The future also was highlighted following the service when the church dedicated new playground equipment as part of the congregation’s commitment to welcome young families. “It was great to see the children swarming all over the place,” Swanson-Draheim says.
The celebration weekend began Saturday night by honoring the past. Former interim pastor Jerry Johnson spoke at a banquet on “The rock from which you were hewn.”
The focus switched to the future on Sunday morning, when former pastor Dan Pietrzyk preached from Philippians 3:4b-14 and exhorted the congregation to consider the wonderful ministry that still remains to be done. Pietrzyk directs the Covenant’s Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program. Midwest Conference Superintendent Ken Carlson brought a special greeting.