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Newsletters Reflect Active Time for Covenanters, Congregations
NORQUAY, SK (December 29, 2002) - Norquay Covenant Church may not have gotten
the deal of the century in purchasing its new church facility, but it's
probably close.
The church bought an 18,000-square-foot school for $1,000 Canadian (about
$640 U.S.), giving the congregation of 100 members a chance to transform
its ministries to a town of 550 located in the eastern part of
Saskatchewan. The old school was vacated after schools in Norquay
consolidated, said pastor Arden Gustafson.
The congregation celebrated the recent blessing during a special service.
They finished a capital campaign drive in an effort called "Blessed to
Serve" that raised $275,000 for renovations to the school to make it more
suitable for church ministry.
"It's exciting to see what God can do here," said Gustafson, who has been
the pastor for six months. "The question is: Are you open to the
possibilities? We've had well over 50 percent responses so far in our
capital campaign drive. And what I sense is that our congregation's heart
is there in reaching their community for Christ. They had a vision for this
long before I got here."
Norquay Covenant Church recently completed a roofing project and is also
configuring a new sanctuary within the school building that, along with
other on-campus facilities covers a full city block.
Numerous other Covenanters and Covenant congregations are making their
marks in their respective churches and communities. The following updates
were gleaned from the more than 200 local church newsletters received each
month by the Department of Communication of the Evangelical Covenant
Church.
CENTRAL
- Elgin, Illinois: Country Evangelical Covenant Church recently had a
"Drive By Prayer" outreach to local public schools, with members boarding a
school bus after church and stopping for prayer at four sites in Burlington
and surrounding communities. Included in the event was a special litany
prayer for children, adapted from Guide My Feet by Marian Wright
Edelman and a unique version of the children's song, "The Wheels on the Bus
Go Round and Round." The church's outreach committee of Beth Trosper, John
Cooms, Dianne Veidel and Mindy Gourley helped organize the event. Veidel
had already made inroads with a Bible club in the Burlington School
District that had attracted more than 30 children last summer. For more
information about the "Drive By Prayer" day, call pastor David Trosper at
847-464-5381.
- Moline, Illinois: The Rotary Club of Moline and School District 40
recognized Elim Covenant Church last month for its after-school ministry to
students of a nearby middle school. As part of the Children First
breakfast event, Elim Covenant was cited for its beneficial contribution to
the community. To learn more about the program, call pastor John Jacobi at
309-764-6920.
- Northbrook, Illinois: Northbrook Covenant Church's Donna Frownfelter
recently received this year's distinguished alumni award from Northwestern
University Medical School's program in physical therapy. Frownfelter is
assistant professor at Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago
Medical School in North Chicago. Another
parishioner, Brett Russell, competed in his first marathon, finishing the
October LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon in the top third among more than
31,000 competitors
- Oak Lawn, Illinois: Nancy, Joel and Keith Mondry of Trinity Evangelical
Covenant Church were featured in a recent Chicago Tribune article
that discussed ministry to special needs children during worship services.
The Mondrys have helped the church begin a special class for special needs
children during morning worship on Sundays
- Rockford, Illinois: Broadway Covenant Church parishioner Sue Nelson was
recently named Volunteer of the Year by the Central Conference Camping
Ministries Board for her work with Covenant Harbor Bible Camp in Lake
Geneva, Wisconsin.
- Rockford, Illinois: First Covenant Church was a satellite outlet for
"The Great Debate," a December 8 televised broadcast featuring author and
pastor Cliffe Knechtle and atheist lawyer Michael Newdow. The event was
focused on the question: "Does God Exist?" Rolling Hills Christian Church
in El Dorado Hills, California, was the site of the event, which was hosted
by atheist-turned-pastor Lee Strobel and Christian author and
speaker Mark Mittelberg. First Covenant was one of more than 1,000 churches
that had satellite feeds of the debate. As a speaker, Knechtle is known in
Christian circles as a highly successful "defender of the faith." Newdow
had made recent headlines by suing public schools in nine western states
seeking to remove the words "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance.
- Indianapolis, Indiana: Hope Evangelical Covenant Church parishioners
Elizabeth Barge, Debbie Masten and Vania VanKirk performed as part of a
living drama called "Bethlehem Village" at a local church this holiday
season. Meanwhile, Karen Woods was with the Gregory Hancock Dance Company
as they performed "The Nutcracker" at Pike Performing Arts Center earlier
this month. The four have danced at Hope Covenant as part of a liturgical
dance ministry there.
- Stephenson, Michigan: Bethlehem Covenant Church's remodeling and
renovation project has made the news in Upper Michigan as the Menominee
County Journal documented a building addition in its November 20
newspaper edition. During the last several months, the church was lifted
off its basement and re-lowered to ground level. The renovation included
the addition of a fellowship room, kitchen and restrooms on ground level,
along with an upgraded entry area. Bethlehem Covenant, which was founded in
1883, is now under the leadership of senior pastor Tom Ervasti. The
original church building was constructed in 1889, but was raised from
ground level in the
early 1900s to allow for the addition of a basement.
EAST COAST
- Granby, Connecticut: Pilgrim Covenant Church parishioner Pat Davis, a
flight attendant for American Eagle, was recently honored by the
Association of Flight Attendants with the Edith Lauterbach Merit Award, the
highest honor bestowed upon a flight attendant. It is presented to those
who "exemplify leadership, commitment and dedication to the advancement of
their profession." Davis began her career with Mohawk
Airlines in 1965. Four years later, she had to retire from her job due to a
rule that flight attendants couldn't be married and keep their positions.
She raised four children during the next two decades, resuming her flight
attendant career in 1989. During her career, Davis has served as president
of the Master Executive Council and on a variety of committees for the
industry, which includes 50,000 members. Another Pilgrim Covenant adult,
Keith Bugbee, was honored this fall for his coaching career for the
lacrosse program at Springfield College in Massachusetts. Bugbee, now in
his 20th year at the school, was inducted into the New England Lacrosse
Hall of Fame. An assistant professor of physical education at Springfield
College, he also serves as president
of the New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association. Bugbee has
compiled a record of 199-91 at the school, winning the 1994 NCAA Division
II men's national championship and earned seven NCAA tournament berths.
Last year's men's team finished 13-6 overall and won the conference title
at the Division III level.
- Boston, Massachusetts: The conference-sponsored New England Seafarers
Mission recently received a challenge grant of $18,000 from the Day
Foundation to be used for the purchase of foreign language Bibles and
Christian literature for seafarers who will visit the facilities in Boston,
Massachusetts, and Providence, Rhode Island. The Mission must raise $9,000
in additional funds by March to receive the grant. All monies must come
from churches. The New England Seafarers Mission was founded in 1880 to
minister to Scandinavian seafarers in the Port of Boston. It expanded its
ministry to Providence in 1984. Stephen Cushing is executive director and
chaplain in Boston while Ashley Peckham is chaplain in Providence.
ECCAK
- Eagle River, Alaska: Community Covenant Church was scheduled to move
into a new building December 22. The church will hold a dedication service
in January.
GREAT LAKES
- Jamestown, New York: Marshall Dahlin of First Covenant Church was
recently honored by the Lucille Ball Little Theater of Jamestown, in the
naming of the Dahlin Auditorium in his honor and that of his late wife,
Virginia. Dahlin, a member of the board of directors at the theater, has
been instrumental in a recent fundraising drive through the Chautauqua
County Arts Association, among other things. Another First Covenant
parishioner, Mary Ceci, was chosen as head coach for the U.S. Special
Olympics Roller Skating team that will compete in the 2003 World Summer
Games in Ireland next June.
MIDWEST
- Arvada, Colorado: Former Covenant youth pastor Jason Arneson of Christ
Community Covenant Church has used tennis as a tool for bettering his life
after being paralyzed in a sledding accident three years ago. In October,
he placed second in the "C" Division of the U.S. Open Wheelchair Tennis
Championships in San Diego. Arneson began playing wheelchair tennis in June
of 2001 after attending a national wheelchair
tennis camp in Boulder, Colorado. "I was hooked within the first few
minutes of the camp," he explained in a recent United States Tennis
Association news article. On December 30, 1998, Arneson was serving at
DeerGrove Covenant in Palatine, Illinois, and taking classes at nearby
North Park Theological Seminary. While visiting his in-laws in Nebraska, he
suffered spinal cord injuries in a sledding accident, which have
kept him immobile from the chest down. Arneson recuperated from the
accident in Golden, Colorado, and eventually served on staff at Arvada
Covenant Church in Arvada before becoming a programmer for the Indigio
Group, Inc., a web development company based in Denver. He also serves as
executive director of the Colorado Wheelchair Tennis Foundation.
- Manson, Iowa: Twin Lakes Christian Center will be adding a special
building on its campus this summer as the Charles Knapp round barn will be
transported two miles to Twin Lakes in July, said program director David
Wenell. According to a recent Fort Dodge Messenger article, the barn
is one of only four known domed-roof barns in Iowa and is listed on the
National Register of Historic Places. The barn, built in 1920, stands 65
feet high and has a diameter of 60 feet. It is not the first time a
building has been moved to Twin Lakes. The Swede Bend Covenant Church
building that is considered the first Covenant church in the Evangelical
Covenant Church (1868) was moved 50 miles to its current site in 1976. The
camp recently hosted its annual Swede Bend Christmas on December 7, a day
that included traditional Swedish fare, a concert and other events for
about 200 visitors.
- Clyde, Kansas: Robert and Donna Brown received recognition as Beekeeper
of the Year during the Kansas Honey Producer Association's recent banquet.
Brown's Honey Farms will celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2003,
pollinating crops in Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and California and
producing "Grandma B's Honey" for local businesses. Beekeeping is a Brown
family tradition as son Jerry is co-owner and general manager of
Brown's Honey Farms and daughter, Cheri Miller, co-owns a family bee
products company in Illinois with her husband, Bill. Donna's parents,
Vernon and Mae Adee, encouraged the Browns to become beekeepers and taught
Robert the business.
- Omaha, Nebraska: First Covenant Church parishioners Bill Freeman and
Bonny Swaggard have coordinated an audiocassette service for the visually
impaired that allows others to receive tapes of recent issues of The
Covenant Companion. Each issue is recorded on two 90-minute
audiocassettes. According to Swaggard, a previous pastor at First Covenant,
Norbert Johnson, introduced the idea of audiocassette tapes of
the Companion two decades ago. Two others, Bob Olson and Charles
Peterson, were also key members of the ministry. Freeman and Swaggard have
coordinated the taping for nearly two years with duplication technology
provided by First Covenant and the Department of Communication. Others that
have been involved in recent years include Ginger Peterson, Jan Swanson,
Merrill Carlson, Darle Erickson and Dale Shallberg. Swaggard is interested
in feedback concerning the service. She can be contacted by regular mail at
1537 Pinewood Drive, Omaha, NE, 68144-1443.
NORTH PACIFIC
- Bellevue, Washington: Iglesia Latinoamerican, the lone Hispanic/Latino
Iglesia del Pacto in the conference, performed "A Living Chris
tmas Tree" for the community December 13 and 14 and had a third performance
during its morning worship service on December 15. Under pastor Jorge
Gutierrez, Iglesia Latinoamerican has grown to 80 in average worship
attendance while serving parishioners from 18 different countries. The
church, founded in 1986 by Sharon Gradin, a missionary from Bolivia, shares
its facilities with Highland Covenant Church. The conference has assisted
the Hispanic congregation financially in recent years. Both congregations
meet in separate portios of the building on Sunday mornings. Highland
Covenant Church pastor Jim DeGrado said the two congregations meet
occasionally for worship and other events.
NORTHWEST
- Dawson, Minnesota: Lyle Torstenson of Dawson Covenant Church was
recently featured in a trade publication, Farm Show Magazine, for a
homemade two-wheeled, scaffold trailer he created. He also created the "tip
down" television antennae that can easily be repaired and is more
accessible than other models.
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bill Hunstock of Bethlehem Covenant Church
recently coached an amateur football team to the national championship in
Boston.
- Warren, Minnesota: Edith Johnson of the ECC of Warren celebrated her
100th birthday on December 7 in nearby Good Samaritan Center. Daughter June
Myller of Apple Valley and son Warren Strandell of East Grand Forks
attended their mother's party. Edith Johnson was born December 7, 1902, the
fourth of nine children. The family owned a farm in rural Minnesota. Edith
left home at age 17 and worked as a nurse's aid for a time. She married
Harry Strandell in 1927 and they moved back to the family farm.
After Harry died in 1947, Edith returned to work as a nurse's aid, this
time at Warren Hospital. She later married Jerry Johnson, a builder, in
1953 and they were faithful parishioners at the ECC of Warren until Jerry's
death in 1990. Though legally blind for many years, Edith maneuvered around
her home easily before she moved to Good Samaritan Center just over a year
ago, said a member of the church.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
- Tucson, Arizona: DeLon Thompson of the ECC of Tucson has been using his
musical gifts as a country singer during recent years, recently putting
together his second album. Thompson was a full-time auto sales executive
when he began pursuing a music ministry in 1998. He has performed nearly
100 shows this year, many in and around Tucson. One of his songs, "When I
Moved Out of Tulsa," won acclaim in Europe on its country radio hit lists.
For more about Thompson and his music, check
www.godschildrecords.com and producer John Rees.
- Arnold, California: Chapel of the Pines parishioner Warren Camp created
and presented seminars called "House Doctor" and a series including
videotape and PowerPoint presentations, along with hands-on applications
and quizzes. Camp had been a technical consultant for a San Francisco-based
ABC television station for 10 years. The seminars included clips from
previously televised weekly shows hosted by Ron Hazleton (now on Good
Morning America). Camp completed his first year of the seminar series,
which lasted from August through November. Camp stated that he would do a
similar seminar tape format next year. Chapel of the Pines used the
seminars to organize project sharing events and parties - the homeowner
bought food and drinks and
volunteers would provide home repair help - as a way to do community
outreach.
- Granite Bay, California: Ray Johnston, Bayside Covenant Church's lead
pastor was the recipient of the Azusa Pacific University (APU) 2002
Distinguished Alumnus of the Year Award. The award was presented during
APU's scholarship fundraiser dinner. The award is given annually to the
alumnus who best exemplifies in his/her life the four cornerstones on which
Azusa Pacific University was built - Christ, Scholarship,
Community and Service. Johnston was known for Covenant youth ministry
efforts at Marin Covenant Church in San Rafael, California, after beginning
pastoral ministry in Duarte. He was professor of youth ministry at North
Park University (then College) and at North Park Theological Seminary. He
wrote three youth ministry books and led hundreds of seminars for
nationally known Youth Specialties of El Cajon, California, in the 1980s
and early 1990s. Since helping plant Bayside Covenant in 1995, Johnston's
enthusiasm and creativity has been integral in that congregation growing to
more than 5,000 in average worship attendance.
- Hilmar, California: Hilmar Covenant Church parishioner Marianne Oates
was recognized by the Turlock division of the Salvation Army as one of its
Volunteers of the Year last month.
- Redwood City, California: On December 7, Peninsula Covenant Church
celebrated the second anniversary of a skateboard ministry started by Chris
Probasco. Probasco reported that more than 700 have heard the gospel
message since the beginning of the program, known as SkateChurch.
- Valley Springs, California: Dean LaManna of Good Samaritan Community
Covenant Church helped fix the STS-113 space shuttle Endeavor in November,
allowing it to make a recent journey into space. LaManna is an employee at
AASC, an aerospace structural engineering and manufacturing company in
Stockton. AASC has manufactured materials for various parts of the space
shuttle, including the robotic arm (RMS) that helps the shuttle perform
maintenance work in space. The robotic arm was damaged
when workers were trying to fix a leak in the shuttle's oxygen line in
November. LaManna traveled to Kennedy Space Center in Florida to help fix
the robotic arm.
SOUTHEAST
- DeLand, Florida: A new church, Covenant Community Church, will offer
its first preview service January 12, thanks to the help of one of the
largest congregations in the state. Dave Shaw, an associate at Northland
Community Church (whose main campus is in Longwood), decided to attempt the
church planting effort and Northland Community has blessed the effort by
assisting financially and providing other help. Leadership at
the church of 6,500 stated that the partnership with the Evangelical
Covenant Church was based on similar views in mission and vision, according
to a recent Northland
Community newsletter article. For more information about the new
congregation in DeLand, call Southeast Conference Supt. Kurt Miericke at
407-977-8009 or email him at Kmiericke@aol.com.
To keep current with developments throughout the Evangelical Covenant
Church, regularly visit the Covenant home page at www.covchurch.org or sign
up for the free headline news subscription service Covenant Newswire by
visiting the Newswire link on the home page. To send information to the
Department of Communication, email the information to
newsdesk@covchurch.org or call 773-907-8333. Church newsletters can be sent
to Covenant Communications, 5101 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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