{"id":7731,"date":"2006-05-22T16:21:43","date_gmt":"2006-05-22T21:21:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/?p=7731"},"modified":"2011-07-06T08:32:00","modified_gmt":"2011-07-06T13:32:00","slug":"4916","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blogs.covchurch.org\/newswire\/2006\/05\/22\/4916\/","title":{"rendered":"Newsletters Share Active Life of Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

CHICAGO, IL (May 22<\/span>, 2006) – Heather McMillan took up hockey as a personal evangelistic outreach. <\/span><\/p>\n

“I felt like I was telling my kids to get out there and share their faith,” says McMillan, the youth leader at United Evangelical Covenant Church in Gladstone, Michigan. She wanted to set an example and decided that participating in the sport, which includes getting body checked and slammed into boards, was just the thing. She says that taking on a new sport frees her mind from getting in a rut.<\/p>\n

It is that kind of attitude that has led the community to recognize McMillan for her contributions. The local newspaper and civic leaders have named McMillan one of the 40 people under 40 years of age who are making a difference in Delta County,<\/p>\n

A sports and outdoor enthusiast, McMillan has coached soccer teams for the area youth league. She also has worked on projects for the Gladstone’s Parks’ and Recreation Department.<\/p>\n

McMillan has been working with youth for nearly seven years at the church. She first became involved with the denomination when she started attending First Covenant Church in Mason City, Iowa, as a high school junior.<\/p>\n

Now she is considering entering North Park Theological Seminary in the fall as well as pursuing a master’s degree in business administration.<\/p>\n

McMillan says she still is discerning in what direction God is leading her, but says she would be interested in consulting for churches or leading spiritual development weekends. Consulting would not be new – area churches already have sought out her advice on starting new programs.<\/p>\n

Following is information on various activities from throughout the Evangelical Covenant Church, culled from more than 250 local church newsletters reviewed each month by the Department of Communication. The activities are grouped by conference and region. To have your church’s information considered for publication, add the Communications department to your newsletter mailing list at 5101 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625.<\/p>\n

CENTRAL<\/strong><\/p>\n