family, identity, and the journey of growing up Black and queer.
Why Challenged: LGBTQ+ themes, frank discussions of identity.
#2 — Gender Queer: A Memoir
Maia Kobabe
Summary: A graphic memoir exploring gender identity, belonging, and self-understanding.
Why Challenged: Illustrations, LGBTQ+ themes.
#3 — The Bluest Eye
Toni Morrison
Summary: A novel about a young girl longing to be seen as beautiful in a world that tells her otherwise.
Why Challenged: Depictions of trauma and abuse.
#4 — The Perks of Being a Wallflower
Stephen Chbosky
Summary: A coming-of-age story about friendship, healing, and finding one’s voice in community.
Why Challenged: Mental health, relationships, language.
#5 — Tricks
Ellen Hopkins
Summary: A verse novel about five teens navigating difficult paths and searching for hope.
Why Challenged: Sexually explicit material, mature themes.
#6 — Looking for Alaska
John Green
Summary: A story about friendship, grief, and searching for meaning in life’s hardest moments.
Why Challenged: Profanity, adult themes.
#7 — Me and Earl and the Dying Girl
Jesse Andrews
Summary: A heartfelt, humorous novel about friendship, creativity, and facing illness together.
Why Challenged: Mature themes, illness, language.
#8 — Crank
Ellen Hopkins
Summary: A verse novel exploring choices, addiction, and resilience with honesty and empathy.
Why Challenged: Drug use, explicit content.
#9 — Sold
Patricia McCormick
Summary: A young adult novel telling the story of courage and survival against human trafficking.
Why Challenged: Violence, sexual exploitation themes.
#10 — Flamer
Mike Curato
Summary: Graphic novel about a teen at summer camp, navigating faith, identity, and acceptance.
Why Challenged: LGBTQ+ content, sensitive themes.
In our church communications, we’ll keep language clear and invitational. Rather than quoting others’ characterizations, we’ll stay focused on facts, learning, and pastoral welcome — and invite readers to explore the books themselves.
📖 Take & Read: Visit the Banned Book Library display this Sunday, choose a book, and let us know what you’re reading! We’ll also highlight a new data point each week from ALA’s “Censorship by the Numbers” to keep the conversation grounded.
Sep 16, 2025
Each fall, we pause to reflect on God’s abundance and how our gifts sustain Holy Covenant UCC’s worship, ministries, justice work, and community care. This year’s Stewardship Campaign invites each of us to make a prayerful pledge for 2026, affirming our shared call to love boldly, act justly, and serve faithfully.
Pledges are more than financial commitments—they are faith commitments that help us plan wisely, support our staff, expand our ministries, and live out the Gospel together. Every pledge, no matter the size, makes a difference. 💜
💜 Thank you for your generosity, faith, and commitment to Holy Covenant UCC. Together, we fuel the mission and empower the ministry for 2026 and beyond.
Sep 16, 2025
September 2025 • Witnessing in Faith • Holy Covenant UCC
In recent weeks, our nation has been shaken again — by gunshots in quiet streets, by hatred masquerading as speech, by the violent fractures of political division that refuse to be silenced.
The killing of Charlie Kirk during a speech, the escalating rhetoric that amplifies fear, the noisy sorrow of yet another life cut short — these are not distant headlines but wounds in our shared life.
As people of faith, we must name the darkness, not with hesitation, but with truth. We mourn because we believe in something better.
We lament because something has been broken. We resist the easy comfort of silence, because silence in the face of violence is complicity.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” — Matthew 5:4
#HCUCCEverywhere
Aug 22, 2025
Comment Period: July 28 – August 29, 2025
Hosted by: North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT)
Many members of Holy Covenant have long expressed concern about the dangerous traffic pattern on West W.T. Harris Boulevard in front of our church. The lack of a traffic signal and the prevalence of risky U-turns have led to frequent accidents and near misses. Now is the time to make our voices heard.
NCDOT is accepting public input on transportation project priorities for its 2028–2037 State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP). They are collecting community ideas for everything from major highway changes to small-scale intersection improvements—including projects like a traffic light, signage, or turn lane enhancements near our property at 3501 West W.T. Harris Blvd, Charlotte, NC 28269.
Please take a few minutes to your input and recommend safety improvements in our area:
📝 Make Your Voice Known
For background on this statewide effort, you can review the official NCDOT project submission notice here:
📄 View the 2028–2037 STIP Submission Phase Document (PDF)
Let’s come together and advocate for safer access—for our congregation, our neighbors, and everyone who passes through this high-traffic corridor.
⛪ Every voice matters. Help us be a witness for safety, justice, and care for our community.
Sign up to receive our weekly newsletter.
