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Pacific Southwest Celebrates 100 Years of Ministry
By Craig Pinley
IRVINE, CA (April 29, 2002) - The Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) celebrated
its 100th anniversary as a conference with a rousing "Celebration 2002"
event April 26-27 at Newsong Community Covenant Church in Irvine.
A total of 131 delegates from 57 churches were among the more than 400 that
attended various PSWC annual meeting events. Conference Supt. Evelyn M.R.
Johnson challenged participants to "live the call" of risk-taking and
faithful sacrifice like seven representatives from six churches did on
February 22, 1902, in Kingsburg, California, in forming the Svenska
Evangeliska Missionsforeningen.
Based on recent statistics, the PSWC has continued to live the call to grow
and disciple others. There are 121 churches and fellowship groups in the
conference, according to Johnson's report, including 41 that have joined
the conference during the past five years. Overall, 65 have been started
since 1977, with 29 that are predominantly Hispanic, African-American or
Asian. The number of Hispanic churches in particular are
increasing - during the past eight years, the number of congregations
increased from 4 to 19 with a worship attendance increase of 31 percent
since 1998.
The growth trend continues, said Johnson, who watched conference delegates
affirm the work of a dozen new church planters, who are considered
"missionaries for the conference." The conference recommended five churches
for membership in the denomination - membership will be considered during
the denomination's 117th Annual Meeting in June. They are:
- White Stone Covenant Church in Dublin, California (pastor Rob Bryceson)
- Mercy Covenant Church in San Juan Capistrano, California (pastor Todd
Rodarmel)
- Nueva Esperanza in Simi Valley, California (pastor Roberto Ghione)
- New Covenant Christian Ministries in Sacramento, California (pastor Tim
Lewis)
- Iglesia Communidad Cristiana Covenant Church in West Covina, California
(pastor Josue Munoz)
The five new churches represent a combined worship attendance averaging
630. Associate Supt. Wayne Carlson reported that two churches - New
Covenant Christian Ministries and Iglesia Communidad - are in the process
of being adopted into the denomination.
On Saturday, Adam Edgerly, director of church planting and holistic
outreach for the conference, presented a new plan called the Churches
Planting Ministries initiative, a partnership between the denomination and
conferences. Five conferences - including the PSWC - are launching the
initiative this year. Others will follow later on.
Covenant Ministries of Benevolence provided initial funding and each
conference will receive up to $30,000 for the initiative in matching
grants.
The PSWC has already raised some money in matching funds for Churches
Planting Ministries. Edgerly noted that funds have aided pastor Hugo Otoala
and Iglesia del Pacto Evangelico de Goleta, located in Isla Vista near
Santa Barbara. The church has created a Community Development Corporation
that distributes 3,000 pounds of food each week to the community. The
corporation also provides medical assistance and education. Three
congregations - Community Covenant Church in Goleta and Santa Barbara's
Montecito and Ocean Hills Covenant churches - and other organizations have
assisted the Isla Vista
ministries with financial and volunteer help.
Racial reconciliation and justice issues are high priorities within the
denomination. The PSWC has taken steps to embrace its multiethnic mix and
fund projects to complement that effort. The conference informed delegates
about the NextStep campaign, an effort that began January 1 to raise
$500,000 toward furthering various ministries throughout the conference.
The conference hopes to raise $1 million over the next three years for
faith-based community development and holistic local outreach.
In other news during the PSWC annual meeting:
- Johnson and Stan White, executive director of Alpine Conference Center
in Blue Jay, California, honored Marilyn Porter for two decades of service
with a ministry called Alpine Angels. Her efforts at the clothing store
have raised nearly $1 million for Alpine.
- The annual meeting opened Friday morning with a centennial video
tribute for the conference. The guest preacher for morning worship was Ray
Johnston, senior pastor at Bayside Covenant Church in Granite Bay,
California. The afternoon included various leadership seminars led by
numerous conference and denominational leaders.
- Church futurist Leonard Sweet gave the evening message Friday,
challenging the audience to emphasize relationships and unwrap itself of
the status quo by the use of the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the
dead (John 11). "The gospel is a mystery to be lived and experienced, an
adventure to be explored," said Sweet. "Jesus was the first teacher to say,
not 'follow my teachings,' but 'Follow me.' Truth is about relationships."
- Before the annual meeting officially began, Newsong Community Covenant
Pastor David Gibbons preached at Thursday's PSWC ministerium evening
service. Gibbons, speaking about the early church in Corinth, challenged
pastors to relate to those outside of their ethnic or cultural comfort
zones. "If you don't deal with the issue of multiethnicity, people in the
next generation will not find you authentic," he said. "Even worse, you
would not be living out the gospel."
Among the guests at the PSWC annual meeting were Donn Engebretson,
executive vice president of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC); David
Kersten, executive minister of the Department of the Ordered Ministry;
Steve Burger, director of Children and Family Ministries for Department of
Christian Formation; Millie Lungren, director of the Covenant Resource
Center; Jim Sundholm, director of Covenant World Relief; and Chuck Walles,
executive director of Estate Planning Services. Kersten co-led a discussion
on the proposed revised rules for the Ordered Ministry at the ministerium
meeting and Engebretson gave a greeting from the denomination.
For more information about the PSWC and its Celebration 2002 events, call
Johnson at 925-677-2140. The conference website will also provide extensive
information later this week at www.pswc.org.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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