The call to the Covenant is clear – real people in real places are hurting and are looking to us for help, says Gary Walter, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church, who along with World Mission Executive Minister Curt Peterson have issued a special Year-end Appeal for help.
“As hard as we have been hit economically, areas in which we work around the world are being hit even harder,” Walter says. Examples:
• Congo – one of the Covenant’s largest areas of international mission with more than 200,000 Congolese sharing in ministry . . . a country suffering economic and social chaos amid an escalating and devastating war.
• South Sudan – some 40,000 brothers and sisters in Covenant churches are caught in the cross-fire of conflict and violence that has torn apart families and communities, leaving tens of thousands of people destitute and struggling to find a ray of hope.
• India – persecution of Christians continues to escalate – one Covenant pastor was murdered and numerous churches and homes have been burned as believers stand firm in their faith.
“In each of these situations – and others too numerous to list – our brothers and sisters are reaching out to us for help,” Peterson notes. “Although the financial situation in the United States is serious, we cannot allow our economic downturn to result in any disruption of our personal engagement on their behalf.”
Covenant missionaries are involved in partnerships in more than 30 countries. “Never before have we been in so many places,” Peterson adds, “and never before have so many places been so vulnerable at the same time. Our presence is critical.”
“My colleagues and I are already implementing plans limiting other expenses and deferring other budgetary projects to make certain we are fiscally responsible in light of economic realities,” Walter says. “But, we are unwilling to do so at the expense of our friends around the world who need us now more than ever.”
Walter and Peterson request that individuals and churches support a special year-end appeal, making “a careful and prayerful decision about an especially important and sacrificial year-end gift in response to these challenging and unprecedented times.” They point out that all gifts will go toward meeting the Covenant’s international budgetary commitments, “particularly as it relates to personnel being on the ground where they are needed most.”
To make an online donation, visit Year-end Appeal. Checks may be designated “year-end appeal” and mailed to the Evangelical Covenant Church, 5101 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625. All gifts – check and online – will be acknowledged for income tax purposes.
Generosity is also encouraged in support of local church, conference, and other ministries similarly engaged in important Kingdom work.
“You will hear me say that the name Covenant actually means ‘in it together,’ ” Walter says. “This is an opportunity to live into that spirit. Never underestimate the importance of a single gift, the impact it makes, and the encouragement it brings.”
