📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

A Little Leaven for the Whole Church

Next Generation Leadership Initiative | February 2026

Dear Holy Covenant,

This past week, I had the opportunity to participate in the Next Generation Leadership Initiative (NGLI)—a gathering of clergy leaders committed to cultivating courageous, justice-centered ministry for a changing world.

Spaces like NGLI remind me that leadership in today’s church is not about maintaining what has been, but about faithfully discerning what God is calling us toward. We reflected on resilience, collaborative leadership, and the sacred responsibility of guiding communities through uncertainty with clarity and compassion.

I carry Holy Covenant with me into these spaces. Your commitment to justice, radical welcome, and thoughtful faith shapes how I show up. I am continually grateful to serve a congregation willing to wrestle with hard questions and to live boldly into Christ’s call to love.

If you would like to read the full reflection from this experience, I invite you to continue on Substack using the link below.

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

A Year of Rediscovering the Joy of Reading

Dear Holy Covenant,

I can’t remember reading a single book from front to cover during high school, only Cliff Notes so I could pass a couple of tests and turn in some papers. That is until my senior year when my high school sweetheart decided to drag me off to see The Lord of the Rings at the movies. And I wasn’t having any of it until we got there. Until the lights were dimmed, and my pouting fit finally dissolved into the wonder of this new world that was called Middle Earth. I was absolutely enthralled by it, so much so that I ran to the used bookstore in town to read the next two novels and stood in line for every LOTR movie on opening night thereafter.

This series helped me discover both the power and joy of reading. After high school as a freshman in college read Martin Luther King Jr.’s autobiography (which I’ll be sharing about next month in January) and Alex Haley’s Malcolm X. During a difficult season in my life, I poured over several self-help books before finding the spiritual section at Barnes and Noble and consuming the Conversations with God series, Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now, and other spiritual texts like A Course in Miracles.

It was around that time I found my way to the Unity Church, and I can’t even begin to recall the number of spiritual books I’ve read since…all I can say is it’s a lot…

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

Advent Greetings from the UCC and the WNCA

The WNCA is one of three Associations of the Southern Conference of the United Church of Christ, WNCA comprises 62 churches in four program districts. Professional staff, working with specialized commissions and committees, strengthen the spiritual and community life of individuals and congregations across the Association. We recently received a wonderful Advent greeting and message from our Associate Conference Minister, Rev. Dr. Tom Warren that I would like to share you.

I also invite you to receive this heartfelt message from Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, our UCC General Minister and President.

Dear Western North Carolina Association Church Family

The Advent/Christmas season is a time for gratitude, peace, and reflection. We have gratitude for the joys of our faith, our families, friends, and the simple joys of day-to.<fay living. We also find peace as we place our trust in the love that came down on that special night over 2,000 years ago. We are called also to reflect. What is next for us, the churches of the Western North Carolina Association of the United Church of Christ? Where will God call us in the coming year?

We live in a new time that presents us with many challenges. These challenges can be great opportunities for reaching out to our world in love, or if we give into the anxieties that surround us, paralyzing fear can trap us in despair. In the Gospels, Jesus said again and again to his disciples: “Do not fear.” He said this because he saw the fear in the eyes of his followers, and he knew such fear would be a great threat to the power of his gospel community.

So in our moment of widespread despair, war-torn lands, famine, violence, and largely bankrupt leadership throughout the nations, God once again calls us to embrace the birth-miracle. Jesus, the Prince of Peace, has been born in Bethlehem. He calls out to us saying ”Take up your cross and follow me.” At Christmas, the call comes through the darkness with more clarity than ever.

I rejoice in our ministry together and look forward to 2026. God is doing a new thing and we are called to be a central part of it As your Associate Conference Minister, I wish you all a glorious Christmas and the happiest of New Years!!

Rev. Dr. Tom Warren Associate Conference Minister
Western North Carolina Association
Southern Conference, United Church of Christ

You can watch Rev. Thompson’s full message, wishing all a wonderful Christmas from the United Church of Christ in the video below:

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

Lighting the Candle of Love

This coming Sunday, we will be lighting our fourth Advent candle, the candle of love. As we prepare to celebrate the birth of Christ next week, this Sunday has profound meaning in light of the heartbreak and violence our world has witnessed over the past week.

We’ve seen unspeakable violence: a mass shooting at a Hanukkah celebration on Sydney’s Bondi Beach that claimed 15 lives, a shooting at Brown University that killed two students and wounded nine others, the murder of an MIT professor in his own home, and the tragic deaths of director Rob Reiner and his wife Michele. There’s been the ongoing violence of ICE activity in U.S. cities, and across the world in Gaza where a ceasefire is supposed to be in place, Palestinians continue to be killed by targeted military strikes. These events, along with ongoing violence and suffering around the world, remind us how desperately our world needs love…

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

Every Body and Mind Belong | How Disability Theology Transforms the Church

Dear Holy Covenant,

Over the last two years, one of the many things I love about Holy Covenant is its commitment to asking deeper questions about who we are becoming as a church community. Not simply who we say we are, but that we are living out who we say we are in our worship, how we fellowship, the way we show hospitality, and the pursuit of social justice. Doing so helps us bear witness to the God who is present in every mind and every body.

In recent years, the intersections of disability theology and disability justice have helped the wider Church rethink long held assumptions about the embodiment, participation, and belonging of people. Rather than seeing disability as something that needs to be “overcome” or “fixed,” disability theologians have been inviting people of faith to see the diverse ways human bodies and minds reflect the image of God and call us toward fuller, more just and loving expressions of being in community with one another.

Amy Kenny, a who’s a disability scholar and the author of My Body Is Not a Prayer Request, puts it this way:

“Disabled people bear God’s image, not in spite of our bodies and minds, but through them. Our disabled existence celebrates the many ways God’s body is revealed in the world. The kingdom of God is incomplete without disabled people taking our place at the table—not as objects of charity, but as co-creators of beloved community.”

Like other disability theologians, Amy Kenny challenges the assumption that disability is a problem to solve. And instead, she argues that disability is not only part of our human tapestry, but part of God’s creation. She points out in her book that Jesus’ life and ministry consistently centered those who lived at the margins of society, not by “fixing” them, but by restoring their dignity, their agency, and their participation in community. The point of Jesus’ message was those on the margins were to be included and belonged. Not on the fringes of society, but at the center with everyone else.

Rev. Dr. Sarah Lund, Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice in the United Church of Christ, emphasizes in her book Blessed Minds: Breaking the Silence about Neurodiversity the sacredness of mental health struggles, neurodiversity, and diverse embodiments. Lund insists that the Church’s call is not merely to include people with disabilities and mental health challenges, but to be transformed by them so we reshape our communities as sacred places where all bodies and minds can participate fully, without barriers or shame. And to do so because as she says, “We are all made in love, by Love, for love, and that love is expansive enough to hold every form of human complexity.”

Both Lund and Kenny, like other theologians before them that have done work on disability justice, have pushed the Church to recognize that accessibility is not something we’re simply adding-on or offering out of courtesy to others. It is a theological commitment, that we believe God meets us in our particularities and differences, not in some perceived version of “normalcy”. And in that belief, we see accessibility as a practice of justice and a spiritual discipline that requires both humility and a willingness to change.

Here at Holy Covenant UCC, I believe we have been steadily working toward embodying this theological commitment. Like other social justice commitments, accessibility is not something we “arrive” at, but something we keep striving for as we learn more about the needs of our community and the ways we can remove barriers to participation. Over the past several years and even in the last few months, many enhancements have been made to support those of various physical, sensory, and neurodiverse needs. Some of these changes include:…

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

‘Gratitude is a Choice’: UCC GMP offers special message for Thanksgiving

Dear Holy Covenant,

I invite you to receive this heartfelt message from Rev. Dr. Karen Georgia Thompson, our UCC General Minister and President. She speaks to the power of gratitude as a spiritual practice—one that sustains us even when the world feels heavy.

You can watch Rev. Thompson’s full remarks in the video below:

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

It’s Been a Week of Chaos and Uncertainty

Dear Holy Covenant,

This has been an incredibly difficult and heavy week for our city.

The arrival of ICE and Border Patrol agents in Charlotte has created widespread fear, chaos, and uncertainty. Parking lots emptied as families stayed inside. Many businesses closed their doors, some just to the public, others indefinitely. Schools across the Charlotte-Mecklenburg area saw thousands of children kept home out of fear for their safety.

We were told that ICE and Border Patrol were coming to arrest violent criminals. But that is not what our community witnessed. Instead, people were unlawfully detained while working, shopping for groceries, standing on sidewalks and in parking lots, and even while on church grounds. Our city was disrupted in profound ways, with early estimates suggesting that the economic impact may reach into the millions.

As of today, there is still uncertainty about whether these operations have ended or whether Border Patrol has indeed left Charlotte…

Peace and Blessings,

Rev. Christopher Czarnecki
Senior Pastor, Holy Covenant UCC

Be sure to click on the Substack link below to read the full article from Pastor Chris!

Click to Read Full Post

🕊️ Follow Pastor Chris on Substack

Stay connected with weekly reflections, essays, and pastoral updates from Rev. Christopher Czarnecki

Did you know that Pastor Chris has a Substack page where he shares thoughtful reflections, essays, and insights beyond the Sunday pulpit? This online space is another way to stay connected with his ministry throughout the week, to deepen your faith, and to join in conversation with others who are following along.

On revchriscz.substack.com, you’ll find articles that invite us to wrestle with Scripture, embrace justice, and nurture our spiritual lives with honesty and grace. Substack also lets you subscribe for free—meaning every new post will arrive directly in your email inbox.

It’s simple to sign up: click the link below, enter your email, and you’ll be part of Pastor Chris’s growing online readership. You can also explore past reflections, share them with friends, or add your own thoughts in the discussion space.

As Holy Covenant continues to live out our calling to be a progressive, inclusive community of faith, this is another resource to help us walk the journey together. Take a moment today to subscribe, reflect, and stay connected!

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

Standing with our Migrant Neighbors

Dear Holy Covenant,

Border Patrol agents were reportedly being moved out of Chicago and may be heading to Charlotte to conduct operations in late November or early December. As of yesterday, Mecklenburg County Sheriff Gary McFadden confirmed that U.S. Border Patrol is expected to arrive in Charlotte as early as Saturday. For those who may not know, Border Patrol is a federal law enforcement agency under U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), which is part of the Department of Homeland Security.

Since Trump took office, Mecklenburg County has seen a sharp increase in immigration enforcement activities, including targeted arrests outside the county courthouse. In the first half of 2025 alone, ICE arrested about three times as many people in our county as it did at the same time last year, according to a recent report from The Charlotte Observer…

What Are Our Rights?

As a reminder, Border Patrol agents are permitted to arrest someone without a warrant only if there is strong reason to believe the person is both in the country unlawfully and at risk of fleeing before a warrant can be secured. It is typically illegal for agents to perform stops or searches based on race or ethnicity. However, in September, the Supreme Court granted the Trump administration’s request to allow stops based on factors such as race.

According to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), if agents approach you in a public place, you are not required to answer questions. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you must show your immigration papers only if asked and only if you have them with you. You do not have to consent to a search, and refusing consent does not create probable cause…

Our Call as People of Faith

As people of faith, we cannot turn away from the suffering of our migrant neighbors and real fear they are carrying right now. Our sacred scriptures are clear about how God’s people are to treat the immigrant, the sojourner, the stranger, and the one seeking safety. In the Hebrew Scriptures, God reminds Israel again and again: “So you, too, must show love to foreigners, for you yourselves were once foreigners in the land of Egypt” (Deuteronomy 10:19). The command God gives early on in the Torah is not merely about kindness; it is about a kind of justice that recognizes the humanity and dignity of those who are most vulnerable among us. Over and over, we see God identify with the oppressed and call on its people to protect those who are seeking sanctuary or live on the margins…

Right now, our faith compels us to show up, to advocate, to accompany, and to care for others, especially when our neighbors’ safety, dignity, and their own families are at stake…

Community Responses and Resources

It is rumored that local organizers are preparing for peaceful demonstrations this weekend, though at this time specific details have not yet been announced…

In addition, a master list of resources is being compiled and can be found here:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1elOV5OuZ9KmIjtON9mHhoXd1QQtpG5vsySq2zNPmkcc/edit?usp=sharing…

Looking Ahead

Friends, my heart is heavy and troubled as I think about the concerns of migrants, their families, and our city. Many in our city are frightened, uncertain, and bracing themselves for the terror and evil of what may come in the days and weeks ahead. As your pastor, I want you to know that Holy Covenant UCC will continue to offer solidarity and will always stand with those most vulnerable, especially migrants.

As soon as I learn more information, I will share it with the congregation. In the meantime, I ask you to pray. Please pray for our migrant neighbors and families, pray for those living in fear, and pray for this city we so dearly love. May our prayers lead us not into a sense of complacency, but into compassion, courage, and a collective action rooted in God’s unconditional, unlimited, and extravagant love.

Peace and Blessings,

Rev. Christopher Czarnecki
Senior Pastor, Holy Covenant UCC

Be sure to click on the Substack link below to read the full article from Pastor Chris!

Click to Read Full Post

🕊️ Follow Pastor Chris on Substack

Stay connected with weekly reflections, essays, and pastoral updates from Rev. Christopher Czarnecki

Did you know that Pastor Chris has a Substack page where he shares thoughtful reflections, essays, and insights beyond the Sunday pulpit? This online space is another way to stay connected with his ministry throughout the week, to deepen your faith, and to join in conversation with others who are following along.

On revchriscz.substack.com, you’ll find articles that invite us to wrestle with Scripture, embrace justice, and nurture our spiritual lives with honesty and grace. Substack also lets you subscribe for free—meaning every new post will arrive directly in your email inbox.

It’s simple to sign up: click the link below, enter your email, and you’ll be part of Pastor Chris’s growing online readership. You can also explore past reflections, share them with friends, or add your own thoughts in the discussion space.

As Holy Covenant continues to live out our calling to be a progressive, inclusive community of faith, this is another resource to help us walk the journey together. Take a moment today to subscribe, reflect, and stay connected!

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

Don’t Be Late for All Saints

“All Saints Day honors the beloved community—past and present—who continue to guide us in faith, justice, and love.”

Friends,

As we head into this weekend, I want to remind you of something that’s really easy to forget these days, especially since our phones take care of it for us, and that is this coming Saturday, Daylight Savings Time ends. So, be sure to turn back your clocks one hour on your microwave, oven, car, and sleeping alarm on Saturday night or come Sunday morning, as you’re lollygagging in your slippers and sipping your latte, you just might find yourself scrambling to arrive just in time for coffee hour instead of worship!

Enough with the jokes pastor, could you please get to the important stuff. Okay. Okay. Okay…

📅 Upcoming Dates to Remember

• Nov. 1 – All Saints Day
• Nov. 2 – All Saints Sunday / Guest Preacher: Rev. Belinda Sledge (Southern Conference) / Church Craft Sale
• Nov. 3 – Sandwich Ministry (10:00–11:30 a.m., Gathering Room)
• Nov. 16 – Annual Congregational Meeting & Potluck
• Nov. 23 – Advent Decorating Party (following worship)
• Nov. 27 – Community Thanksgiving Meal (5:00 p.m.)
• Nov. 30 – First Sunday of Advent
• Dec. 7 – Second Sunday of Advent / Room in the Inn begins
• Dec. 14 – Third Sunday of Advent / Cookie Exchange (following worship)
• Dec. 21 – Fourth Sunday of Advent
• Dec. 24 – Christmas Eve Candlelight Service (Chili Supper 5:30 p.m. / Service 7:00 p.m.)
• Dec. 25 – Christmas Day
• Dec. 28 – First Sunday after Christmas (Music Sunday)

Click to Read Full Post

🕊️ Follow Pastor Chris on Substack

Stay connected with weekly reflections, essays, and pastoral updates from Rev. Christopher Czarnecki

Did you know that Pastor Chris has a Substack page where he shares thoughtful reflections, essays, and insights beyond the Sunday pulpit? This online space is another way to stay connected with his ministry throughout the week, to deepen your faith, and to join in conversation with others who are following along.

On revchriscz.substack.com, you’ll find articles that invite us to wrestle with Scripture, embrace justice, and nurture our spiritual lives with honesty and grace. Substack also lets you subscribe for free—meaning every new post will arrive directly in your email inbox.

It’s simple to sign up: click the link below, enter your email, and you’ll be part of Pastor Chris’s growing online readership. You can also explore past reflections, share them with friends, or add your own thoughts in the discussion space.

As Holy Covenant continues to live out our calling to be a progressive, inclusive community of faith, this is another resource to help us walk the journey together. Take a moment today to subscribe, reflect, and stay connected!

📝 From the Pastor’s Desk

Mark Your Calendars!

“A coming season of generosity, preparation, and celebration at Holy Covenant!”

Holy Covenant,

The next two months are always a meaningful time in the life of the church. For those newer to Holy Covenant or those unfamiliar with the changing seasons of the church, these coming weeks ahead of us offer several opportunities to participate in the life of the church, deepen the understanding of our faith, and share in what can be some really meaningful ministry.