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Newsletters Highlight Local Church Ministries
CHICAGO, IL (April 28, 2003) - Following is a roundup of local Evangelical
Covenant Church ministries, gleaned from the more than 200 newsletters
received each month by the Department of Communication. The information is
grouped by conference/region.
CANADA
- Strathmore, Alberta: Hope Community Covenant Church's Alberto and Lisa
Zepeda are heading to Kenya as short-term missionaries. Alberto will
primarily help the ECCK national council in church planting and other
church growth efforts along with leadership training. He also hopes to
coordinate partnerships with other church organizations in the region. Lisa
will home school two of their three children while assisting with a local
school, community health center and orphanage.
CENTRAL
- Galesburg, Illinois: The Covenant Church of Galesburg's Fred and Jeanie
Neubert were recognized for 25 years of ministry by InterVarsity Christian
Fellowship. Another parishioner, Delbert Price, was awarded the National
Conservation Legacy Award by the National Soybean Association at its recent
convention.
EAST COAST
- Attleboro, Massachusetts: David Norfrey of the Evangelical Covenant
Church of Attleboro was the accompanist for the fifth straight year for the
recent Rhode Island All-State Chorus Festival Concert, held at Veteran's
Memorial Auditorium.
- Waltham, Massachusetts: Covenant Congregational Church has been
recognized by a local organization, WATCH, for its contributions to
supporting affordable housing in a community tenant's association. The
event, in honor of the 15th anniversary of WATCH, was held at the DeVeber
Conference Center at the Waltham Hospital. Meanwhile, one of the church's
parishioners, hospital staffer Cindy Buchanan, was given a CAREfirst Award
by Newton Wellesley Hospital for showing compassion, attitude, excellence
and responsibility in her job. The hospital cited Buchanan's faithfulness
in caring for a co-worker that had become ill at work.
- West Peabody, Massachusetts: Community Covenant Church's Diana Place
traveled to Orlando, Florida, recently to compete in a national business
conference that included a competition on business subjects. Place competed
at the state level and finished second overall to advance to the national
conference.
GREAT LAKES
- Jamestown, New York: First Covenant Church's Mary Ceci was named "Woman
of the Year" by the InterClub Council during its annual dinner on March 17.
Ceci was also featured prominently in an article by her local newspaper,
the Jamestown Post-Journal. Ceci has been a longtime volunteer in
Special Olympics and will represent Team USA in the 2003 Special Olympics
World Summer Games in Ireland and Northern Ireland this summer. She coaches
Rollerskating and has raised tens of thousands of dollars for Special
Olympics, according to the Special Olympics official website. She was
honored by her hometown as the Disability Awareness and Humanitarian of the
Year in 1990 and has been honored by her state and other organizations for
her efforts as well.
NORTH PACIFIC
- Portland, Oregon: First Covenant Church recently hosted a Kid's Kloset
Easter banquet that drew 60 children and adults. Along with an Easter meal,
the church showed The Jesus Film in Russian. Kid's Kloset serves primarily
Russian and Ukrainian immigrants and runs Mondays through Wednesdays at
First Covenant. It was started by a parishioner, Arnold Karn, and opened in
April 1998. The Easter banquet was an outreach and evangelistic event,
along with a social justice element. Summit View Covenant Church also had
representation in the event and the two churches combined for about 40
volunteers.
NORTHWEST
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethlehem Covenant Church's Jerry Erickson has
been voted as the Minnesota Dental Association Guest of Honor for 2003. He
was presented his award at an April 26 dinner at the St. Paul Hotel in St.
Paul. The Minneapolis District Dental Society honored Erickson for his
efforts in dentistry last year.
- New Brighton, Minnesota: Salem Covenant Church's Martha Ensign Johnson,
professor of Printmaking and Art History at Northwestern College in St.
Paul, has been invited to show 18-25 new prints in a one-woman show in a
gallery in Stavange Norway beginning May 30. Several of Martha's students
have come from Norway. Martha has been on the faculty at Northwestern
College for six years while maintaining an active studio life on her own.
Most recently Martha's work was featured in a Carlson
Gellery show at North Park University in Chicago.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
- Oakland, California: On April 6, Iglesia del Pacto of Oakland and
nearby
Emmanuel Independent Christian Church officially merged as Bethel
Evangelical Covenant Church and had its first combined worship service at
First Covenant Church in Oakland. Aurelio Bothi is pastor of the new
church, which has about 100 in worship attendance. "We had a great service
with a modified 'chartering service' and a 'rein
stallation' of Aurelio (Bothi)," said Pacific Southwest Conference Supt.
Evelyn Johnson. "And, of course, we ate good food after the service . . .
that's definitely part of the Hispanic culture." In the near future, the
new church hopes to move into the Fruitvale area of Oakland and reach the
1.5 and second-generation Hispanic population. It will use First Covenant's
facilities until that move occurs.
- Santa Barbara, California: Santa Barbara Community Development Center,
under the direction of pastor Hugo Otoala of the Fuente de Experanza
Covenant Church, has been co-leading a food distribution program that
provides canned foods, dairy products, fresh produce and bread to between
80 and 120 families per week. The Thursday afternoon program is run with
the help of Otoala, Ana Garcia and Lorenzo Martinez. Nearly 40 volunteers
are helping the Center in a variety of ministries, including tutoring,
English as a Second Language programs, health and clothing ministries. The
ministries are assisting those in Isla Vista, Santa Barbara and Goleta. To
learn more about the Center, call Otoala at 805-451-6559 or email him at
Hugo12633@aol.com.
SOUTHEAST
- DeLand, Florida: Covenant Community Church began weekly services on
April 13 at DeLand High School, a new location, with hopes of launching its
grand opening to the community later this summer. There were 150 in
attendance. Many monthly regulars were traveling, but the number included
15 first-time families, said Southeast Conference Supt. Kurt Miericke. The
church launched its initial preview
service on January 12 with 191 in attendance at a local middle school, said
new pastor David Shaw. Shaw, an associate at Northland Community Church (a
congregation of 6,500 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 helps after approval by the
church's leadership. Covenant Community Church is located in a community of
30,000 in central Florida. For more information about the church, call
Miericke at 407-977-8009 or email him at Kmiericke@aol.com.
ELSEWHERE
- Colombia: the Covenant Church in Medellin has rallied together in
response to a tragic fire that occurred near two Covenant congregations.
About 3,500 people lost their homes in this fire. The two churches will be
offering 250 people a place to shower, wash clothes, receive counseling,
receive clothing and even a meal. They are working toward
offering ministry to the most pressing needs that these people have for at
least the next six months. "The children's ministries in these churches
have increased in attendance and in outreach because so many children who
are without a home now have a place that can help them with their homework
and offer recreation," stated missionary Gary Sander in a
recent newsletter. "It has been amazing to see people and ministries work
together to attend to the immediate needs and to try to establish a way to
continue this outreach for the long haul of putting a life back together."
- Thailand: A fish hatchery in Chiang Mai, sold 17 million fish in 2002,
nearly double the amount sold in 2001. This increase was made possible
through the addition of more ponds and the fact that the market has
expanded and solidified for them. This has allowed them to support all the
ministries of the Center for Church Enablement in Thailand.
To remain current with Covenant ministry activities, regularly visit this
Covenant news report. To contact Covenant Communications, call 773-907-8333
or email
newsdesk@covchurch.org.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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