Triennial Participants Give as Well as Receive

Participants in the conference, was held Thursday through Sunday at the Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and sponsored by Women Ministries of the Evangelical Covenant Church, raised $27,000 for various mission projects, and bought $22,000 worth of missions merchandise.

In addition to the money raised in Chicago, donations from regional conference women to the Raise the Flag program (see photo) enabled 10 international guests to participate in the event. Those guests were honored during the International Women’s Celebration. The women came from Japan, Russia, Germany, Czech Republic, Spain, Congo, Sudan, Mexico, Colombia, and China. Each of the guests recited John 3:16 in their own language.

Attendees also had opportunity to write postcards to U.S. legislators—encouraging them to keep pressure on Sudan to stop the genocide in Darfur. They also petitioned the Chinese government, which has influence in Sudan, to intervene in the crisis.

The international flavor of the conference continued when Rev. Corine Kikwiti, president of Women Ministries in the Congo Covenant Church (CEUM), greeted attendees and shared about the “Educate the Girls” program. A special offering for the project was taken during the opening worship service.

Educate the girls, a partnership with the CEUM, seeks to create educational opportunities for girls Congo. So far, more than 500 girls have graduated from high school because of the program.

Women who have significantly impacted ministry in the Covenant were honored at Triennial. Joann Larson, chair of the Women’s History Commission, introduced a new book called “The Unfolding Mystery of Yes – Women who were Forces for Change. Five of the living subjects received recognition awards from Marva Watts of the Commission on Covenant History. Eight of the contributing authors also were recognized. Order here.

Evelyn Johnson, Superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference and one of the women featured in the book, spoke at the Friday evening and Saturday morning worship services.

Aleese Moore-Orbih was recognized as she concluded her three-year tenure as project manager for Advocacy for Victims of Abuse (AVA). The project’s new devotional for abuse victims, You are not Alone, which was written by Covenant pastors, also was showcased. Order here.

Triennial participants also gave Hill (see photo) a standing ovation for her work and recent re-election to a third term. Hill preached at the final worship service on Sunday morning and called on her audience to set themselves apart for the work which God has called them. Heidi Wiebe, president of the Covenant Ministerium, led communion.

In other events:

• Participants chose from many seminars and prayed for two presenters who were forced to cancel. Marti Burger, director of youth and family ministries in the Department of Christian Formation, continues to be hospitalized for pancreatitis. Judy Howard Peterson, North Park University chaplain, who was scheduled to lead the largest seminar with 380 people, was forced to cancel the night before due to a health issue.“Lisa Orris stepped into her place with an outstanding message,” Hill says. Orris is the project coordinator for evangelism coaching in the Department of Christian Formation.

• A hymn-sing featuring music from the Covenant’s “brown hymnal” was led by Bob Dvorak, and attracted 400 participants.
• A sea of pink shirts was seen along the shores of Lake Michigan as more than 450 women participated in the Fun Run 9 (see photo) at 6:30 a.m. on Saturday despite high temperatures. Proceeds went to support Women Ministries in Congo.
• Mary Lou Sather of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, was honored for 31 years of writing for Women Ministries. She is retiring as devotional writer for inSpirit magazine.
• Hill introduced the ministry’s newest DVD, “Connecting Women.”
• A DVD from missionaries in the Central African Republic featured missionaries thanking the women for their support to work in the country.
• Pianist Copeland Davis and singer Christy Nockels performed during a concert Saturday night.