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Rockford Award Heads List of Covenant Activities
ROCKFORD, IL (June 5, 2004) - Broadway Covenant Church's Bill Forsen received
an award from the United Way of Rock River Valley recently for building
communities and changing lives through outstanding service in the Rock
River Valley. The award is one of the highlights of this month's update
on the activities of Covenanters, gleaned from the more than 250 local
church newsletters received each month by the Department of Communication.
Forsen has been known around the area for his volunteer efforts on
behalf of many individuals – he was named the City of Rockford's "Super
Senior" in 1998. Cornerstone Resources, a volunteer organization,
presented the award after Forsen was nominated by his local Kiwanis Club.
A longtime employee of Commonwealth Edison in Rockford, Forsen was
financial secretary for many years at Broadway Covenant. He also sings
for Svea Soner, a Swedish singing group based in Rockford and sponsored
by the American Union of Swedish Singers. He grew up at the Evergreen
Covenant Church in Rockford and stayed in the area after meeting his
wife, Kay. They've been at Broadway Covenant for 28 years. Kay, a
teacher for 34 years, volunteers with the Salvation Army and the Swedish
Home League.
Following is information about other Covenanters and their activities,
presented by conference and region.
CENTRAL
- Chicago, Illinois: Roger and Joanne Olsen received the church's
Living Stone Award during a May 23 worship service for longtime service
to both the church and the larger community. The couple has been heavily
involved in the Awana Children's neighborhood ministry for well over 20
years as Roger has led the program for many years. They have also been
active in upkeep of the physical structure of the church and in ministry
via child and infant care and hospitality, among other things. Past
award winners included Don Michael and Ruth Thayer.
EAST COAST
- West Peabody, Massachusetts: Community Covenant Church honored Art
Reed for more than 40 years of service during a May 2 reception
following the worship service. Meanwhile, another parishioner, Dr. G.
Timothy Johnson, recently released a new book, Finding God in the
Questions, published by NavPress. Johnson, an ordained Covenant
pastor, is medical editor for ABC-TV and host of Good Morning America's
"On Call with Dr. Tim Johnson." Johnson had considered becoming a
minister; however, two years out of divinity school he changed direction
and entered medical school at age 29. During a recent interview on
Beliefnet, an Internet religion website, he stated that he was drawn by
his experience as a hospital chaplain and by a scientific turn of mind
that caused him to question everything, including his faith. He says,
"One message I'm hoping to get across is that you don't have to have
answers to everything to still be a person of faith. You can live
according to what you can know or understand and live with doubt."
MIDSOUTH
- Norman, Oklahoma: Journey Church was one of nearly 100 congregations
from 20 nations who received Church Health Awards during the 2004
Purpose-Driven Church Conference at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest,
California, May 11-14. Since 1999, Purpose-Driven ministries have
annually honored four to six churches that have shown excellence in
adapting the Purpose-Driven paradigm to their congregation, said the
church's founding pastor Rick Warren. With thousands of churches
becoming purpose-driven following their experience with the "40 Days of
Purpose" program, Purpose-Driven decided to honor 79 churches this year.
Each church received a check for $1,000. About 4,000 pastors and church
leaders from 46 nations attended the Purpose-Driven Church Conference at
Saddleback Church, one of America's largest churches with more than
22,000 people attending weekend worship services.
MIDWEST
- Salina, Kansas: First Covenant Church's Jeanne Thelander was
recognized in a recent church newsletter for having played the organ
during the church's morning worship services for 50 years.
NORTH PACIFIC
- Salem, Oregon: Trinity Covenant Church recently celebrated the 40th
anniversary of its founding on May 24, 1964, with 37 charter members. In
1963, a small group of people called the Salem Covenant Fellowship
committed to a 15-month study of the scriptures, Covenant formations and
two other books - Life Together by Dietrich Bonhoeffer and
Call to Commitment by Elizabeth O'Connor. Developer pastor Bill
Solie spent time in Washington D.C. learning about Church of the Savior,
on which O'Connor's book was based. The church began worshiping in a
local YWCA.
- Kent, Washington: More than 50 people attended a recent Ukrainian
dinner. Keith Tungseth, facilitator for Local Church Mission Initiatives
and Russia Ministries for the Department of World Mission, and Leonid
Regheta, a North Park Theological Seminary student, have initiated a
bold approach to Covenant (outreach) in Russia. The goal is to link the
Slavic immigrants in the Pacific Northwest, who might already be
developing mission work in their places of birth and/or who are looking
for partners to take the gospel and minister to the needs of the people
of the Former Soviet Union. This is an extension of what Keith and
Leonid have done personally - Regheta's family arrived from Ukraine.
They were welcomed by Interbay Covenant in Seattle, while Tungseth was
pastor there. While a short-term Covenant missionary for two years in
Magadan, Russia, Regheta hosted many Covenant pastors from the U.S.,
including Tungseth, and has made them aware of the needs and
opportunities throughout the former Soviet Union. Covenant churches
represented were: Kent Covenant, Interbay Covenant, Bethany Covenant
(Mt. Vernon), Creekside Covenant (Redmond), Graham Covenant (Graham),
Lakebay Community Covenant (Lakebay), Newport Covenant (Bellevue) and
Praise Covenant (Tacoma). Praise Covenant of Tacoma has a partnership
with a Moldovan evangelist/businessman and works with him in
evangelistic outreach, church planting and various community projects.
This partnership has expanded to include Covenanters from Minnesota as
well. Newport Covenant has been working with an orphanage in Uglich,
Russia, for several years. Creekside Covenant sent a team and a Slavic
friend to work in the Vologda region.
- Port Orchard, Washington: Covenant Fellowship Church featured one of
its parishioners, Cherie Franich, in a recent newsletter as she is
starting a small assisted-living facility next to her home. Angels Nest
Adult Family Home opened in May and the facility can accommodate up to
five women. Franich decided to open the home with the help of her
husband, Steve, after being involved in a Purpose Driven Life Bible
study group last spring. More about the ministry can be found by calling
Franich at 253-851-3007.
NORTHWEST
- Mankato, Minnesota: Darwin Sorenson was featured in a recent
Evangelical Covenant Church of Mankato newsletter for his volunteer work
as a hospital chaplain. He serves one day per week as a chaplain and was
a 13-year leader for a men's Bible Study Fellowship group. He was
trained in a church Stephen Ministry program 15 years ago after coming
to Christ at the age of 40. Darwin was formerly a deputy sheriff with
Blue Earth County now he and his wife, Noel, own a picture framing
business in nearby Lake Crystal. Noel is also a nurse at a local
hospital's Home Care division.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
- Tucson, Arizona: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Tucson held a
book signing for retired Covenant pastor Harold Nelson, who recently
wrote Senior Spirituality: Awakening Your Spiritual Potential to
help guide people through the senior citizen years. Nelson is a hospital
chaplain and grief counselor now living in retirement in Green Valley,
Arizona. He is past president of the Association of Professional
Chaplains and is a longtime member of the church, along with his wife,
Marguerite.
- Concord, California: Crossroads Covenant Church featured missionary
Grace Farag in its recent newsletter as she toured with Impact World
Tour in New Zealand in the past few months. Farag's job was to set up
and coordinate radio interviews for performers on the tour,
communicating with local reporters and occasionally interviewing on
region television and radio. She stated that more than 280,000 attended
the group's events in 56 cities and towns.
- Kerman, California: Kerman Covenant Church, with leadership from
church council member Pat Goosev, coordinated "Easter in the Park,"
attracting over 1,500 to the outreach event in April. Originally an
event held by the town of Kerman, the spring celebration had attracted
about 500 people in 2002, but the church and the local ministerial
association cooperated to increase attendance at the event to more than
1,000 in 2003. While Kerman Covenant was a catalyst for this year's
event - giving away resurrection eggs and a Veggie Tales video to kids
and providing a bounce house, dunk tank, Christian band, and plenty of
food and drinks - the Spanish-speaking Covenant congregation in town, La
Vina Covenant Church, also participated by showing the Jesus video and
giving away Bibles. More about the event can be found by reading a story
on the Pacific Southwest Conference website at www.pswc.org.
To keep abreast of activities throughout the Covenant, regularly visit
this Covenant online news report at www.covchurch.org. To have
information considered for publication, add the Department of
Communication to your local church newsletter mailing list at 5101 N.
Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625. Information also may be emailed to
the department at newsdesk@covchurch.org.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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