For brief stories that we want to share with our Covenant family, we’re bringing back a familiar format from the blogging age: the roundup post. What follows is a brief compilation of activities, happenings, and events from various points around the Covenant.
Taipei to Seattle Connection
Earlier this month, Pacific Northwest Conference superintendent Greg Yee shared in the conference newsletter about a collaborative effort between Seattle Chinese Covenant Church and a mission team from Taiwan. In his column, Yee mused about God’s faithfulness in the context of “the Cultural Revolution [that] attempted to push God out of China.” For Yee, it’s an illustration of the demographics of the global church, which he used to draw attention to the Covenant’s Six-Fold Test for Multiethnic Ministry.
Arizona Bike Rodeo
Recently, Bridge Church in Gilbert, Arizona, held a unique outreach event when the church partnered with Phoenix Children’s Hospital to conduct what they called a bike rodeo. The event sought to promote children’s health through exercise and bike safety. They had live music and snacks, performed safety checks on bikes and offered safety tips, gave away bike helmets, and created a bike course in a portion of their parking lot.
Leading in Rural Ministry
The Northwest Conference hosted a webinar on “Leading Effective Change in a Rural Church Context.” The discussion was led by Dr. Rick Weinert, who presented content from his book Four Essentials: Leading Effective Change in a Rural Church Setting. Weinert currently serves as facilitator of church and ministry resources for Oak Hills Christian College in Bemidji, Minnesota, where they offer a certificate program in rural leadership and ministry.
According to the partial transcript of the event, the four essentials are personal preparation, challenging and changing mental models, relational decision-making, and clarity of direction.
Traverse City Baby Pantry
West Bay Covenant Church in Traverse City, Michigan, has become known for their “baby pantry,” a ministry to new parents who need help taking care of their little ones. The ministry has been in effect for over a decade, and according to their Facebook page, it’s “meant to help parents cover the gap they experience…when their needs exceed their resources.” The pantry has diapers, formula, wipes, lotions, clothes, toys, and even some furniture items, all designed to help children up to three years old. The ministry runs Wednesdays from 10 am to 2 pm, and again from 4:30 to 7 pm).
Highrock Theology Lab
Highrock Covenant Church is offering another round of its online Theology Lab series entitled “Scripture and Tradition.” Highrock operates three brick-and-mortar in-person congregations in the greater Boston area and one online. Their Theology Lab series was designed to promote fresh spiritual formation through the exercise of theological imagination.
The latest series will begin its quasi-monthly schedule on Sunday, November 28, and conclude on Sunday, June 4, 2024. One of the speakers will be our own Rev. Dennis Edwards, dean of North Park Theological Seminary.
