Stories & News
The Covenant Companion
Official Magazine of the Evangelical Covenant Church
News
Companion Recognized for Excellence
The Covenant Companion took home top awards for content published in 2022 from the Evangelical Press Association and the Associated Church Press.
Congo Covenant Church President Duale Welcomed to Chicago
Rev. Theophile Duale Langba, president of the Covenant Church of Congo, visited the denominational offices and shared his gratitude for our long partnership in ministry.
Amazing Glaze: The Donut Church
Bethany Covenant Church’s new partnership is creating a sweet presence in St. Charles, Illinois.
Sustainability at Audubon Park
Audubon Park Covenant Church in Orlando, Florida, is connecting with their community in significant ways through sustainability.
Minnehaha Students Spread Kindness with the Kindergarten Shine Line
Kindergarten students at Minnehaha Academy have created a phone line to spread joy and encouraging messages.
Highlighting Ministry in Rural Contexts
The Northwest Conference held its second annual Rural Impact Leadership Conference at Alexandria (Minnesota) Covenant Church.
Featured story
Congo Covenant Church President Duale Welcomed to Chicago
Rev. Theophile Duale Langba, president of the Covenant Church of Congo, visited the denominational offices and shared his gratitude for our long partnership in ministry.
Features
5 Minutes with Debbie Griffith-Samuels
For Covenant pastor Debbie Griffith-Samuels, retirement has never been an excuse to sit on the sidelines.
The Funkhouser Special Sauce
Covenant author Dana Bowman knows that even a fourth-grade band can be an ode to joy.
The Kindness of Elim
While planning for a sabbatical, one Covenant pastor decided to say “Yes” to Alaska.
More Than the Worst Thing
An intentional journey toward healing at Jesus People Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois.
Hope, Death, and the End of the World
Classes on hope and death have given Rebekah Eklund’s students space to ask the questions.
The Powerful Witness of Oneness
The oneness Christ desires for us is not something we create or try to make happen – it is a gift.
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Featured story
Sustainability at Audubon Park
Audubon Park Covenant Church in Orlando, Florida, is connecting with their community in significant ways through sustainability.
Commentary
Reclaiming Our God-Given Superpowers
When it comes to identifying complex emotions, television mysteries, comedies, and documentaries can provide examples that transform pain into power.
Let’s Love Each Other Like the Trees
Are we really committed to the Apostle Paul’s vision of the body of Christ?
Our Most Critical Need
President Tammy Swanson-Draheim calls us to the collective, collaborative work of praying together.
Life Unfolds as We Keep Watching the Score
Too many people act like their faith in Christ is just another competition.
The Improbable Peaceable Kingdom
What does the stump of Jesse have to offer to a hurting, divided world?
Love Like Family
Are we aspiring to the ideal, imperfect community of God found in his Word?
Arts & Culture
The Unlikely Intersection of Gangs and Churches
A Conversation with Covenant author Steve Offutt on his new book, Blood Entanglements.
“Praise This” Zings as It Sings
The new Peacock original feature film “Praise This” takes on the culture of Black gospel music.
A Fragile, Extraordinary Life
A review of Kate Bowler’s book No Cure for Being Human (And Other Truths I Need to Hear).
Freedom to Wonder
Mandy Smith’s Unfettered encourages us to discover a more Jesus-centered faith.
An Invitation to the Inaccessible Church
A review of Amy Kenny’s My Body Is Not a Prayer Request: Disability Justice in the Church
State of the Church
Lifelong Covenanter Kurt Peterson reviews Reorganized Religion: The Reshaping of the American Church and Why It Matters by Bob Smietana.
As You Age
Ryan Eikenbary-Barber reviews Man Overboard: A Medical Lifeline for the Aging Male by Craig Bowron, M.D.
Wakanda Forever Has Lessons for the Culture
A review of the latest Marvel film and its deeply universal themes.
Announcements
Updates on Children’s Ministry from Make and Deepen Disciples
New interim children’s ministry team will work to implement Covenant children’s ministry objectives.
Congo Covenant Church President Duale Welcomed to Chicago
Rev. Theophile Duale Langba, president of the Covenant Church of Congo, visited the denominational offices and shared his gratitude for our long partnership in ministry.
Leadership Announcements from Covenant Executive Board
The Covenant Executive Board has affirmed transitions in leadership for Steve Dawson, Deb Mitchell, and Michelle Dodson.
Sustainability at Audubon Park
Audubon Park Covenant Church in Orlando, Florida, is connecting with their community in significant ways through sustainability.
Midwest Conference Elects Brian Johnson New Superintendent
Delegates to the Midwest Conference annual meeting last month voted to elect Brian Johnson as their new superintendent. Johnson has been serving as acting superintendent since Tammy Swanson-Draheim stepped down from that role to serve as president of the denomination.
Steve Klimkowski Named Next President of Covenant Trust Company
Covenant Trust Company announces the appointment of Steve Klimkowski as its next president, effective July 1, 2023. He succeeds Anne Wiesbrock, who will retire after serving in the role since 2010.
Podcast
Sankofa: Join Us on the Bus
Hear from leaders and participants, as well as Sankofa veteran Nilwona Nowlin, who walks us through the journey—and shares her reflections after years of getting on the bus. For more information visit covchurch.org/sankofa
We Are a Multiethnic Mosaic
Mary Chung March outlines our history of becoming a multiethnic mosaic, growing from our roots as a Swedish immigrant church. And Steve Wong, pastor of the first Asian American church plant in the Covenant, reflects on his journey into the Covenant, how he has seen the denomination change, and our call to continue becoming the beloved community.
We Seek Racial Righteousness
Covenant historian Hauna Ondrey and Dominique Gilliard join us to talk about the end of the 1960s, the Black Manifesto, the Covenant’s unique response to this call to white churches and synagogues—and where we witness similar themes in our culture today.
We Make Affirmations
In the Covenant we identify as non-creedal, meaning we do not adhere to a specific creed. But non-creedal does not mean we are without theology. The six Covenant affirmations address the question, “What does the Covenant believe?” Retired North Park Theological Seminary professor Klyne Snodgrass joins us.
In Memoriam
Lloyd F. Alex
Retired Covenant pastor Lloyd F. Alex died April 5, 2023, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. He was 94.
Glennis D. Heikes
Retired Covenant global personnel Glennis D. Heikes died March 19, 2023, in Northbrook, Illinois. He was 94.
Bonnie Jean Nelson
Bonnie Jean Nelson, widow of retired Covenant pastor Chester Nelson, died April 8, 2023, in Arlington, Washington. She was 90.
Roger J. Nelson
Retired Covenant chaplain and minister Roger J. Nelson died March 18, 2023, in La Valle, Wisconsin. He was 89.
Alan Roth
Alan Roth, the husband of retired Covenant pastor Carol Roth, died on February 20, 2023.
Richard “Barry” Steel
Richard “Barry” Steel, husband of Covenant minister Julie Steel, passed away on August 25, 2022, in Snoqualmie, Washington. He was 77.
Kennis Furuya Bishop
Kennis A. Furuya Bishop, wife of Covenant pastor Gregory Bishop, died March 6, 2023, in La Mesa, California. She was 51.
David W. Johnson
David W. Johnson, former president of National Covenant Properties, passed away on March 25, 2023, in eastern Tennessee. He was 78.
