Covenant News

Highlights of Activities Throughout the Covenant

CHICAGO, IL (January 17, 2002) - Local Evangelical Covenant churches have been busy during January, as reflected in information gleaned from 200 newsletters received each month by the Department of Communication.

Following are some of the highlights from those reports, presented by conference:

CANADA

• Nelson, British Columbia: The Evangelical Covenant Church has developed a multiple-congregation concept within the church. Currently, the church has 350 in average worship attendance with three different congregations meeting, said pastor Dan Johnson. This multiple church including two services on Saturday at the Nelson church, a Sunday morning service in Nelson and a Sunday service in Balfour, which is 30 minutes away.

  The Balfour congregation has its own building, which was funded in part by the Frontier Friends/Kingdom Builders. Another congregation is set to launch in the spring of 2003 at Playmor Junction. "Our mandate is not to fill empty pews, it's to fill empty hearts," said Johnson, the pastor for eight years at the original church. "We have had a pastoral team that is distributed among all of the congregations, but we have learned that a pastor of all becomes a pastor of none. We have an associate pastor, Jesse Lerch, who will lead the Saturday night congregation at Nelson. We'll hire another staff member for Balfour."

  Johnson's congregation has tried many creative ways to reach people for Christ. A recent innovation was a Christian Tae Kwon Do class led by a parishioner that has attracted 60 participants. For more information on this program, check the church web site at www.netidea.com/~church.

CENTRAL

• Broadway Covenant Church in Rockford, Illinois: Elizabeth Kasberger, a junior at Wisconsin Lutheran College in Milwaukee, was honored this Christmas season as her school used her art work - a winter scene of the school's chapel building - for its Christmas card. Kasberger, the daughter of Larry and Janis Kasberger of Belvidere, is majoring in psychology. Elizabeth's uncle, Jonathan Brown, is a longtime member at the church.
• Evangelical Covenant Church in Evanston, Illinois: Nearly 40 people attended a Chinese cross-cultural fellowship group Christmas party at the church in mid-December. The Chinese church fellowship group seeks to partner with the Anglo congregation for future ministry. A collaborative effort between pastor Chris Carlson, North Park Theological Seminary students and parishioner John Hunt has aided the church in making connections with the Chinese contingent, said Carlson. The emphasis is on cross-cultural ministry - to bring the two cultures together. Formal partnership between the Chinese fellowship and the Covenant church began in August. The Chinese fellowship meets weekly and combines activities with the Anglo church on a monthly basis, often with home-based meetings. Carlson said that other churches would be invited to participate in cross-cultural ministry throughout the Chicago area.
• Evangelical Covenant Church in Lafayette, Indiana: Bonnie Wilkens, wife of the director of worship and music, Randall Wilkens, is principal second violinist for the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. Wilkens has an undergraduate degree in music performance from Ithaca College in Ithaca, New York. She has taught violin in Kansas and has been with the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra for two years.
• Evangelical Covenant Church in Paxton, Illinois: Lisa Dillon was recently awarded the prestigious Professional Practice Award by Carle Foundation Hospital of Urbana, Illinois. The award is given in recognition of overall professional achievement to the hospital. Dillon was nominated by a co-worker and received the award at a professional training event sponsored by the 295-bed hospital. Dillon, whose mother and aunt were nurses, received her registered nurse credentials from Parkland College in Champaign, Illinois, in 1991. The Melvin, Illinois, resident has primarily worked in the medical intensive care unit, but recently began working in the cardiovascular intensive care unit. She also assists an internship program at the hospital by presenting lectures on cardiac issues. Carle Hospital is the primary teaching hospital for the University of Illinois College of Medicine. Lisa and husband, Dean, a nurse and teacher at a mental health facility in Champaign, have two children.
• Evangelical Covenant Church in Naperville, Illinois: Jayson Ellwein, son of James and Jean Ellwein, finished his work for his Eagle Scout award and will have his Eagle Court of Honor in February. The Eagle Scout award marks the highest honor for Boy Scouts of America.
• North Park Covenant Church in Chicago, Illinois: Julie Dahlgren, a radiology technician at Swedish Covenant Hospital in Chicago, was voted "outstanding technologist of the year" and was presented with a special plaque during National Radiology Week in November.
• Trinity Covenant Church in Oak Lawn, Illinois: Peter Olson, 19, plays for the Northwest Wisconsin Knights of the Minnesota Junior Hockey League (MJHL). The 6-foot-3, 225-pound defenseman played junior hockey while finishing high school before moving to Spooner, Wisconsin. His team finished the first half of the season in first place in the MJHL. Junior hockey is considered a steppingstone for United States and Canada professional hockey hopefuls and numerous MJHL players earn Division I hockey scholarships or pro contracts.

EAST COAST

• Community Covenant Church in West Peabody, Massachusetts: Teens found an interesting way to make money for next year's CHIC high school event, raising nearly $2,000 via a lobster roll sale.

GREAT LAKES

• Forest Park Covenant Church in Muskegon, Michigan: About 150 people were involved in a church ministry in December called "Christmas Town," which was led by Karen Iverson, Paula Upman, Sharon Lamson and Carol Anderson. A general store coordinated by Karen Waalkens brought in more than $1,800 for the Kentucky Mountain Mission and individuals were included for storytelling, a living nativity, gift wrappers and photography, along with town criers, carolers, and a pair of choirs. A 16-member cast performed a Christmas story for the local community and a technical/lighting crew of 12 others helped behind the scenes.

MIDSOUTH

• Covenant Merge Ministries in San Juan, Texas: The news is good for Covenant Merge Ministries (CMC) in 2001, according to director Dale Lusk, as a record 925 participants from 43 mission trips served throughout the region. Groups ministered to 3,400 children in programs and another 2,300 through adult worship services, also a record. A wide variety of ministries, including sports, English classes and music team ministries, were part of the overall mission work. For more information about CMC, call Lusk at 956-668-1723 or email him at covmerge@earthlink.net.

MIDWEST

• Evangelical Covenant Church in Olathe, Kansas: Ernie Hicks was recently given the local Rotary Club's Paul Harris Fellow Award for 2001 for community service. Hicks, who heads the stewardship committee of the church council, has served on local Meals on Wheels programs with wife, Gail, and the two have taught Sunday school at church. Ernie is also president of a local Barbershop Singers group and served as the head of the building committee when the church was built. Ernie and Gail own their own company, the Hicks-Ronsick Insurance Company.

NORTH PACIFIC

• Evangelical Covenant Church in Helena, Montana: Jason Heslep's artwork appeared in a recent edition of Breakaway Magazine, an internationally distributed publication for young men through Focus on the Family.

NORTHWEST

• Salem Covenant Church in New Brighton, Minnesota: Mary Vining Radomski recently published her third textbook, Occupational Therapy for Physical Dysfunction (1,100 pages), along with Sister Kenny Institute and Catherine A. Trombly of Boston University. For more information about the book, check www.lww.com/promo/trombly.

  Also at Salem, six high school students from Minnehaha Academy were honored for their efforts as student athletes. Football players Taylor Beahrs and Anders Erickson, cross country runners Tyler Johnson and Jessica McDougall, and soccer players Lindsay Lundgren and Matt Huston were awarded Spotlight on Scholarship awards for grade point averages of 3.0 or better on a 4.0 scale.

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST

• Montecito Covenant Church in Santa Barbara, California: Noah Bryant starred in football and track and field during the past year, earning regional and national recognition in the process. Bryant was named as an All-Southern Section pick during the fall as an offensive lineman with Carpenteria High. The senior had earned Junior All-America honors for USA Track and Field last summer after finishing in the top eight in the shot put at the U.S. Junior National Track and Field Championships in Richmond, Virginia.
• Alpine Covenant Conference Center: About 100 supporters and volunteers attended a 20th anniversary celebration for Alpine Angels, a major contributor to camper scholarships at the Covenant camp located in Blue Jay, California. Alpine Angels have run two thrift shops in the area and have funded 263 projects, totaling more than $800,000. Marilyn Porter, the founder and director of the organization, was presented with a Waterford crystal bowl from Alpine Covenant Conference Center's director Stan White at the November event.

SOUTHEAST

• First Covenant Church in Vero Beach, Florida: Pastor Tristan Hohler was honored for 25 years of service at the First Covenant Church in January. Hohler earned his undergraduate degree at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, and his Master of Divinity degree at Trinity Seminary in Deerfield, Illinois. He recently earned a doctorate of ministry at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. The church is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year and will celebrate its anniversary January 27 with a dinner at the church.
• Faith Covenant Church in St. Petersburg, Florida: A youth and adolescent puppet team at Faith Covenant made some kids happy during the Christmas season, performing three shows in mid-December for two neighboring preschools and an adult group. Other students made use of their talents during a musical for children that month.

Churches can send newsletters to the news department at Covenant Communications, 5101 N. Francisco Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60625, or by email to newsdesk@covchurch.org. To learn more about the activities and ministries throughout the denomination, regularly visit this web site at www.covchurch.org.

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