BLAINE, MN (December 4, 2004) – Good Shepherd Covenant Church in the Twin Cities received more than a few “pennies from heaven” when an anonymous donor gave $22,000 to the church as a way to help the congregation pay off the balance of the church mortgage.
The large gift complemented one given a few weeks earlier, said pastor Mike Hayes in his church’s November newsletter. Another family decided to cover the cost of refurbishing the downstairs of a youth center. The contributions come in the midst of a new building fund and the hiring of a Minister of Family Life, Hollis Kim.
“I have seen God come up with perfectly timed surprises many times over the years, yet each one still hits me with a fresh awareness of the presence, the love, the grace, the wisdom and the power of the Lord,” stated Hayes in giving thanks for the recent financial assistance to the church.
The “Good News” at Good Shepherd this fall is one of many notes gleaned from more than 250 newsletters sent by Covenant churches and missionaries each month. The following updates are grouped by conference and region.
CENTRAL
- Chicago, Illinois: Sylvia Seitan was recognized by Evanston Hospital recently for her work as an oncology nurse and also for her efforts in the postpartum/nursery unit. She has received 50 “CARE” awards from patients and colleagues since 2000.
- Galesburg, Illinois: The Covenant Church of Galesburg’s Karen Mitchell was highlighted in a local newspaper for her volunteer work throughout Galesburg. Meanwhile, another parishioner, Shirley Price, was mentioned in a local news article for her work with Kelly Patches ‘n’ Pans unit of Home and Community Education. The group recently celebrated its 30th anniversary.
- Oak Lawn, Illinois: A child of Trinity Covenant Church, Mark Rosengren, was recently recognized locally for his volunteer work with Habitat for Humanity in western Massachusetts. He serves as project manager for WITHOUSE (Women in Transitional shelter program) and has done a variety of other construction-related projects in the region.
EAST COAST
- Qunicy, Massachusetts: Covenant Congregational Church near Boston was recently honored by the Esther R. Sanger Center for Compassion and the Quincy Crisis Center as their Servant Church of the Year. The congregation hosted the Crisis Center for an extended period earlier in 2005 as construction was being completed on the Crisis Center site. Pastor Karen Palmatier, church chair Linda Day and vice chair Robert Dano were among the representatives who attended the recognition dinner and received the award on behalf of the church.
GREAT LAKES
- Liverpool, New York: Redeemer Evangelical Covenant Church celebrated 40 years of ministry with a dinner and worship service on November 14. The congregation honored many that had been a significant part of the church’s history. Founded in 1964, Redeemer Covenant has been involved in Alpha ministries recently and has a monthly food pantry to the community, among other things. Mark Mosher has been senior pastor at the church for three years. More about the congregation can be found on the church’s website at www.myredeemer.com.
MIDWEST
- Golden, Colorado: Applewood Community Church celebrated its 10th anniversary on November 6 with an event at Arvada Covenant Church. Founding pastor John Wenrich (now at First Covenant in Portland, Oregon) and wife Julie were honored during a ceremony after dinner. Current pastor Guy McCaslin and worship director Daniel Sesay led a worship service as the church considered the work it has done in ministering to Golden and nearby communities near Denver. Next year, Applewood Community Church hopes to move into a new location, said the Midwest Conference in a recent newsletter article.
- Mason City, Iowa: Kathy Graves, a graduate of North Park Theological Seminary, has found a ministry niche in her region as Coordinator of Spiritual Care for Hospice of North Iowa. She was featured in a special Mason City newspaper section highlighting hospice ministries during National Hospice Month. A doctor in the area, Mark Johnson of Mason City’s First Covenant Church, serves as a medical director for Hospice of North Iowa. The hospice organization partners with Mercy Health Network-North Iowa.
- Lindsborg, Kansas: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Lindsborg has used community theater to meet its community as more than half of the cast of a recent performance of “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” in the region currently attends the church. Said Micki Swenson in the church’s November newsletter, “This musical gives highlights from the life of Joseph, so it is a great opportunity to start open discussions on the story from God’s word versus the ‘stage version’ and leads us to a greater appreciation of the forgiveness we find in Jesus Christ.”
- Shawnee, Kansas: Community Covenant Church’s Monty Duerksen was recently elected to the Barbershop Quartet Hall of Fame, according to a recent newsletter.
NORTH PACIFIC
- Kent, Washington: Mary Schaefer traveled to Argentina in mid-November for a mission trip via Slavic Ministries in Seattle. Argentina has a Ukrainian contingent within its borders and she was part of the dedication of a Ukrainian church during her stay. She was part of a team that visited churches and participated in evangelistic worship services in and around Buenos Aires, along with working in orphanages in Paraguay and Bolivia.
NORTHWEST
- Minneapolis, Minnesota: Bethlehem Covenant Church was recognized for 21 years of community service to the city’s north side. Along with providing volunteers on an occasional basis, the congregation also donates blankets and clothing, among other things. The church also has other ministries to the neighborhood, including baking and wrapping miniature loaves of banana bread and Advent calendars to neighbors and families of a local child care center. Individuals in the church have also gotten notice by the local community. Bruce Carlson was credited in an October 24 Minneapolis Star news article for his work in developing the Schubert Club into an internationally acclaimed arts organization.
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
- Tucson, Arizona: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Tucson celebrated its 40th anniversary the first weekend of November with events. Two individuals with Covenant connections, noted baseball coach and former professional player Jerry Kindall and renowned Christian author Kevin Leman, were guest speakers. Former pastors were also part of the event, said pastor Dan Johnson.
ELSEWHERE
- Medellin, Colombia: Covenant missionary Gary Sander reported that the Colombian Covenant Church has been given the opportunity to send two representatives to the U.S. for a unique Leader in Residence program via the Covenant’s Department of World Mission. The program is designed to facilitate an exchange, exposure and interchange of cultures, information and visions for various country leaders in ministry. The Colombian Covenant Church recently formalized a strategy for ministry with its congregations and hopes to make partnerships to further its work. More about this partnership can be found by emailing Sander at pactosand@yahoo.com. More about the Colombian Covenant Church – which was begun in 1968 and has 35 congregations – can be found by visiting www.pactocol.org.
- Monterrey, Mexico: About three dozen participants from three districts came to the Family Foundation for a week-long October Christian Formation and leadership training event led by Covenant missionaries Lisandro and Patricia Restrepo and Carlos Barragan.
To learn more about what is happening throughout the Covenant, regularly visit this online Covenant news report at www.covchurch.org. To submit information for consideration in this report, email Covenant Communications at newsdesk@covchurch.org. Newsletters also can be sent by regular mail to the Department of Communication at 5105 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625. To subscribe to the free online Covenant news headline report, visit the Covenant home page and select the “Newswire” link.
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