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Strong Pre-Registration Reported for Midwinter
ROSEMONT, IL (January 19, 2001) - Celebrating the Good News is the theme of the 2001 Midwinter Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) that begins January 29 and continues through February 2 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare.
Based on early pre-registration numbers, there is already good news to report. As of January 12, more than 900 had pre-registered - last year's event had a final total of 967 participants. Pre-registration attendance figures are equally encouraging for Adult Ministries Connection and the Youthworkers Connection.
President Glenn R. Palmberg will preach at the opening worship service. He and Ronald Magnuson will co-lead a midweek workshop entitled The Role of the Pastor in Church Conflict. William E. Pannell, emeritus professor of preaching at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California, will preach at the evening service January 30.
Marva J. Dawn, theologian, author and educator with Christians Equipped for Ministry, will lead plenary sessions and preach at the evening service February 1. Leonard J. Sweet, the E. Stanley Jones professor of evangelism at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, will speak at the closing breakfast February 2. Morning Bible studies will be led by Lewis B. Smedes, professor emeritus of theology and ethics at Fuller Theological Seminary. C. John Weborg, professor of theology at North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, will lead daily Holy Communion and healing services.
Workshops at Midwinter will include topics such as community development, domestic violence and pastoral care. The new Covenant discipleship/confirmation curriculum will be presented in a separate session. Workshops also are being geared for Sudanese, Korean and Spanish-speaking pastors. The Covenant Camps and Conference Centers and Covenant Clergy Women associations also will hold their annual meetings at Midwinter.
The Youthworkers Connection and the Children and Adult Ministries Connection meetings will precede the other Midwinter activities, meeting January 27-29. The Church Planters' Connection will be January 28-29 and already has three dozen pre-registered.
Meanwhile, 49 have pre-registered for an inaugural pre-Midwinter program designed for health professionals, clergy and chaplains, to be conducted January 28-29. The conference, entitled Faith and Health: Making the Connections, will include G. Timothy Johnson, an ordained Covenant pastor and medical editor for ABC Television, as well as a number of North Park Theological Seminary presenters including Jim Bruckner, assistant professor of old testament; C. John Weborg, professor of theology; Mary Chase-Ziolek, assistant professor of health ministries; and Phillis Sheppard, assistant professor of pastoral care.
Two three-member conference panels will include moderators Joan Zetterlund, the Paul Brandel professor of nursing at North Park University, and Patty Cooper, health ministry coordinator/parish nurse at First Covenant Church in Omaha. Panelists include Rebecca Neth Townsend, vice president of strategic development at Covenant Retirement Communities; Steve Jackson, director of pastoral care at Swedish Covenant Hospital; Dana Norton, director of Covenant Enabling Residences in Duluth, Minnesota; MaryNella Bruce, Emmanuel Medical Center Congregational Health Ministries; Pam Franklin, parish nurse at First Covenant Church in Duluth; and Kathy Kleinert, Covenant Community Care in Detroit.
For more information about the Midwinter Conference and pre-conference events, call 773-583-0220.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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