{"id":3143,"date":"2007-04-02T21:37:56","date_gmt":"2007-04-02T21:37:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=3143"},"modified":"2010-12-09T16:17:09","modified_gmt":"2010-12-09T16:17:09","slug":"5496","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2007\/04\/02\/5496\/","title":{"rendered":"Massachusetts Church Votes to Change Name"},"content":{"rendered":"

INDIAN ORCHARD, MA (April 2, 2007) \u2013 The pastor of Orchard Covenant Church says the church changed its name from Evangelical Covenant Church of Indian Orchard in order to reflect its commitment to the gospel while avoiding the negative stereotype that some people hold of the word \u201cevangelical.\u201d
\n
\n\u201cWe are still good news people,\u201d says pastor Nancy Ebner. \u201cWe are dedicated to evangelization because that is what\u2019s in our hearts.\u201d To learn more about the church and its ministries, see Orchard Covenant<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Ebner says the congregation was concerned that the term evangelical had become too associated with politics and might be a hindrance to evangelism. The church wanted to retain the word Covenant because members are committed to the denomination and its shared mission, she adds.<\/p>\n

The church, which has stood at the same corner since 1885, held an open house on Saturday to celebrate its name change and the reaffirmation of its vision to minister in the community. Starting the Lion\u2019s Den, a Christian-based organization that focuses on helping teenagers, is one example of the congregation\u2019s commitment to the area.<\/p>\n

During Saturday\u2019s celebration, a church member gave two concerts on an antique pipe organ dating to 1860, residents toured the historic building, and children participated in games and an Easter egg hunt.<\/p>\n

The church has changed its name before. Local residents founded the church in 1848 as the First Congregational Church of Indian Orchard.<\/p>\n

Orchard Covenant began the process of changing its name more than a year and a half ago, Ebner says. In January 2006, the church voted on the concept of changing the name. Members had many conversations in the meantime, she says.<\/p>\n

In the past, \u201cThere was some disagreement,\u201d Ebner says. \u201cChange is always hard. Now that we\u2019ve voted, the response has been positive.\u201d<\/p>\n

About 100 people attend the church, Ebner says. \u201cWe\u2019re a small church that keeps plugging away.\u201d<\/p>\n

Report This Post<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

INDIAN ORCHARD, MA (April 2, 2007) \u2013 The pastor of Orchard Covenant Church says the church changed its name from Evangelical Covenant Church of Indian Orchard in order to reflect its commitment to the gospel while avoiding the negative stereotype that some people hold of the word \u201cevangelical.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3143","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nMassachusetts Church Votes to Change Name - Covenant Newswire Archives<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2007\/04\/02\/5496\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Massachusetts Church Votes to Change Name - 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