The students came from more than 10 churches, three from within the Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC)- Abundant Life Covenant Bible Church in Pasadena, California; Amigos de la Gracia in Rialto, California, and Iglesia del Pacto Eagle Rock in Los Angeles. PSWC Associate Superintendant Greg Yee was one of the featured plenary speakers.
Camp Mosaic is an initiative of The Mosaic Center. The center is a subsidiary of the Pacific Southwest Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church with the stated mission “To build healthy missional churches by breaking down barriers of injustice.”
Camp Mosaic II is planned for April 30-May 2, 2010.
Church’s Eldest Member Turns Dirt for New Youth Center
KEA’AU, HAWAII – Nao Sugai, 98, was the first person to shovel dirt at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Puna Congregational Christian Covenant Church’s new youth ministries building on October 18.
The event reflected the church’s commitment to youth and children’s ministry. Zachery Chang, 16, represented the youth, and Maribel Dela Cruz, age 9, represented the children at the ceremony.
“This building will be a tremendous tool in bringing young people to Christ,” says Dale Pinkley, pastor for youth.
The $500,000 project is scheduled for completion in June.
Kingsburg Covenant Transforms Youth Room to Coffee House
KINGSBURG, CA – Kingsburg Covenant Church transformed its old youth house to a coffee house as part of the congregation’s goal to revitalize the youth program.
Although the coffee house and youth room is geared to students, adults also are invited to use it, says Kurt Roberts, director of youth ministries. “One of our main goals for the new room is to connect youth and adults more by having the adults come over to the coffee house to see what the youth are doing rather than always having the students go to where the adults are.”
The room includes tables and entertainment. They added a stage, two flat screen televisions, six mounted speakers positioned around the room, a sound board and DVD player as well as a combined library and study area where students can do homework.
Novel Outreach to Community – Dinner, Sung Prayers
MERCER ISLAND, WA – The regular Wednesday night dinner at Mercer Island Covenant Church has been an important outreach to the community, says Pastor Greg Asimakoupoulos.
Between 90 and 120 people partake of the catered meal – roughly one third of the participants are people who live in nearby apartments, but do not attend the church. Most are senior adults, but some families come with children.
The dinners were started 20 years ago for members of the church, but the congregation later shifted the focus to provide an inexpensive buffet-type supper to people living in the apartments. Bill Lex, a layman from Newport Covenant Church in nearby Bellevue, has been catering the meals from the very beginning. Cost is only $4.
Asimakoupoulos writes prayers that are sung to traditional hymn tunes used as table grace. He tries to relate them to current events. The prayers as well as the interaction between church members and the community gradually communicate the gospel, he adds.
Following is the most recent prayer:
Jesus Loves Me (revised)
(tune: What a Friend We Have in Jesus)
As we gather here each Wednesday,
we are grateful to you, Lord,
for good food that fuels our body
at a price we can afford;
We have much for which we’re thankful,
friends and family, job and home,
and the fact that Jesus loves me
even when I’m fully grown.
Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so;
Little ones to Him belong,
They are weak, but He is strong;
Yes, Jesus loves me, (repeat twice)
The Bible tells me so.
