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Workshops

Workshops will be offered on Friday, June 22, from 3:30 to 5:00 pm. All delegates and general conferees are invited to attend. No advance sign-up is necessary. All seminars are offered on a space-available basis.

Exploring Covenant Affirmations

This workshop will present new resources for the discussion of Covenant Affirmations, the six Christian beliefs that describe the center of Covenant faith. Learn how to use a new DVD series and written curriculum and see these high quality congregational aids. Designed for flexibility of learning venues, these resources can be used for outreach, new member classes, discipleship, home groups, etc.

Facilitated by Bruce Lawson (project manager for the Department of Christian Formation, ECC, Chicago, IL) and Mary Miller (director of Making Connections Initiative, NPTS, Chicago, IL)

Building Bridges, Sharing Faith

Sharing faith is all about building bridges. This workshop will explore attainable and effective ways to help your congregation build bridges to the people in your community. The session will also preview new Covenant evangelism resources.

Facilitated by Soong-Chan Rah (Milton B. Engebretson assistant professor of church growth and evangelism, NPTS, Chicago, IL), Edward Delgado(director of prayer and evangelism, ECC, Chicago, IL) and Lisa Orris (project coordinator for evangelism coaching, ECC, Chicago, IL)

Kick-Start Your Giving: Practical Helps for Church Finances

This workshop will offer useful immediate steps a church can take to encourage giving to general budget and to special programs, with focus on implementing proven best-practice models. There are ways to do this beyond and better than the tired tools of the past. Giving is about discipleship, but its implementation in a local church is frequently about organization and structure.

Facilitated by Bill Clark (director of strategic giving, ECC, Chicago, IL)

Veritas—Telling the Truth about Revitalization

It’s been said that it is easier to give birth than to raise the dead. Yet Jesus raised the dead three times. What are the theological foundations for revitalization and the marks of a healthy missional church? What factors prevent a church from revitalizing, and what factors make a church ready for renewal? What is the strategic plan for revitalization within the Covenant? This workshop is especially geared to chairpersons and other congregational leaders.

Facilitated by John Wenrich (director of congregational vitality, ECC, Chicago, IL)

Covenant Mercy and Justice Ministries in Colombia

This workshop will share the vision and mission that have led to the many justice and mercy ministries of the Covenant in Colombia, specifically those created by the Covenant Foundation and Covenant Christian Church in Bogota. The leaders will challenge us to reach out to the cities and communities and cities where we live. They will also offer ways to partner with them in their ministries in Colombia.

Facilitated by Andrés Bunch Lopez (see bio speaker's page), Beatriz Argüello Valencia (vice-president, Covenant Foundation), Gary and Mary Lou Sander (Covenant missionaries in Colombia)

Forming Disciples: Helps for the Journey

What does a disciple and a disciple forming congregation look like and what resources are available to churches to help everyone move deeper in Christ and further in mission? We will explore these questions as we look at practical helps for both leaders and the entire congregation.

Facilitated by Steve Burger (director of children and family ministries, ECC, Chicago, IL) and Marti Burger (director of youth and family ministries, ECC, Chicago, IL)

CMJ: Connecting the Dots in the ECC

CPM, PCP, CWR, I2RR, J2M, 5-FT – do you know what those letters stand for? They represent some of the variety of ongoing ministries of compassion, mercy and justice through which God is already at work in the ECC. That’s Micah 6:8 in action! In this introduction to this new department of the ECC, participants will have the opportunity to explore practical ways that the Covenant Church is committed “to act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Facilitated by Debbie Blue (Candidate for executive minister of compassion, mercy, and justice, ECC, Chicago, IL)