An assembly of delegates, pastors, support staff, and leaders from around the Covenant joined online and in person at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center for the 138th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church, held June 27-29 in Covington, Kentucky. The Annual Meeting is where official denominational business is conducted; the reports given, discussions conducted, and decisions made set the course for the employees, ministers, boards, churches, conferences, and affiliate organizations of the Covenant. This year’s theme was “Faithfully Forward,” drawn from hallmarks of the first-century church in Acts 2—teaching, fellowship, generosity, and prayer.
Thursday
Thursday’s first highlight was the President’s Report from Tammy Swanson-Draheim, who expounded on the official theme by highlighting in greater depth the various ways the Covenant is following the foundation of the early church as recorded in Acts 2:42-47. “As we continue to express our devotion through worship, teaching, fellowship, prayer, and living generously through radical hospitality,” said Swanson-Draheim, “May we experience God working through us to see more disciples among more populations in a more caring and just world.” She continued in her report to highlight various Covenant expressions of faithful service involving the many churches and organizations she visited in the past year.
Thursday afternoon, trailblazing Covenant minister Evelyn Johnson was presented with the Irving C. Lambert Award for outstanding urban ministry. “When Evelyn’s name came up for this award,” said Paul Robinson, executive minister of Serve Locally, “I was surprised she didn’t already have it.” Many in the room applauded as a sign of how recognized and beloved Johnson is around the Covenant.
The highlight of the day was the visit to the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, sponsored by the Covenant Trust Company. Several hundred Covenanters attended, including a group of about a hundred or so who walked in solidarity with enslaved people from eras past, singing freedom songs as they walked across the John A. Roebling Suspension Bridge from Covington over the Ohio River and into downtown Cincinnati. The ensuing Thursday evening service was alternately spirited and solemn. Energetic, funky praise music was presented by a team led by Stephen Kelly, worship coordinator at North Park University. In between spirited words of prophetic homily from Rev. Dominique Gilliard and Rev. Ramelia Williams of Love Mercy Do Justice, participants were encouraged to take time to look at the exhibits and reflect on what it means to follow Christ in light of our nation’s history of racialized subjugation. It was a powerful time of worship and solidarity.
Friday
Friday morning, we received a message of hope from Rev. Kevin Farmer of Epiphany Covenant Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. “You can have competence during time of struggle,” said Farmer, “because God is the Alpha and the Omega.”
Friday’s highlights also included a moment of vocational recognition for clergy from Herb Frost, executive minister of Serve Clergy, as well as for global personnel, presented by Grace Shim of Serve Globally. Later in the afternoon, the T.W. Anderson Outstanding Layperson Award was awarded to Scott Peterson of First Covenant Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, for his years of service to his congregation and to Portage Lake Covenant Bible Camp.
During Friday evening’s worship service, attendees received an encouraging message from Susie Gamez, co-lead senior pastor of Midtown Church in Sacramento, California. She implored the congregation to shift their perspective on failure, drawing inspiration from Jesus’s response to Peter’s moment of failure after his crucifixion and subsequent resurrection. Our failures don’t have to disqualify us, said Gamez, but rather can build in us the courage to return to Jesus.
Saturday
At the Saturday morning worship session, Covenanters were exhorted by Rev. G. Dany Flores and Rev. Metzli Doles—the first Latina mother and daughter ordained to Word and Sacrament in the Central Conference. Their joint bilingual message encouraged us as believers in attendance to show up in our communities, which helps build flexibility, tenacity, and cultural awareness to adapt to the changes around us and provide opportunities for younger folks to participate. “We have the responsibility to be present with them to let the Lord do the work in them and through them,” said Doles in English, interpreting for Flores in Spanish.
After several ministry reports, financial projections, and budget approvals, the Annual Meeting concluded with Saturday night’s service, where vocational ministers were commissioned, ordained, and consecrated for service. Rev. Howard Burgoyne, superintendent of the East Coast Conference, encouraged ordinands to remain deeply connected to Jesus, emphasizing that authentic discipleship requires us to be devoted to God and grounded in grace through the Spirit. He reminded them that to be rooted in Christ is to be empowered by the Spirit and surrounded by the Father’s love.
As the evening drew to a close, President Tammy Swanson-Draheim addressed the assembly of ordinands and witnesses thusly:
“Serve patiently, cheerfully, and with compassion, remembering that the work you are called to is God’s work, done in God’s name, to God’s glory. Follow Christ, whose servant you are. Remember you are marked as persons who proclaim Christ crucified and risen; you must be prepared to be what you proclaim…be humble, bold, and full of hope.”
For a collection of the presentations, reports, and videos from Gather 2024, as well as an archive of previous Gather events, head over to covchurch.org/gather.
The 139th Annual Meeting will be held in Orlando, Florida.
