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Ministries Award One Highlight of Central Conference Meeting
By Craig Pinley
WILMETTE, IL (May 8, 2002) - Phil Keillor of Arbor Covenant Church in Madison,
Wisconsin, received the J. William Fredrickson Urban Ministries Award last
Saturday during the Central Conference Annual Meeting May 2-4 at Winnetka
Covenant Church.
A day earlier, Jolene Bergstrom Carlson was installed as associate
superintendent of the conference.
Keillor was honored as part of an awards luncheon last Saturday, along with
two retired pastors with lengthy service records in the Central Conference.
Keillor has been a notable community leader in Madison, particularly in the
area of homeless ministry. He founded Transitional Housing in Madison, a
multi-organizational network that began in 1984 as a wintertime homeless
shelter for men. The organization now includes a daytime hospitality
center, a job referral service and a network to find permanent housing.
Keillor currently serves as chair of the board's operations committee.
Besides his work with Transitional Housing, Keillor has served on the
Central Conference Commission on Church and Society for the past six years.
He is known in his community as "a voice for the voiceless," serving in
annual celebrations for Martin Luther King Day in Madison along with
significant service to his church.
The J. William Fredrickson Urban Ministries Award is named for Dr. J.
William Fredrickson, a longtime professor at North Park College in Chicago
and one of the founders of the North River Commission. It is awarded every
other year by the conference to a lay leader who has given exceptional
service to the church and community in an urban setting.
Also during Saturday's luncheon, The Covenant Award for Retiring Clergy was
given to Rev. Melvin Dillard and retired associate superintendent Craig
Anderson, both of Chicago.
Dillard retired last December after a lengthy ministry at Atonement
Covenant. Dillard has done short-term mission work in Zaire and served
pastorates in Waukegan, Illinois; North Miami, Florida, and at Oakdale
Covenant Church in Chicago. Dillard played football at PurdueUniversity in
West Lafayette, Indiana, but passed up an opportunity to pursue a
professional football career in order to become a schoolteacher. He
eventually felt called to ministry after a long teaching career.
Anderson had been in pastoral ministry more than two decades before
becoming associate superintendent of the Central Conference. He served as
pastor at Edgebrook Covenant Church in Chicago (four years); Berkeley
Covenant Church in Berkeley, California, (10 years); the Evangelical
Covenant Church in Menominee, Michigan (four years), and Oakdale Covenant
(three years).
David Auker was approved by delegates as executive director of Covenant
Harbor Bible Camp and Conference Center in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He was
recommended by the Harbor/Point Ministries board. Auker has been at
Covenant Harbor for four years as director of development. He replaces
Peter Heintzelman, who left that position to serve with Covenant Trust
Company in Chicago. Besides his work at Covenant Harbor, Auker is past
chair of Christian Camping International-USA. His service to the overall
Christian camping committee has been notable, according to HarborPoint
Ministry administration.
In other annual meeting news:
- The conference approved a three-part plan for ministry in the
conference, including a proposal by the executive board to make the
ministry of Chicago's Douglas Park Covenant Church into a mission work. As
a result, funds from the conference and local churches can be integrated
into continuing support for that ministry. Grant funds will also be sought.
- Delegates were presented with the conference's goals for the Churches
Planting
Ministries initiative, which include the founding of 20 ministries during
the next three years. Presenter Jerome Nelson will be the conference
liaison for the initiative. The
conference has set a goal of planting six new congregations in the next
three years.
- Leadership seminars were presented on Friday, including sessions on
understanding the Islamic faith, community ministry and a Christian
response to war. Presentations on
the new Covenant WorshipStudio software for worship planning and the
revised Rules
for the Ordered Ministry also were made. On Saturday, the conference
provided leadership development sessions on youth, community and holistic
ministries as well as fundraising.
- Karen Hinz, chaplain at Covenant Harbor, was elected treasurer of the
Central Conference Ministerium during its annual meeting last Thursday.
Luis Retamal, pastor of Iglesia del Pacto Grace in Chicago, was elected to
the Committee on Ministerial Standing.
- Art Nelson, pastor at North Park Covenant Church in Chicago, was the
keynote speaker for the worship service Friday night. Daniel Meyers, pastor
at Christ Church of Oakbrook, Illinois, was the guest preacher for the
Thursday night ministerium service.
For more information on the Central Conference and its annual meeting, call
Kirsten Nelson at 773-267-3060.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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