TULSA, OK (May 9, 2007) \u2013 Delegates to the Midsouth Conference rejoiced over its dramatic growth on the sixth anniversary of becoming a full-fledged conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
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\nDelegates met April 27-28 at Redeemer Covenant Church, the site of the 2001 Conference Annual Meeting, the year the new conference was formally recognized.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccording to Covenant attendance statistics, the Midsouth has grown 350 percent from 2000-2006,\u201d says Conference Supt. Garth Bolinder. \u201cAs best as we can determine, about 20 to 25 percent of that growth is \u2018conversion growth\u2019 from people who have come to Christ through the ministry of Midsouth Covenant churches and been enfolded into local congregations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Delegates also celebrated the conference\u2019s diversity. \u201cIn the fall of 2007, approximately 50 percent of the Covenant churches in the Midsouth Conference will serve multi-ethnic congregations,\u201d Bolinder says. \u201cGod is bringing some significant pastoral leaders to the Midsouth to help plant and lead these growing Covenant congregations.\u201d<\/p>\n
Covenant missionaries to France, Francisco and Stephanie Ramos, were welcomed as special guests.<\/p>\n
The meeting\u2019s theme was \u201cIn Season and Out of Season,\u201d taken from Paul\u2019s words to Timothy.<\/p>\n