Covenant News

Edmonton to Mark 50 Years in October

EDMONTON, AB (July 29, 2002) - Edmonton Evangelical Covenant Church will celebrate its 50th anniversary October 11-13 with a Saturday night banquet and special Sunday worship service.

Albert Josephson, a pastor at the church from 1967 through 1973, will speak at the October 13 morning service. Lillian Pearson, one of the catalysts in founding the church, will also speak during the weekend.

The church will begin its celebration with a hymn sing October 11. Pearson will be the guest speaker that evening. On October 12, the church will have an afternoon event to commemorate the history of the church. Josephson will speak and a local quartet will sing at a banquet at King Edward Park Community Hall in Edmonton later that day. The church began its ministry with worship services at that location during the early 1950s.

Originally organized as the Evangelical Mission Covenant Church of Edmonton, the congregation had its initial worship service September 16, 1951, at a local community hall. The church was officially chartered on January 31, 1952, and was accepted into the denomination five months later.

Melvin Pederson was the first pastor at the church, serving in a temporary role. Kenneth M. Englund was the church's first full-time pastor, serving four years. The congregation enjoyed a highly successful Sunday school program, which had 117 enrolled during its early years (85 in its Junior Hi-League). A Frontier Friends campaign assisted the church in building its facility, which was dedicated September 23, 1956, with Evangelical Covenant Church President T.W. Anderson as the guest speaker.

Currently, the church has an average worship attendance of around 70, according to Pastor Sam Drew.

For more information about the church and its upcoming celebration, call Vern Dennis at 780-435-7057 or email him at vdennis@interbaun.com.

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