Covenant News

Minnesota Congregation Celebrates Lao Church Plant

BROOKLYN CENTER, MN (October 8, 2002) - Brookdale Covenant Church as the congregation celebrated the planting of a Laotian Covenant congregation during a combined worship service on World Communion Sunday.

Mark Stromberg, Director of Church Development for the Northwest Conference, preached at the church's second worship service to welcome The Laotian Covenant Church of Brooklyn Center. David Olson, who works with western region church plants for the denomination's Department of Church Growth and Evangelism, gave a prayer of dedication for the new congregation of around 75.

A native Lao worship offering dance of praise and a Laotian youth group song were part of a unique worship service, along with traditional hymns. And Psalm 117 was read in five different languages: English, Spanish, Laotian, a native African dialect and Swedish.

Brookdale Covenant pastor Tim Johnson stated that the new church will be financed primarily by the denomination and the Northwest Conference in its early stages, although Brookdale Covenant recently renovated a youth building for a Laotian church parsonage. The Laotian pastor is Soudinh Penkhay, who had brought a core group of Laotians to Brookdale in August 1998 and helped the contingent quadruple in size. Given recent statistics, the Laotian church could have a viable ministry in the area.

There are 168,707 Laotians in the United States, according to 2000 Census figures, with Minnesota's 9,940 ranking them third among all states. More than half of the estimated 10,000 Laotians in Minnesota live in Hennepin County (including the Twin Cities).

Penkhay had previously been in ministry in Thailand. After arriving in in California in 1987, he led a church there before heading to Minnesota and leading a Laotian Baptist congregation in the Twin Cities. He had been working full time outside of ministry while serving as president of the Lao Association of Churches of Minnesota.

Brookdale Covenant was organized in 1899 as the Camden Covenant Church, according to statistics taken from the Covenant Yearbook. The church has a membership of around 300 and averages more than 250 in worship attendance. The adults of The Laotian Covenant Church of Brooklyn Center speak Laotian as their first language. The children use English as their first language, however, said Johnson.

On Sundays, Brookdale will have two morning worship services and Sunday school. At noon, the Laotian congregation will host its Sunday school followed by its own worship service. The two congregations will occasionally combine for worship activities and run youth events cooperatively.

For more information on the church and its new Laotian congregation, call Brookdale Covenant at 763-535-6305.

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