Covenant News

Lucco Approved as New Great Lakes Superintendent

MUSKEGON, MI (April 30, 2002) - Great Lakes Conference delegates approved Richard Lucco to replace David S. Dahlberg as superintendent during the conference annual meeting April 26-27.

Lucco currently serves as senior pastor at Trinity Covenant Church in Salem, Oregon. He will be installed as superintendent during the 117th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church in June and is expected to begin his new duties in mid-July.

Dahlberg retires this summer after 20 years as superintendent. He was honored during an annual meeting banquet attended by approximately 200 people.

The Great Lakes Conference office will move this summer from Hudson, Ohio, to the Detroit area where Lucco will reside, according to conference Chair Ken Larson. The site is yet to be determined.

Delegates voted to recommend St. John's Church in Millersburg, Ohio, for adoption into membership in the denomination. Dr. Kenneth Walther, a professor at Ashland Theological Seminary, is the pastor. St. John's Church was part of the United Church of Christ before seeking membership in the Covenant. It averages around 150 in worship attendance.

William Wooldredge (treasurer), Gary Schmauder and Stacey Littlefield were elected to the conference executive board (Schmauder and Littlefield were re-elected).

Conference representatives toured Mary and Joseph's House, located on the property of Forest Park Covenant Church, which served as the host congregation for the annual meeting. Mary and Joseph's House is part of Covenant Enabling Residences under Covenant Ministries of Benevolence. The two buildings house six men and six women.

Larson reported numerous church planting activities under way in the Great Lakes Conference. Faith Covenant Church in Farmington Hills, Michigan, recently sponsored a daughter congregation, Christ Covenant Church in nearby Wixom. Nathan Pawl is the pastor of the church, which has a core group of 50 adults from Faith Covenant helping in the startup phase. Weekly services begin Sunday. A grand opening will take place this fall.

A church in Plymouth, Michigan, pastured by Alex Rahill, is preparing for its first preview service this fall. A core group of about 50 has been formed, said Associate Supt. Larry Sherman.

Lighthouse Community Church in Sarnia, Ontario, has started holding regular worship services. Sarnia is a city of about 100,000, located an hour from Detroit. The 90-member congregation will be part of the Canada Conference, although Sherman will assist in the church's development. The pastor is Mark Crate.

A progress report on a new medical clinic in Detroit was presented during the business session. Four churches are partners in support of the clinic located near Messiah Church, which is a recent addition to the denomination. Kathy Kleinert is the clinic's medical director. The new location is scheduled to open this summer. Kleinert already sees patients at her private practice.

For more information on the Great Lakes Conference and its annual meeting, call 330-655-9345.

Printable version of this page.