Representatives from 28 congregations participated in the meeting, which was held at the Covenant "Promised Land" Retreat Center in Medellin. Among the new churches are three "daughter church" plants and two that grew out of small group Bible studies. The five churches are from the cities of Medellin, Monteria, Bogota and Barranquilla. The Colombian Covenant Church also recognized seven other church plants currently in process and rejoiced in the 338 people throughout the region that came to faith in Jesus, said Colombian missionary Gary Sander.

In other news:

• Three new ministers were ordained into the Colombian Covenant Church: Javier Gomez, Walter Beltran and Javier Salazar, who are shown from left to right in a picture with Sander. Gomez has been pastor at Hope of Life Covenant Church in Medellin for nine years. Beltran, who was rehabilitated through the Covenant Drug Rehabilitation Center in Bogota, has been pastor at the Bethlehem Covenant Church in Bogota for two years. Salazar has been pastor at the El Shaddai Covenant Church in Medellin for eight years.
• A project to form teams of Colombian youth for ministry needs was discussed and approved by annual meeting representatives. The youth teams will minister at various churches with great ministry needs and evangelize in towns where the Covenant has no church presence. The Colombian Covenant Youth Organization will organize and facilitate this effort in partnership with the Covenant Missions from Norway and North America.
• Leaders announced a renewed commitment to procure official church recognition and status with the Colombian government in 2003. The Colombian Covenant Church has been working to procure this status for four years, said Sander. The procurement of church status would allow the Colombian Covenant Church to move forward in administering its vision to reach all of Colombia with the Gospel as it would be an official church organization.