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New Mississippi Church Celebrates New Affiliation
MOUNT BAYOU, MS (March 13, 2000) - The first Covenant church in Mississippi pulled out all the stops during its "coming out" party recently, celebrating with Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) and local leaders over a four-day stretch, while showcasing its unique ministries.
Walk of Faith Covenant Church, accepted into denominational membership at the 1999 Annual Meeting in Green Lake, Wisconsin, provided visitors with a wide range of experiences as a handful of ECC pastors served as keynote speakers.
"We had a wonderful time," said Walk of Faith pastor Darryl Johnson. "This (celebration) brought people together, embracing differences. Our congregation was appreciative of our guests and our city was appreciative of what happened here. A lot of people were blessed."
Don Davenport of Community Covenant Church of Calumet Park, Illinois, preached the final Sunday morning worship service, bringing to a close the weekend festivities. He encouraged those in attendance to continue their ministry boldly, but carefully. Henry Greenidge, pastor at Irvington Covenant Church in Portland, Oregon, focused on youth during Saturday's banquet, urging them to become champions for Christ. The youth ministries at Walk of Faith's youth network gave presentations and New Walk of Faith, a sister church from Greenville, Mississippi, gave a separate presentation that impressed the crowd of 150.
Debbie Blue, ECC director of adult ministries; Rose Cornelius, Southeast Conference representative, and Harold Spooner, director of ECC compassion ministries, led workshops for 50 people. A tour of Mound Bayou, led by historian Milburn Crowe, was also part of Saturday's schedule. In an accompanying photo, Southeast Conference Supt. Kurt Miericke (right) visits with the owner of a local pottery establishment. Two fellowship services opened the weekend event. Ed Carey, pastor of Palmetto Covenant in Miami, Florida, encouraged those in attendance to move beyond being "external Christians," urging them to be as authentic from the inside as the outside. On the second night, pastor Robert Owens of New Life Community Covenant of Atlanta, Georgia, shared four positive signposts of churches that are "on track" for the Lord.
Mound Bayou, an all-black town in the Mississippi Delta, has a rich history in the South. Given ECC's emphasis on racial reconciliation, the weekend celebration served as another positive reminder of the denomination's commitment to embrace ethnic and cultural diversity.
"I think it was a great time," said Jim Lundeen, associate director of compassion ministries. "The history and the sociology of Mound Bayou and its people have much to teach us. Young people were so alive and vibrant, enthusiastic about their faith," he continued. "It was fun to see. We have much to learn about them and they have much to teach us. And they're excited about coming into a national group like the Covenant."
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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