Written by Kent Place, pastor of First Covenant Portland
First Covenant Portland
During the last weekend of October, First Covenant Church of Portland, Oregon is going to tell their story. We will retell the story of Rev. Adolph Lydell, the Swedish Covenant missionary, who upon returning from Alaska, settled in Portland and started a fellowship in 1887 that would become the Swedish Evangelical Mission Church of Portland. We will tell the story of Rev. Nels Malmstedt who resigned as pastor in 1928, because he felt the church needed an English-speaking pastor to better reach the young people of Portland. We will the stories of people received, nurtured, and sent. We will tell the story of Len and Esther Hallock, faithful members of First Covenant, who sensed God’s call to the Congo mission field in 1959 (then Zaire). Esther, who is now 96 and our oldest living member, has been for us a living connection with the Covenant’s ongoing work in the Democratic Republic (DR) of Congo, and our history as a church.
Considering this history, it seemed obvious that the 125th Anniversary of First Covenant Portland should be a launch into a new season of ministry in cooperation with our sisters and brothers in other Covenant churches, as we partner together with Covenant Kids Congo powered by World Vision. On Sunday, October 28th, after what we anticipate will be a good weekend of story-telling, we want to tell the story of kids in the DR Congo as we engage with Hope Sunday – a call to make a difference in lives of a generation.
How should a church celebrate 125 years of ministry? By asking, “Lord what would you have us do in year 126?” Covenant Kids Congo.
