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An Open And Affirming Community Of Faith -
We Welcome All Beliefs!
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Sage meets every Friday at 1 PM. Check here for the church calendar for the link.
- SAVE THE DATE - TOWN WIDE CHURCH GARAGE SALE - APRIL 27TH RAIN DATE APRIL 28TH-WE NEED VOLUNTEERS!
- If you haven’t done so already, it’s time to update our video greetings for the Passing of the Peace! A short (5-10 seconds) video is all that’s needed, and phone recordings are fine! Or Rox can record you after church! Send your recordings to Roxann.victory@outlook.com and she will add it!
- Holy Covenant t-shirts available to order, possibly last chance. See below!
- Pot Luck 3/24 after service - see below
- Church will be open on March 29th for walking the labyrinth.
- Saturday, May 4 is World Labyrinth Day. Holy Covenant will be open from 12 pm
to 3 pm for those who would like to walk our labyrinth. We will have explanatory
materials and music to accompany your walk.
- Meditation on Wednesday, April 3rd at 7 pm
- The next Thrive with Pride café will be held on April 4 at 7 pm via Zoom—we will talk about the women in the history of the Chicago LGBTQ+ community! Contact Rev. Martha for the link.
- Looking ahead to May and June, if you would like to add or update a photo of your mom (Mothers Day in May) or father (Fathers Day in June), or of someone who was a parental figure to you, dig those pictures out to send to Roxann.
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Support Holy Covenant MCC
with Your Generosity Today!
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Giving Needed Weekly
(5 WEEKS) $936
The monthly difference is $619
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Our bills are listed for the month of MARCH 2024.
Your generosity helps us pay the bills. Any amount helps us meet our obligations.
If you would like to pay one of the bills,
please designate that in your donation.
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MARCH IS WOMENS HISTORY MONTH
June Almeida (1930--2007)
Identified 1st Human Coronvirus
The National Women's History Alliance designates a yearly theme for Women's History Month. The 2024 theme celebrates “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion.” This theme recognizes women who understand the need to eliminate bias and discrimination from individuals' lives and institutions.
June Almeida serves as a role model for determination and innovation. As the person to identify the first human coronavirus, scientists, and people all over the world, are indebted to her work.
June Dalziel Hart was born on October 5, 1930 in Glasglow, Scotland. Her father, Henry Leonard Hart, drove a bus and her mother, Jane (Steven) Danziel worked at a local shop. Growing up in a tenement in Alexandra Park in northeast Glasglow, Almeida excelled in school, but money was always tight. In 1947, she won the top science prize at her school and wanted to continue pursuing a career in science after her high school graduation. However, there was no money to pay for her college tuition, so Almeida took a job to help her parents pay the bills. She started at age 16 as a lab technician in histopathology (studying and diagnosing tissue disease) at the Glasglow Royal Infirmary. Shortly thereafter, the family moved to London and Almeida took up the same job at St. Batholomew’s Hospital in the city. She worked diligently at her job, but—without a college degree—it was hard to advance.
In 1954, Almeida married Enriques (or Henry) Rosalio Almeida, a Venezuelan artist; the marriage ended in divorce. The two had one daughter, Joyce, and moved to Canada. While in Canada, Almeida found more opportunities than in London for someone without a college degree, and it was in Canada where her career took off. She took a job as an electron microscopy technician—meaning she used a powerful electron microscope to take photos of specimens for research and diagnosis—at the Ontario Cancer Institute (now the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre) in Toronto. As she made images with her microscope, she acquired the reputation for being an expert in the process. In the 1960s, detecting viruses was painstaking and slow work. Examining a single cell could take hours, and images were grainy and hard to see. Despite this context, Almeida was able to make these images clearly and quickly. She perfected a technique called negative staining, which helped her find and identify viruses.
After working for years in Canada, Professor A.P. Waterson, a virologist, persuaded Almeida to go back to London in 1964. She started at St. Thomas’ Hospital and then moved with Professor Waterson to the Royal Post Graduate Medical School in 1967. It was during this time that her career began to blossom; she co-authored many scientific publications and continued identifying and imaging many viruses. In her career, she became the first to visualize the rubella virus and she provided invaluable research on HIV and Hepatitis B, of which she helped identify the structure. She also perfected a technique called immune electron microscopy (a process that makes identifying viruses easier) and taught many other virologists her techniques.
It was while she was working in London that she came to the attention of Dr. David Tyrell. Dr. Tyrell was a researcher working on the common cold, but he had one sample (B814) that he could not identify. Hearing of Almeida’s expertise, he sent her the sample to identify. Using her negative-staining technique, she created a sharp, clear picture of the mysterious virus. Not only was she able to clearly see it, but the virus looked familiar to one she had seen years before. But scientists had rejected her earlier identification, saying that what Almeida identified as a different virus was in fact a blurry image of a flu virus. But Almeida was proved right in the end—that “blurry photo” and Tyrell’s B814 virus were the first identified human coronaviruses. She and others called it a “coronavirus” because each piece of virus looked like a crown, which in Latin is corona.
Almeida continued to write scientific papers and conduct research on viruses. Due to her contributions, the University of London awarded her a master’s degree in 1970 and a Doctor of Science in 1971—she finally had the college degrees she had wanted since high school. Most virology review articles and textbooks contain images of viruses she produced.
Almeida finished her career at the Wellcome Research Laboratories in London where she worked on vaccines and diagnostics. In 1985, she retired and moved to Bexhill (a town in southeast England) with her second husband, Philip Gardner, who was also a virologist. In retirement, Almeida taught yoga, traded antiques, and restored China with Gardner until his death in 1994. Almeida could not stay away from her microscope for long though, and in the late 1980s she returned to St. Thomas’ as an advisor and applied her expertise to produce some of the first high-quality photos of HIV.
June Almeida died on December 1, 2007, in Bexhill at the age of 77. When a new, unidentified virus first appeared in China in 2019, researchers used Almeida’s pioneering work and techniques to identify it as another coronavirus. While her discovery may have been overlooked during her lifetime, the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the world’s attention to Almeida’s important work. Without it, things may still be blurry today.
Taken from National Womens History Museum
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NEW T-SHIRTS FOR HOLY COVENANT
NOW AVAILABLE! ORDER NOW! Show your support of Holy Covenant by buying a t-shirt. Many sizes, shirt types and colors to choose from. These shirts will be used throughout the year when we attend Pride parades or fests and for our garage sales so we are known to our neighbors. A small portion of the proceeds goes to Holy Covenant. Any questions please see Roxann Victory or email her at roxann.victory@outlook.com.
Click here to order! https://www.bonfire.com/holy-covenant-mcc/
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UPCOMING EVENTS OF INTEREST | |
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PINTS WITH THE PASTOR
APRIL 11TH!
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Join us at Pub 78 in beautiful downtown Brookfield for no-host dinner and/or drinks. conversation and good times from 6 pm - 8 pm.
Time: 6 pm, Thursday, April 11th.
Pub 78
3733 Grand Ave
Brookfield, IL 60513
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POTLUCK - MEDITERRANEAN DISHES!
MARCH 24, 2024
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Spring is in the air and we're excited to celebrate with our third potluck of the year! Join us on Sunday, March 24th, immediately following church.
We can't wait to see what delicious dishes everyone will bring, so we suggest bringing a tasty mediterranean dish. This could be anything Italian, Greek, Lebanese, Egyptian, Spanish, Sicilian Etc.
To ensure we have a variety of dishes, we have a sign-up sheet downstairs. Don't miss out on this opportunity to share a meal and fellowship with your church family. See you there!
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BEREAVEMENT GROUP
The La Grange Legacy Guild has expanded their grief support programming to include services to bereaved spouses. You can click on the link below to download the flyer or scan the QR code to register.
The Spring session starts April 2nd.
Bereavement Support Flyer
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GOOD FRIDAY
SERVICE INFORMATION
On Good Friday, March 29, our sanctuary will be open from 4 pm to 6 pm for individuals who would like to walk the labyrinth. We will have explanatory materials and music to accompany your walk.
A community worship service will be held that evening at 7 pm at Plymouth Place in
La Grange Park —all are welcome!
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THRIVE WITH PRIDE
HONORING LGBTQ+ CHICAGOIANS FOR
WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH
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Join us TUESDAY, MARCH 26, 2024 at 11am to noon (CST)!
This month we welcome Jen Dentel from Gerber/Hart Library & Archives to discuss several women highlighted in their 2022 podcast Unboxing Queer History, including Lorrainne Sade Baskerville, the founders of Amigas Latinas, and the women of the Great Angling Lesbian Society, whose work impacted Chicago LGBTQ+ history. Founded in 1981 and located in Chicago's Rogers Park Neighborhood, Gerber/Hart is one of the largest repositories of LGBTQ+
content in the world. Join us as we dive into their amazing collections!
Join by clicking https://zoom.us/j/96661294106
or dial 312-626-6799 and enter ID: 966 6129 4106 at prompt
This event is free; registration is not required.
Download the EVENT flyer here.
INTER-GENERATIONAL DINNER & DIALOGUE
On April 4th from 6 to 8 pm, there will be an Inter-generational Dinner & Dialogue. This is free and open to all ages over 18 and stages of life. You can download a flyer for this here. Registration is required and can be done at www.thrivingwithpride.org. A wait list may be possible so register early.
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HOLY COVENANT BOARD MEETING - MOVES TO ZOOM MEETINGS STARTING APRIL 21 ST | |
The next Board meeting will be held on April 21st, 7 pm via Zoom. The Board discussed about moving meetings to Zoom and it was approved by everyone. If you would like to attend a meeting via Zoom, please contact Rev. Martha for the link so you can listen and observe.
You can find all the Board agenda, minutes and financials on our website. They are also posted on the bulletin board in Fellowship Hall.
You can find a PDF of the past Board Meetings Agenda, Minutes and church financials here
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WEEKLY SERVICE INFORMATION | |
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HYBRID - IN PERSON AND ON YOUTUBE
REV. MARTHA DANIELS PREACHING
10:00 AM CST
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Our worship celebration is every Sunday at 10 am CST. If you would like to join us you may join us in person or go to our Facebook page at Holy Covenant Facebook Page and click on the LINK to YouTube to watch the service.
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Isaiah 50:4-9
Mark 14-15 selected verses
Sermon Title - "Purpose or Reason?"
Have a candle ready to light, a cookie or bread, and a glass of your favorite libation for communion if you are watching online.
You can also find previous services on our YouTube Channel here.
Rev. Martha is available by email, phone, Facebook Messenger, and text for any pastoral needs you may have revmarthadaniels@gmail.com
DO YOU WANT TO HELP WITH WORSHIP?
Do you feel a call to help with worship? To read a prayer, or a reading, or to usher or serve communion? Whether you are here in person or virtually, we need and want your gifts! Contact Rev. Martha or Roxann at roxann.victory@outlook.com.
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AGING WELL MARCH PROGRAMS | |
Join us all month long for informative seminars, health programs, fitness, entertainment, and more!
Hello Neighbors! Below is our June schedule. Join us all month long for informative seminars, brain health programs, fitness, history, entertainment, and more online and in person! Just click here for the list of classes.
We encourage you to share our class schedule with friends, family, and neighbors, near & far, of any age – everyone is welcome to join us! All of our classes are free & no advance registration is required. We hope to see you soon on Zoom!
Thank you all for being a part of the Aging Well Neighborhood!
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SHARE FOOD, SHARE LOVE
FOOD PANTRY NEEDS YOUR HELP!
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Food insecurity has become a public health crisis that continues to affect our communities, with an alarming increase of 19 in the number of households facing hunger compared to pandemic levels. The situation is even worse for Black households, as the number has risen by 37%. With the recent cancellation of extra money in the SNAP program, it is now more vital than ever to support organizations like Share Food Share Love.
By donating to the Share Food Share Love Food Pantry, you can make a real difference in the lives of those who are struggling to put food on the table. With just a $1.00 donation, you can help provide 3 meals for a family in need. Your generosity can help ensure that our neighbors do not go hungry.
We are calling on all members of our community to help us fight food insecurity by donating to the Share Food Share Love Food Pantry. There is a food box located in front of Tischler's where you can drop off your non-perishable food items 2/47 or bring your food donations to the church and we will take it over. Let's come together to support each other during these challenging times. Thank you for your support!
If you live in the surrounding area of Brookfield, you may qualify to be our neighbor at Share Food, Share Love. You can stop in on Tuesday evenings 7pm to 9 pm and Saturday mornings 10 am to 12 pm to apply and gather up some food for you and your family. If you do come, please try to bring your own reusable bags but if you forget, we will have bags for you.
The food box located in front of Tischler's where you can drop off your non-perishable food into this box 24/7!
Thank you!
SHARE FOOD, SHARE LOVE GIVING PAGE
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WSSS (SAGE) CALENDAR, EVENTS & MENU | |
West Suburban Senior Services (previously known as West Suburban SAGE) a social support group for LGBTQ seniors, meets both via ZOOM and in person on Fridays at 1 pm. Please contact Eric Eugenio Vironet (evironet@cmsschicago.org) if you plan to attend in person as space is limited.
On April 1 at West Suburban – AgeOptions, the Area Agency on Aging for suburban Cook County, will host a Legislative Breakfast at West Suburban at 10AM. This event welcomes Cook County federal, state, county, and local officials to discuss issues facing older adults. You are invited to attend! You must register prior to the event – you can scan the QR code on the flyer which can be downloaded below or register here:
AgeOptions 2024 Legislative Breakfasts
West Suburban March Activity Calendar click here
West Suburban March Menu click here
West Suburban Senior Services website click here
WSSS Facebook Page click here
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PASTOR'S PICK CORNER -
Rev. Daniels Reading/
Listening/Watching Suggestions
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I am, as all of you probably have noticed, a voracious reader! One of the downsides to reading is the cost of books. Well, here are some suggestions to help you read the books you want to read without breaking your budget!
1. Use your library! As a former librarian, I encourage the use of your public library! Using the free Swan+ app, you can search for any books (video, audiobook, e-book, etc.) and if an item isn't held in your local library, it is automatically requested for you from another library. You can choose where it will be held for you (maybe the library close to your work, maybe one you just like better). Note that if it is a title in high demand, residents of the library district that owns the title have priority. Holds can be suspended, if you need to, and you won't lose your place. Also note that e-books are on a kind of subscription basis for the libraries, and there may be more requests for a title than the subscription permits, or the subscription may have expired. Libraries also allow you to check out e-versions of magazines! Many also have libraries of things--tools, kitchen appliances, etc.--that you can borrow for a project when you don't want to buy the item. Many also have "maker labs" where you can print in a variety of media, including in 3D, create computer graphics, and more.
2. Little Free Libraries! Maybe you've seen those small boxes in a neighbor's yard, maybe painted bright colors. Little Free Libraries operate on the principle of ‘take when you like, leave what you are done with.” They’re a grab bag; you're not likely to find the latest bestseller in a Little Free Library, but there are many other choices! We have our own version in the Fellowship Hall by my office! Check it out!
3. Online booksellers like AbeBooks (owned by Amazon), Powell’s (they have a warehouse here in Chicago, so ordering from them may get you the books a bit faster), Half Price Books, and more. Bookshop.com is a website for independent bookstores--which includes our own local Anderson’s, as well as many women-, LGBTQ+-, and minority-owned bookstores. You won't get the lower prices of the used book stores, but you'll be supporting local, independent stores!
3) Trade with your friends! I've done a few book-swap parties, and they're a lot of fun. Everyone brings the books (or CDs, DVDs, etc.) they want to swap, and everyone gets to choose what they want to take home! I once scored a full boxed version of Angels in America at a book swap, and another time a pile of five lesbian-themed mysteries.
4. Finally, Amazon is not my favorite place to buy books, but if you are looking for used books, you can choose "other buying options" when you are shopping for books, and that allows you to compare the prices for used books from several booksellers.
Happy reading!
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MEDITATION WILL BE APRIL 3RD! | |
The next date for meditation with Mary Ann will be on Wednesday April 3rd at 7:00 pm. We hope to see you there!
For more information about meditation please contact Mary Ann Latsaras at only1amar@yahoo.com.
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AMAZON HAS OUR LIST OF NEEDS!
UPDATED LIST!
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We have updated our "needs" list online at Amazon. We ask that you look at our list of what items we are in need of and purchase something for the church.
This list is available to see here HC Need List and is updated as needed. You can order and pay for anything off this list and have it shipped directly to the church. We appreciate anything you can order for us!
We thank you for your continued support of Holy Covenant!
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NEED POWER OF ATTORNEY OR WILL? | | | |
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We mourn and pray for all the families who have suffered personal losses from gun violence at our schools, churches, and hospitals. public venues and other places.
Prayers for Cynthia and her children Isaiah, Imani and Ian for better health.1
Prayers for Brenda and Sandra as he knows why.1
Prayers for the Richey family especially Julie, Barb and Eddie on the passing of their mother Mary Abernathy who is also Rev. Martha's Aunt.2
Prayers for Barbara R. friend Joyce who foot needs to heal.2
Prayers for continued healing for Barbara R, Mary Ann, Kim and Michael.2
Prayers for Roxann's Grandma Margie who has been sick lately.2
Prayers for Chris to feel God's peace at the death of her mother.3
Prayers for Jim U's mom and Aunt Carol, whose husbands have passed away.3
Prayers for Pat Mc. who's long-time friend Nancy Heiss passed away on March 1st and peace for Pat as she handles all the arrangements.3
Prayers for Marion dealing with the loss of her son and husband all in the past year.3
Prayers for Sue dealing with loss of her husband, Ron and starting back into the workforce so soon after her husband passing away.3
Prayers of thanksgiving for Barbara's neighbor Christine C. who has recovered from the flu and COVID.3
Prayers for those with harden hearts that feel the need to deface places of worship.
Prayers and strength for Ukraine, for those who are relocating, and to end the war and unnecessary deaths.
Prayers for all our first responders that they stay safe while helping others.
Prayers that God will provide for those who are hungry, unemployed, and homeless,
or in financial difficulties.
All those affected by HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, COVID-19, and other life-threatening illnesses.
All communities of faith.
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LINKS AND OTHER INFORMATION | |
There is a universal help line 211 for Cook County. They can help residents with housing, food, health services and more. It is a 24 hour seven day a week operation and have trained professionals answer the phone and are able to help you | |
Missed a sermon?
Click here to catch up and watch on the Holy Covenant YouTube channel!
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If you or someone you know is in an emergency call 911 for help.
Need someone to talk to? Call the suicide lifeline by dialing 988.
NAMI - National Alliance on Mental Health
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Every day brings something new—
and God is with us always!
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9145 Grant Ave
Brookfield, IL 60513
Phone: 708.387.1611
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