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Three Churches Celebrate Ministry Milestones
CHICAGO, IL (September 13, 2002) - Three Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC)
congregations recently celebrated milestone anniversaries last weekend,
including the 125th anniversary of Lanyon Covenant Church in Harcourt,
Iowa.
President Glenn R. Palmberg spoke at the Sunday worship service and a
Saturday night banquet for Lanyon Covenant, which celebrated September 5-8
under the theme "His Glory: Yesterday, Today, and Forever."
Palmberg has family ties with Lanyon Covenant as his paternal grandfather,
Oscar Palmberg, served as pastor at the church from 1901-1907. By then, the
church (originally known as the Lost Grove Evangelical Mission Church) was
already 25 years old. A revival in the spring of 1876, led by Rev. A.
Hallner, provided the impetus for starting the church September 1, 1877,
with nine charter members. Mission meetings were started in January 1878
and a building was erected 10 years later one and a half miles west of
Lanyon.
Lanyon Covenant currently has an average attendance of about 80 under
pastor Eric Marx. It is located 20 miles south of Fort Dodge and 75 minutes
northwest of Des Moines. The unincorporated town has a population of 50 and
the church has people attending from 12 different townships. Two of its
members, Richard and Marlys
Johnson, serve the denomination as missionaries in Colombia.
In other celebrations:
Washington
Mercer Island Covenant Church commemorated its 50 years of ministry with a
Saturday banquet and Sunday luncheon as one of its previous pastors, Robert
Larson, spoke during Sunday worship services.
The church hosted a banquet in the church's gymnasium and packed the
facility. The church also hosted a barbecue at a nearby park following
morning worship.
Mercer Island Covenant Church has an average worship attendance of 555
under pastor Eric Newberg. The church began with the help of five families,
including two members of First Covenant Church of Seattle. They held the
first worship service May 7, 1949, in the basement of the Lester Seed home.
Later that year this group, known as the Mercer Island Community Sunday
School, met at the Mercer Island Club House. The church
became formally organized in 1951. The first full-time pastor was Charles
Nelson, who started in 1952.
Minnesota
Plymouth Evangelical Covenant Church near the Twin Cities of Minnesota
celebrated its 25th anniversary September 7 and 8 with a previous pastor,
Frank Riley, serving as guest speaker.
The church hosted a co-ed Best Ball Golf Tournament and all-church pig
roast on Saturday. Riley spoke at both morning worship services Sunday.
Plymouth Evangelical Covenant Church is located in a northwest suburb of
Minneapolis with an average worship attendance of more than 500. The lead
pastor is Dan Johnson. The church began worship services at a local school
in 1977 and moved into its current building three years later.
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