CHICAGO, IL (May 23, 2007) – Hardly a week goes by that we do not receive a few comments from readers on stories published as part of the Covenant online news report.
We will share from time to time some of those responses generated through the “comments” link attached to each published story. This kind of feedback is very helpful to our Covenant News Service staff as we seek to identify and publish stories of great interest to a broad spectrum of online readers of this report.
Following are comments relating to recently published stories, edited in some cases for length. To read a particular story of interest, click on the headline.
Wedding Plan Changed So Mom Could Participate
James “Eklund” Sucha of Denver, CO, writes: What a beautiful story! What a blessing that this wedding could take place before she died. Congrats to the happy couple. The same thing happened with my grandma, Frida Eklund, as my aunt was married a week before she died from cancer. The service was cut to exactly how long she could sit up and watch. It was at my grandpa’s Covenant church in Upsala, Minnesota, where he preached. Grandma left this world knowing that her middle daughter was married. My mom was the caregiver for her and was wiped out from helping with the wedding and taking care of her mom. This story hit home.
Rapidly Changing Media Makes Keeping Pace a Challenge
Mick Murphy of Hutchinson, MN, writes: Would it be possible to set aside one page in The Covenant Companion to list the names of churches who not only have websites, but renew them on a weekly basis: new announcements, sermons, devotional material, etc? This is part of the online community the article is talking about and it would be good to know which churches have committed to this new area of ministry.
CBC-Canada Conducts Final Commencement
Pam Darsie of Cambridge, MN, writes: Soooo sad, but we know the high emotion and excitement of this year’s graduation – 59 more disciples for our Lord. Praise to him with thanksgiving for 66 classes sent out to glorify our God!
Japan Student Raises Money for Congo Girls Project
Jan Thornbloom of Chicago, IL, writes: It is wonderful when young people get involved in raising funds for underprivileged people. This is the second online article in about two months that featured young people thinking of others, rather than the next electronic game they can buy. Thank you for bringing her effort to the attention of the Covenant.
Judy Howard Peterson Named Campus Pastor
Leonid Regheta of Saint Petersburg, Russia, writes: This is wonderful, Judy! I always knew this would be a wonderful place for your ministry. May he continue using you to impact generations of students for Christ.
Sally Mortenson of Grand Rapids, MI, writes: North Park made the right decision in hiring Judy Howard Peterson as chaplain. She is such a servant of God and a blessing to everyone that hears her. What a fantastic privilege for our college students, staff and North Park community to be able to be a part of her ministry. Wish I lived there!
Doug Bixby of Washington, CT, writes: I am thrilled to see that Judy Howard Peterson was called to the position of campus pastor. This is a great fit and she is a gifted person. North Park will continue to be blessed by her in this role. God has been using Judy in amazing ways over the past several years, and I am sure God will continue to use her for his purposes at North Park.
Gary Gaddini of Redwood City, CA, writes: What a fabulous choice! I know of Judy only from a distance, but have such a tremendous respect for her gifts and passions. I am excited for how Judy will continue to serve the North Park community and am praying for her ministry there.
Readers Share Their Thoughts – May 15, 2007
Greg Yee of Elk Grove, CA, writes: It’s both painful and frustrating reading many of the responses to the story about the horrific treatment of people at the May 1 march in Los Angeles. Since when is it okay to put political views above the fact that individuals who were peacefully demonstrating were the victims of police brutality? I urge people to be careful not to make quick judgments about who was there that day and what their intentions were. I was part of the march last year, and I am a fifth generation Chinese American. I know full well our country’s treatment of the first Chinese (the first “illegal” undocumented immigrants). It was to exploit them for cheap labor to get what we needed. America saw fit to take advantage of them, to unfairly treat them, to rob them with unfair taxation, to create immigration laws that destroyed Chinese families, and to severely restrict and eventually ban the immigration of Chinese. We didn’t see my kind as human or worthy of American status. As Europeans were freely being let into America through Ellis Island to the land of freedom and opportunity, our country created Angel Island in the west to make it painfully difficult for Chinese to enter. It served as a prison for months at a time for many. Chinese were too foreign for our taste. We sent them back. How eerily similar this story is. And how eerily similar the response from huge swaths of the evangelical church – mass paranoia and perhaps even worse, silence. To be silent is to be complicit with furthering a dangerously unloving spirit that at its core is in opposition to Christ and the purposes of his church. I urge people to be more thorough in learning the depth of the issues at hand. I urge people to wrestle with Philippians 2:1-8 and the model Jesus gives us in what it means to love our neighbors.
Jill Hall of Chicago, IL, writes: I am a mother of two young children of Latino descent and the anger and selfishness I see in some viewpoints on immigration stops me dead in my tracks. Is there an attempt to justify the action of the Los Angeles Police because they may have been afraid? Is it implied that “what’s mine is mine and you can’t have any?” Is it really true that uninvited persons to this country break our laws? Every uninvited person? I thought the original story was about the treatment of people. The fact that my children will come of age at a time where they will encounter such viewpoints on the subject of immigration reform has me weeping along with Mr. Contreras.
Alaska Pastor Takes Issue With Article on Suicide
Phil Carlson of Golden Valley, MN, writes: A wonderful way of introducing a lasting basis for hope and optimism. Thanks for sharing your insights!
Mark Miller of Colorado Springs, CO, writes: Grant, you have spoken with such eloquence! I am deeply moved. You have hit the nail on the head when you say that loss of significant relationships is the key factor in the slide to hopelessness that leads to suicide. We are severely tempted to believe that hopelessness is our final state. Every time I go through the pain of losing a relationship with someone I love (and that has happened many times in my life), I can only go on in the hope of the one who, in relationship, gave me life.
Family Reflects on Damage from Kansas Tornado
David Steppe of Billings, MT, writes: Good to hear they are safe. As a small boy I lived next to the Kraft family. I still remember playing kick the can with them.
Older Stories
Occasionally we receive comments about stories published some time ago. Most often, readers come across them while topically perusing search engines or when visiting the online Covenant News Archive maintained by Covenant News Service. We appreciate reader comments at any time about any story that has appeared as part of our online Covenant news report.
Does Your Church Need a Pulpit, Baptismal Font?
Philip Brockett of Berlin, CT, writes: Seeing this story reminds me that not infrequently I wish there was a way to exchange items with other churches. I would welcome a page on the Covenant website where I could list office equipment, hymnals, Sunday school curriculum and other items for sale or for giving away or exchange. I’ll suggest you are going to get other churches contacting you to list pulpit furniture, etc.
Editor’s note: We have developed a module for the Covenant website to facilitate this kind of exchange, which should be activated in the not-too-distant future. Both the pulpit and font mentioned in this story did find new homes and will continue to be used in ministry.
Special Weekend Marks 125th Anniversary of Congo Mission
Dan Lundblad of Port Huron, MI, writes: What a wonderful story of churches coming together to celebrate their common heritage. My mother, Florence Nelson Lundblad, was privileged to be part of the first Covenant USA delegation of missionaries to the Congo (along with Wallace and Sarah Thornbloom and Axel Belander). I have a picture of these four pioneer missionaries getting off the boat in Matadi complete with pith helmets. While she was alive, we often spoke of her initial involvement with the Swedish Mission, I believe at Kibunze? She always had fond memories of the Swedish missionaries. Mom spoke beautiful Swedish and was able to communicate fluently with them. The Swedish Mission Church was also very helpful to our family when we were evacuated from the Congo in 1960. We were housed at a Swedish church campground for the summer until it was decided that we should return to the States. Wonderful memories! Thanks for sharing the story with us. Although I serve Christ in Port Huron, my heart is still in Congo.
Marilyn Moore of Somerville, MA, writes: How wonderful! What a great joy to see this celebration and know we are part of this in a small way. We are privileged to be servants of the King and serve all his people. We continue in prayer for our brothers and sisters in Congo, that real peace will come to the region and that all may worship him in peace and love.
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