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Northwest Conference Delegates Affirm Fretheim
BROOKLYN PARK, MN (April 30, 2003) - Jim Fretheim was approved as the new
superintendent of the Northwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant
Church during the conference's annual meeting April at Redeemer Covenant
Church.
A total of 211 delegates from 89 of the conference's 130 churches
registered for the annual meeting. They heard Fretheim discuss his
ministerial journey as part of Saturday's business session before approving
him to replace retiring Supt. Paul Erickson on July
15. Erickson was honored during a Friday night reception for his eight
years of service. Fretheim was welcomed at a reception following Saturday's
morning business meeting.
Fretheim previously served as lead pastor of First Evangelical Covenant
Church of Grand Rapids, Michigan, after 16 years as pastor of Bloomington
Covenant Church in the Twin Cities. A member of the Evangelical Covenant
Church (ECC) Executive Board, he has served on numerous conference boards
and the ECC's Board of the Ordered Ministry. His
late father, Arthur, was a longtime Covenant pastor and church planter.
Along with hearing about Fretheim and his future ministry hopes, delegates
were given small group opportunities to meet in "breakout sessions" with
other conference administrators. Groups received reports and discuss issues
with four different leaders in 45-minute intervals. Con
ference chair Brian Schanil stated that the sessions updated
delegates on such topics as Covenant camps, church planting, assessing
church health, Churches Planting Ministries, Christian Formation and
evangelism.
In other business meeting news:
- A proposed constitution from last year's annual meeting was approved,
putting the conference documents in line with changes made at the
denominational level in 2001.
- Brian Schanil (Warren, Minnesota) and Todd Van Zee (Moose Lake,
Minnesota) were re-elected as chair and vice chair of the conference's
executive board. Two new members, Ardie Sheplee (Huntley, Minnesota) and
John Satterberg (Excelsior, Minnesota) were named to the board.
- Delegates celebrated two new church plants, including the Laotian
Covenant Church that is part of Brookdale Covenant Church in Brooklyn
Center under pastor Soudinh Penkhay. The Laotian congregation began its
ministry last August. Another church, The Sanctuary, began its ministry in
January under pastor Efrem Smith and enjoyed an attendance of 325 at its
first preview service. The multiethnic congregation is receiving help from
local Covenant and non-Covenant congregations and has a core group of 60
adults.
- Delegates also approved the closing of one church, Trinity Covenant
Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Donn Engebretson, executive vice president of the ECC, and Carol Lawson,
director of staff ministry for the Department of the Ordered Ministry, were
among the special guests at the Northwest Conference annual meeting. They
heard from 15 ordination candidates
during testimony times throughout the weekend.
Along with the conference annual meeting, the Northwest Ministerium and
Covenant Women Ministries (CWM) groups met during the weekend. Rachel
Peterson, president of CWM for the conference, said that $1,322 was raised
for ministries in Tajikistan and Afghanistan. A church and a district
within the conference also donated about $1,000 to the effort. A contingent
from the Northwest Conference, including Schanil and Peterson, traveled to
the two countries last summer to help organize life skills and vocational
ministries for women. Monies are earmarked primarily for two cities in that
region.
For more information about the Northwest Conference and its annual meeting,
call 612-721-4893 or email nwc@isd.net. The conference web page is
www.nwc-cov.org.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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