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Hello Covenant-First Children of God in Christ,Seventy percent of all Christians who come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior do so before the age of 25. This puts a primaryministry focus on two things: Youth ministry and campus ministry. I was involved in campus ministry for 15 years andexperienced rapid growth as a result. I first heard the Gospel from a campus minister, was discipled by one, and served as acampus minister for 12 years. I can personally attest to the fruit that a campus ministry can bring to a church.I am honored and excited to announce that the Session has endorsed a new ministry for our church. Starting this summer, wewill partner with a campus ministry organization to reach the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music. Thispartnership will be a brand-new venture for us as a church and will hopefully bring energy and youthfulness to our worship. Ourpartner organization, the Coalition for Christian Outreach (CCO) is near and dear to my heart, and I am thrilled that it seemsChrist will make it work. It still requires the ongoing support and generosity from congregants and those interested in seeingthis work flourish. One such testimony of campus ministry was in the 1990s. Bellefield Presbyterian Church, a church on the University ofPittsburgh’s campus, was near closing. It decided to shift its focus to reaching college students. In three years, the church had acomplete rebirth. The attendance shot up, and Sunday morning was filled with worshippers. The organization they partneredwith is the same one we are partnering with, CCO. The CCO a vibrant parachurch campus organization passionate about sharing the gospel with college students. At a glance, itmay resemble other national campus ministries, such as Cru, Navigators or Intervarsity, which often host similar events andactivities. But what truly sets the CCO apart is its deep partnership with local churches to reach the entire campus community.Unlike other ministries where campus ministers raise all their own support, CCO ministers receive one third of their supportfrom partnering churches. This creates a powerful, collaborative ministry tailored exactly to the church's context and goals. TheCCO minister is responsible to both the church and CCO, fostering a unified mission to reach college students. Their primary focus will be on the Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), working to deepen the connectionbetween the church and CCM students. This effort builds on our existing partnership with CCM and promises to inspire worshipattendance, nurture spiritual growth, and—most importantly—transform lives for Christ on campus. That’s the heart of ourcollective mission.Rooted in Reformed and Presbyterian theology, CCO champions a distinctive vision called “the life of the mind.” This meansencouraging ministers to be students of the faith and inspiring students to integrate their beliefs into every facet of life. It’s afoundational principle—faith in action—where Jesus’ impact extends beyond the spiritual realm into all areas of life.When I joined CCO, the guiding principle was “zero dualisms”: Living consistently with one’s faith. It’s about embracing the ideathat Jesus’ love influences everything—the work we do, the way we think, how we live—pursuing the kingdom of God in everymoment. To pray “Your Kingdom come” is to actively work toward his will in every corner of creation, including our careers. CCO ministers are specifically equipped and trained to embody this worldview with every student they meet—they evangelize,disciple, and help students see their professional lives as offerings to Christ. This holistic approach sets CCO apart and fuelsmeaningful, lasting impact. Currently, Covenant-First’s position for the campus ministry is advertised nationally through CCO, with interviews underwayand one candidate soon to be chosen. In June, the selected minister will begin intensive training—learning how to do ministryeffectively and raise support. We’ll see this individual periodically over the summer, and by late July or early August, they’ll be atthe church consistently. This is an exciting new chapter! The energy and passion college students bring to a church is contagious and inspiring. Let’sprepare ourselves to embrace and celebrate this fresh season of ministry!Excitedly sincere,Rev. Dr. Dan TurisThe Covenant CourierCovenant-First Presbyterian Church February 2026 Vol. 31, Issue 1From our pastor – Rev. Dr. Dan TurisA note about funding: CFPC’s projected portion of the full academic year budget for this new ministry is about $30,000.Much of the first-year budget is already covered by some special donations and a grant from the Presbytery, but we willstill need to raise additional funds to complete funding for this coming academic year and beyond. We’ll be hostingsome informational meetings soon, but please see Rev. Dr. Turis or Rob Heidenreich with any questions now. Thank you!

Session NotesYour Session met for the first 2026 meeting on January 12,with a full agenda. Rev. Dr. Turis led a devotional timereviewing the congregation's stated goals, connecting each tosupporting Bible passages; Rev. Dr. Turis also led a time ofprayer for the congregation. The Session continueddiscussion from November about the proposed new campusministry – a partnership between Covenant-First and theCoalition of Christian Outreach (CCO), which will focus onthe University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music –and approved moving forward with this new ministry. Rev. Dr.Turis and Elder Heidenreich, along with Music DirectorYolanda Parker, will work through next steps with CCO, withthe goal of having the new campus minister in place by mid-summer. (See related article on page 1 of this Courier.) Theelders also reviewed 2025 financial results and the initialbudget outlook for 2026, received an update from theNominating Committee, and reviewed planned upcomingevents. The Session will approve the full 2026 budget at itsFebruary meeting. Subsequent to the meeting, Elder Ralston notified the eldersof his intention to resign from his position on Session,effective immediately. The Session will officially receive andconfirm his resignation at the February meeting. The elders are praying for you, and we appreciate yourprayers for us, as we seek to follow Jesus' leading for ourcongregation. Please see Rev. Dr. Turis, me, or any elder withany questions, concerns, or prayer requests. Rob HeidenreichClerk of SessionUpcoming EventsFebruary 8 – Souper Bowl of Caring donations collectedFebruary 9 – Session Meeting at 6:30 PMFebruary 18 – Lent BeginsFebruary 19 – 3CDC Sector Meeting at CFPC at 8:30 AMFebruary 22 – Taft Museum Tour, Sunday at 2 PMMarch 1 – Annual Congregational Meeting during worshipMarch 14 – Pi Day Pie Supper at 5 PMReading and Resolution Reminder Welcome to February Everyone! As we are one month into 2026already, I wanted to check in and see how your resolutions for theNew Year are going. Especially those you who were committed toreading your Bibles more this year! Since I spoke on the subjectduring my sermon of December 28, a few of you have mentioned thatit was just the nudge you needed to start reading more andconsistently during 2026. If need be, let this be another prod to continue what you started. Ifyou have had challenges maintaining a consistent schedule, do notfear or become discouraged. Just pick up where you left off and startanew! Any reading is better than no reading. A small failure does nothave to end in defeat!If you need a program to follow, please see me some Sunday, or feelfree to call, text or email. I would also suggest using the ActsDevotional that Dr. Turis has created to complement his Sundaymessages. If that is not enough, I would recommend reading theGospel of John. It is a great place to meet Jesus, our Savior and ouronly way to heaven. The first two points of my message on December 28 were, read & prayand read & depend on the Holy Spirit. The disciples have been doingjust that in Acts 1 and 2. By the work of the Spirit you will beencouraged and strengthened through reading God’s word. Randy PageElder New Courier LayoutWelcome to an experiment with a new Courier layout. This new layout is intended to be clearer and shorter. I will not be repeating theregular weekly announcements in the Courier, but will keep it simple with a brief calendar to remind you about what is coming next. Iencourage you to read the weekly bulletin announcements in the bulletin or on the weekly announcement email. Stay up-to-date byvisiting our website. If you are not on the email list, please make sure to sign-up by contacting Genita. – GenitaSympathy is extended to Genita and Rob Heidenreich on thedeath of Genita’s mother, Lil Richert. Lil’s unexpected deathcame as a shock. Continue to pray for the family as they gothrough this difficult time. A Celebration of Life Service willbe held Tuesday, February 10 in Carol Stream, IL. Pastor Dan and Genita delivered two dozen donuts to the3CDC Downtown Ambassadors office on Tuesday,February 3 to say thank you to all of the Ambassadors whowork so hard to keep the streets of Cincinnati clean andsafe and for the recent hard work after the heavy snow lastweek. Pictured here is Pastor Dan and two of theAmbassadors at their offices on 6 Street. thSouper Bowl of CaringDon’t forget to bring yourcanned goods to church onSunday, February 8. We needa lot more cans of fruits andvegetables for Our DailyBread Soup Kitchen. Let’sbless our neighbors byflooding them with cannedgoods. Weekly ActivitiesSundays – 10:30 AM WorshipWednesdays – 12 noon Brown Bag Bible StudyWednesdays – 8 PM Evening Bible Study Saturdays – 7:30 AM Men’s Bible Study 2/12 Julian Maxwell2/19 Polly Barnes2/27 Jeff Standen3/6 Cindy King3/7 Al Landis3/8 Pat Whiting3/15 Harry Fry3/18 Don Barnes3/18 Joan McAlonan3/18 Michael Maxwell3/22 Ray Witte 3/22 Paul Kramer3/29 Joe GrayUpcoming Birthdays