Readers Share Their Thoughts

Post a Comment » Written on February 1st, 2008     
Filed under: News
By Don Meyer

CHICAGO, IL (February 1, 2008) – 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.

MacDonald Offers Pastors Four Principles for Healthy Ministry

Donn Anderson of Dallas, OR, writes: I so appreciate the coverage from Midwinter in Chicago. This is the first time in many a year that my wife and I have not been able to attend. The text and especially the photos help me to feel just a little bit like I am actually there! Thank you!

Alan Paxton of Holladay, UT, writes: I am surprised that ministers were told they should not have close friends in the past. I grew up in Trinity Evangelical Covenant Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois, and our pastor was C. Eric Peterson. He would come and visit our home at least once a week and he seemed like a very close friend. I was just a youngster, but it always felt good to have him at our house.

Renison Mbogo of Runyenjes Embu, Kenya, writes: I am a pastor in Kenya and like to attend any other pastors conference where brother Macdonald would be talking. I like his message to the pastors and I wish I were there, but Kenya is too far. Maybe next time.

Facing Death, Teen’s Miracle Recovery Astounds Doctors

Ed Lawson of Citrus Heights, CA, writes: What a great story and testimony to God’s healing power.

Covenant Woman from Michigan Named Miss America

Paul Knight of Grand Forks, ND, writes: Along with Kirsten being named Miss America – congratulations! – Ashely Young was voted Miss Congeniality. A great testimony for both of these young women.

Emily Morris of Sonora, CA, writes: What a wonderful story, especially after watching her win the Miss America pageant last night. My son and I picked her out of the top eight.

Cross, Not Flames, Now Most Visible Image in Hooper Bay

Art Peterson of Eden Prairie, MN, writes: I was privileged and honored to work with Samaritans Purse on this ministry project in Hooper Bay last August. I volunteered at Alaska Christian College in July 2006 – during that time Alan Finifrock encouraged me that if I wanted to see the true Alaska, I should visit the villages. I look at that as a sort of prophetic statement as I was contacted by Samaritan’s Purse looking for volunteers to go to Hooper Bay. I spent two short weeks working alongside committed men and women on this project. More important were the relationships that were developed with the villagers, both young and old as well. When Samaritan’s Purse had to close down for the winter, they told the villagers they’d be back (nobody ever “comes back” to Hooper Bay). Samaritan’s Purse kept their word and returned in 2007 with the villagers simply saying, “you came back”. What a sign of commitment in showing them that they weren’t forgotten and that they are important in both God’s eyes and ours. God is at work among the Yupik in Hooper Bay. The new church/community center is the beacon on the hill that shines brightly for Christ.

Willmar (MN) Church to Celebrate 125 Years of Ministry

Marieta de Asis of Davao City, Philippines, writes: I am glad to read the announcement of their 125th anniversary and am blessed for their theme, “Where our future is building on the past . . . the mission continues.” God bless the believers in this church. And I will pray that God will bless them and bless all the people who will be attending the ceremony.

This Church Closed for All the Right Reasons

Colleen Baker of San Juan Capistrano, CA, writes: This was such a beautiful story of people who truly love Jesus and are full of his grace. I am part of Grace Church and have been so blessed by the encouragement and love shown by the members of Crown Valley Covenant. May God mightily enrich his kingdom through your sacrifice and generosity. What a mighty God we serve!

Marilyn Cokley of Homewood, IL, writes: I totally commend this congregation for making that very difficult, and sacrificial decision. I was involved in the same situation six and a half years ago. It was absolutely about the most painful decision I was ever involved in. I had been born and raised in our congregation and had never regularly attended anywhere else. I and many other members fully intended to be buried from that church. However, God had other plans. We have all been planted elsewhere and taken our gifts and some of that pain to other congregations where most of us are now thriving. This sounds very unkind, but, I felt like we were left on our own to work through this grieving process of closing our ministry. The Covenant does a great job at church planting and not such a great job of church closing. Perhaps the Veritas ministry is the answer – I truly hope so. Dispersing our ministry absolutely was the God-ordained thing to do, and the Covenant congregation that is in our building is reaching people in a mighty way that we never could have. However, I sure wish that someone . . . could have helped us understand at the time that we and our pastor were not failures, but rather help us celebrate the ministry that we had sustained for 104 years, and that we were aptly passing the baton on to another congregation to finish the race.

Kenyan Violence Spurs Congregation to Increase Support

John Kamau Warari of Noonkopir, Kitengela, in the Rift Valley, Kenya, writes: My name is pastor John Kamau and I live in Kenya just few kilometers from ECCK Evangelical Covenant Church of Kenya) Kitengela where Dickson Mwati, ECCK moderator, is minister. I have been working very hard with him through prayer and sometimes physically during this time. He is assisting the violence victims on behalf of the Evangelical Covenant Church in USA. I have just called him from Nakuru where he is with another guest from USA. He just told me that the place is volatile since there has been fighting since the morning. Hundreds of houses have been burned down, lives lost and others seriously injured. Politicians are still making inflammatory statements – we have lost hope with politicians. We are focusing on God through Christ as our only reliable hope. Please continue praying for us (my aunt and her two sons have lost their homes to arsonists and now are camping at a refugee site in Nakuru). God bless all as you dedicate your prayer and support to the needy people in our country.

Dave Rose of Wasilla, AK, writes: Thanks for the update on what one of our congregations is doing to help in Kenya. I appreciated hearing some details and learning that Wally and Donna Coots were over there helping also.

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.

Church to Leave Place Used for Worship Since 1795

D. Osgood of Greenfield, NH, writes: The Toleration Act approved by the New Hampshire legislature in 1819 provided that no person was to be taxed against his will to support a specific religion. Support of a religious organization was voluntary. If all groups are charged $60 to use the hall, except a church, all citizens are paying to support that church. Most towns understood this in 1819 and built churches as pretty as the meetinghouses. It’s just taking Greenfield a little longer.

Palmberg: Child Insurance Protection a ‘Moral Issue’

Marty Seta of Dearborn, MI, writes: This is an economic issue, not a moral one. Health insurance or the lack of it does not deprive anybody in this country of the right to receive health care, so Mr. Palmberg’s premise is based on false assumptions. Additionally, Mr. Palmberg ignores the details of the legislation. As noted, the bill was irresponsible and unnecessarily wasteful as worded. Of greater concern to me is this wrapping of a political and socialist agenda in Christian rhetoric, implying that it is the imperative of the church to jump on this bandwagon. This kind reasoning is dangerous and has no place in determining what we, as the church and followers of Jesus, should being doing in the name of justice.

Cousins Earn All Star Honors in Softball, Baseball

Bob Kevin of Hometown, IL, writes: Awesome.

100-Year-Old Ridgway (PA) Time Capsule a Surprise

Robert H. Johnson of Coudersport, PA, writes: I was confirmed in this church in l943 and graduated from Centennial High School located across the street. I attended North Park College (now a university) in Chicago. I never learned the Swedish language used in the days when the cornerstone was laid, but I did learn to sing there and have many fond memories of its people and ministries.

COVENANT NEWSWIRE: To make certain not to miss a single story, sign up for the free Covenant Newswire headline news report at Covenant Newswire.

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