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Lansing (MI) Church Celebrates 50 Years of Ministry
LANSING, MI (November 20, 2002) - Bretton Woods Covenant Church celebrated 50
years of ministry last weekend as Richard Lucco, superintendent of the
Great Lakes Conference, preached during the morning worship service on
Sunday.
The celebration weekend, using the theme "Honoring Our Legacy, Pursuing
God's Vision", began Saturday with a reception, dinner and service of
thanksgiving that was attended by 115 individuals. A luncheon was held at
the church following the worship service on Sunday. About 120 participated
in worship, according to pastor Michael Mirakian.
Norris Peterson, the church's founding pastor, Rick Lindholtz and Don
Lindman were among the weekend guests, as were interim pastors Chuck
Anderson and Ed Noren. Three longtime pastors spoke Saturday about their
memories of ministry in Lansing. They also participated in the Sunday
worship service, sharing in the celebration of communion with Mirakian.
Other events earlier in the month helped the members to remember their
heritage. During the November 3 worship service, as a tribute for All
Saints Day, Mirakian asked members to place stones in front of the pulpit
to honor the memory of those who had passed on before them. It symbolized
the Old Testament story in Joshua 4 of the
Israelites creating altars to mark their past before crossing the Jordan
River into the promised land of Canaan.
Bretton Woods Covenant began meeting in a local school and local homes
until it built its original chapel in 1951. Robert and Ruth Ann Peterson,
who were Covenant missionaries in Africa, helped assist with the early
ministry during their home assignment. The congregation later received
pastoral assistance from North Park Theological Seminary intern Elder
Lindahl before Norris Peterson was called as the church's first permanent
pastor in 1952.
Norris Peterson spoke about the church's early meetings - he had the
distinction of serving as interim pastor some 45 years following his
initial ministry at the church, serving for six months before Mirakian
arrived in January 2001.
The church was officially organized December 3, 1952, with 22 charter
members. On June 6, 1953, the church held a groundbreaking service to begin
construction of its current facility. A fellowship hall was completed in
1955 and a new sanctuary was dedicated on December 1, 1957. The
construction effort received help from Frontier Friends (now Kingdom
Builders) contributions. The church currently has an average worship
attendance of around 80 individuals.
To learn more about the church and its ministries, call 517-323-3316 or
email the pastor at BrettonWoodsCov@aol.com. The church's web page is
www.fellowship.net/brettonwoods.
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