In Brief: Covenanters Making News

Post a Comment » Written on October 10th, 2008     
Filed under: News
GREENSBORO, NC (October 10, 2008) – Sometimes the things we would not normally think about provide an excellent opportunity for ministry.

Christine Distelhorst of Trinity Church has been collecting insect repellant wipes and fly strips to send to troops serving in Iraq. The items are needed to help ward off sand flies.
The flies can carry the Leishmaniasis parasite, which eventually causes weeping sores that don’t heal as quickly as regular sores.

Troops can carry the wipes in their pockets. Distelhorst collects the items from the congregation and then sends them to the Hugs Project in Edmond, Oklahoma. The organization distributes numerous items to members of the military.

It is important to encourage people fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan, says Distelhorst, adding she is grateful for their service. She also bakes cookies each month that are shipped overseas.

She recently met 15 soldiers. “I hugged each one of them,” Distelhorst says.

Sale of Bull Calves Provides Support for Missions

ALLEGAN, MI – Christ Community Church’s pastor G. Patrick White and wife, Cheryl, hope another of their Charolais bull calves will be among the best in the Michigan State University Bull Test Program.

Two of White’s bulls have been chosen in past years. Money from their sale has helped the church support missionaries. This year, the funds will support a Philippines quail egg production program the church has been sponsoring.

When the calves are weaned, they are taken to a feedlot to fatten. Over the next several months, the Michigan Cattlemen’s Association and Michigan State University test and evaluate the bulls based on numerous criteria, including the ratio of weight gain to food eaten, temperament, and the animal’s ability to reproduce. The top bulls are sold for breeding purposes in March.

See WHITE to read a previous Covenant News Service feature.

Seminary Awarded Practicing Our Faith Grant

CHICAGO, IL – The Center for Faith and Health at North Park Theological Seminary has been awarded a $8,775 Practicing Our Faith grant from the Valparaiso Project for its “Honoring the Body: Spreading the Word” initiative.

The grant, under the leadership of Dr. Mary Chase-Ziolek, center director and professor of health ministries, will seek to strengthen practices of clergy in seminaries and in congregations.

“We’re looking at how faith relates to the ways we care for ourselves,” Chase-Ziolek explains, noting that the center received the grant based on its previous work and theological reflection on wellness.

Three regional conferences are being planned for 2009–2010 on the connection between faith and health for Covenant congregations. The grant funding will enable these conferences to develop a dialogue among Chicago seminaries on issues of food and faith, and also contribute to the professional discourse on clergy well-being through various publications. The project builds on an earlier grant the Center for Faith and Health received from the Valparaiso Project in 2006 for a wellness initiative.

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