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The Story (Zondervan Publishing)

Prairieview Covenant, New Richmond, WI participated in The Story (published by Zondervan) over the school year of 2011-2012.

The Story goes through the whole Bible chronologically in 31 weeks, using the NIV translation and organizing the major themes and stories into chapters. We have used The Story for preschool, early elementary, later elementary, teen, and adult books. The book for each age has NIV scripture and some connecting paragraphs of explanation. It helps us to see God’s “Upper Story,” which is God’s overall plan from creation to Revelation, as well as God’s “Lower Story,” which is all the people he used to carry out his plan. Continue Reading »

Prayer Trail

Cedarbrook Church in Menomonie, WI recently completed a prayer trail that crosses a ridge on church-owned property behind the church facilities. The idea originated 10 years ago before Cedarbrook began meeting. A small group had been meeting with Pastor Remy Diederich, studying different ways that people can connect with God. The idea of connecting with God through nature dominated the conversations. Amazingly, 10 years later they have a church building, spare land and a prayer trail. Continue Reading »

Feeding Kids SSFP (Simplified Summer Food Program)

Columbia Grove Covenant Church (East Wenatchee, Washington) will be out in the community this summer with a focus on children and as a proud 2012 sponsor of The Simplified Summer Food Program in Washington State: “Food That’s In When School Is Out” (a program of the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction of Washington State). Columbia Grove will provide a nutritious lunch and a fun activity in two locations Monday through Thursday during the summer for children 1-18 free of charge. Continue Reading »

Peaches to Papayas

It can be overwhelming to think about how to solve major world problems – like hunger. But, Vernon Peterson and Roy Danforth are confident that a new project can help to enhance nutrition in the Central African Republic (CAR). Together they have launched “Peaches to Papayas,” a project focused on bringing papaya and many other fruit trees to the CAR through the proceeds from growing peach trees in Fresno County, California. Continue Reading »

REACH – Special Needs Ministry

Our ministry is called REACH (an acronym for Reach EAch CHild). Reach started from a little seed of an idea planted when a parent at a local special needs preschool told of the difficulty they were having finding a church home that would welcome their son who has autism. She asked if there might be a place for him at Cascade Covenant Church and if it would be OK to bring him. Wow…if there’s any place families should feel welcomed, accepted and loved, it’s our churches! It dawned on us that we’d been hindering this whole population of kids and Reach was born. Our theme verse is “Let the children come to Me and do not hinder them.” Continue Reading »

Going Toe to Toe

Transforming Communities Outreach (TCO) presented its health and fitness initiative entitled “Going Toe to Toe On Health and Fitness” to approximately 55 youth and parents at Atonement Covenant Church in Chicago, IL. Continue Reading »

College Connection Ministry

We have quite a number of college students that come to our church.  We wanted to find a way to help them connect more with the rest of the church family; to give them a home away from home; to know and be known. So, we created College Connection ministry.  We asked for individuals or families to adopt a college student and we asked the students to sign up if they wanted a family to adopt them.  Then we matched them up. We put at least two students with each family.  We let the families decide on what they wanted to do, but it included things like: taking the students to lunch after church, offering their homes as a place for the students to come to get away from campus, taking them out for coffee, dropping off study time treats, praying for them and their needs. Continue Reading »

The Risky Business of Serving Jesus

How one church stepped out of its comfort zone and discovered a joy-filled ministry. Continue Reading »

Don’t Waste Your School Year

This is part of a sermon I preached to the youth at my church the Sunday before School started in August, 2011. Continue Reading »

“Service Sunday”: Leaving the Church Building to Bless Our Community in Jesus’ Name

In March 2011 we all came together, young and old, not for a Sunday Service but for a Service Sunday. After a fifteen-minute “Holy Huddle” we left our church building and served our community in Jesus’ name. One hundred eighty-nine participated in fifteen service teams which took on projects like changing oil for financially strapped families, planting a vegetable garden at a local elementary school, painting playground equipment for a kindergarten, and making and delivering enchiladas to people in need. This Service Sunday was an “appetizer” for more to come as Jesus creates in us a culture of service. Continue Reading »

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