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21 New Churches Accepted into Covenant Membership

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 21, 2004) - From Florida to Hawaii to Canada, the mission of the Evangelical Covenant Church is stronger, richer and more diverse in North America because of the 21 churches joining this year. The congregations are doing a variety of ministries and are located in 15 states and provinces representing 10 conferences. More than 40 percent of these congregations are ethnically diverse.

Many congregations are using creative ways to reach their neighborhoods for Christ. Parkside Community Church, an Evangelical Covenant Church congregation in Clifton Park, New York, is using a karate ministry and a MOPS (Mothers of Pre-Schoolers) program effectively.

New Community Covenant Church in Chicago has been actively involved in ministries to the homeless, after-school tutoring, youth nights and providing shelter and a warming center. A new facility has made the church even more accessible to locals. Liberty Springs Covenant Church in Liberty, Missouri, has done compassionate Ministries and outreach through remodeling homes and the local Pregnancy Support Center and providing oil changes for single moms, among other things.

Covenant cooperation has also been a hallmark of the new church plants. At Crossroads Covenant Church in Yelm, Washington, a property trade with North Pacific Conference-sponsored Cascades Camp helped the congregation purchase land at a major intersection in Yelm for its future church site. Assistance from two Covenant churches - College Park Covenant Church in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, and Shoreline Covenant Church near Seattle, Washington - has helped start the Blackstrap Covenant Church in rural Saskatchewan.

Iglesia del Pacto Redentor, a Hispanic congregation in Indianapolis, Indiana, was helped significantly by Hope Covenant Church, an Anglo congregation that provided a building to use and a parsonage for the church planting pastor, Jorge Luis Ramírez. A similar partnership occurred at Laotian Covenant Church in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota, where Brookdale Covenant Church helped renovate a building as a parsonage for its church planting pastor, Soudinh Penkhay.

In the Pacific Southwest Conference, Mien Covenant Church had its beginnings in 1990 when a Southeast Asian family sought permission from Valley Hi Covenant Church in Sacramento to establish a family garden on unused land as part of the church campus.

James Dange, a young father, and his family committed their lives to Christ as God began to grow a vision and passion in James' heart for the Southeast Asians living in the Valley Hi area. In 2000, David Yangh was called as pastor of the Mien group, and in 2002, the church was "planted" as an incorporated body of believers.

Another church in Sacramento, First Covenant Church, has taken church planting to a new level. It parented Sanctuary Covenant, River Life Covenant, and Valley Hi Covenant - all of Sacramento - and also partnered in the recent planting of Westside Covenant. This congregation meets in a newly built Christian community outreach center in West Sacramento under pastor Clark Crebar. According to a report by the conference, the church's outreach ministries to those residing in low-income properties have blessed many as early 300 children received Christmas presents from the congregation and 200 people were guests at a Thanksgiving dinner hosted by the church in an apartment complex.

One of the most amazing growth stories among church plants has occurred in Oklahoma at Journey Church in Norman. In 2000 a large church near Life Covenant Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, closed and became a part of Life Covenant (now the largest congregation in the Covenant). On staff was a young pastor, Clark Mitchell, who had grown up in that church. As Life Church's pastor, Craig Groeschel, and Clark talked about what God was calling Clark to do, church planting came to the forefront.

In September of 2001 Life Covenant sent Clark and a group of people to plant a new church. At the very first service, 500 people came and their journey has continued full-speed since then with 2,400 in average worship attendance. Journey used a former Walmart building for worship, and then purchased a closed supermarket through the help of National Covenant Properties. They are seeing hundreds of people become Christians, in part due to a weekly Bible study for Oklahoma University students that draws between 500 and 700 people each week.

Following are the new churches listed by conference, with average membership and attendance figures following each church name:

Canada Conference

• Blackstrap Covenant Church, Dundurn, Saskatchewan - 25 members, 50 attenders.

Central Conference

• Anchor Covenant Church, Lake Geneva, Wisconsin - 53 members, 80 attenders.
• New Community Covenant Church, Chicago, Illinois - 50 members, 230 attenders.
• Iglesia del Pacto Redentor, Indianapolis, Indiana - 70 members, 120 attenders.

East Coast Conference

• Parkside Community Church, Clifton Park, New York - 117 members, 130 attenders.

Great Lakes Conference

• Life Covenant Church, Canton, Michigan – 50 members, 200 attenders.

Midsouth Conference

• Journey Covenant Church, Norman, Oklahoma - 500 members, 2,400 attenders.

Midwest Conference

• Liberty Springs Covenant Church, Liberty, Missouri - 74 members, 108 attenders.

North Pacific Conference

• Cascade Covenant Church, Bend, Oregon - 75 members, 150 attenders.
• Arlington United Church, Arlington, Washington - 77 members, 51 attenders.
• Crossroads Covenant Church, Yelm, Washington - 100 members, 275 attenders.

Northwest Conference

• Laotian Covenant Church, Brooklyn Center, Minnesota - 68 members, 107 attenders.
• Sanctuary Covenant Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota - 100 members, 350 attenders.

Pacific Southwest Conference

• Rancho Vista Covenant Church, Chula Vista, California - 25 members, 120 attenders.
• Mien Covenant Church, Sacramento, California - 48 members, 95 attenders.
• Great Exchange Covenant Church, Sunnyvale, California - 115 members, 500 attenders.
• Westside Covenant Church, West Sacramento, California - 50 members, 200 attenders.
• Wellspring Covenant Church, Honolulu, Hawaii - 115 members, 300 attenders.

Southeast Conference

• Covenant Community Church, Deland, Florida - 34 members, 105 attenders.
• Full Deliverance Covenant Ministries, Miami, Florida - 260 members, 175 attenders.
• Commissioned Disciples Covenant Church, Stone Mountain, Georgia - 25 members, 60 attenders.

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