Training Encourages Churches in Outreach Efforts

KENT, WA (March 22, 2003) - Twenty Covenanters recently gathered at Kent Covenant Church to learn ways in which the Churches Planting Ministries effort can assist local Evangelical Covenant churches that are interested in compassion and justice ministries.

Churches Planting Ministries is a partnership between Covenant Ministries of Benevolence and several conferences designed to resource local churches by providing process consultants, financial grants and educational opportunities.

Attendees to the consultant training event included representatives from the Central, East Coast, Great Lakes, North Pacific, Northwest and Pacific Southwest conferences. Facilitators were Sally Johnson, special assistant to the president of the Evangelical Covenant Church, and Debbie Blue, director of adult ministries for the Department of Christian Formation. The accompanying photos show facilitator Blue and Bob Hoey of Detroit, Michigan, and Ron Graham of Jamestown, New York.

"I witnessed a reflection of the Kingdom of God this weekend," Blue said. "Those that gathered came from different geographical regions with a diversity of gifts, talents and ethnicities and actively worked together as one body for the sake of the Kingdom."

Consultants are volunteers, chosen by and working with Churches Planting Ministries conference coordinators. Local congregations may request a consultant to come alongside their church to provide a variety of resources such as strategic planning, theological education, grant proposal writing and surveying the community or congregation.

"God has changed my heart as a result of this training," said Phil Staurseth, director of Covenant Park Bible Camp and consultant for the Northwest Conference. "This has been a personal journey for me as much as it has been a professional journey. Now I am also able to influence those in my circle with these values and I just keep waiting to see what God will do."

New and returning consultants participated in training sessions, prayer and theological reflection, group sharing and case study work relating to congregations and community ministry in compassion and justice issues. On Saturday, consultants traveled in teams to visit area Covenant churches to implement skills learned at the training.

"I was excited that the consultant team visits created another connection for churches in our conference to the values of compassion and justice," said Krisann Jarvis Foss, North Pacific coordinator and hostess of the training event. "There is a lot of interest in the values of this initiative and it is growing as churches recognize that the conference can now provide assistance in a variety of ways."

The training concluded with a time to review the event and for corporate worship, with the message brought by North Pacific Supt. Mark Novak.

"It is deeply encouraging to see the momentum of God's work in our midst," said Max Lopez-Cepero, director of Compassion and Justice Ministries. "As we enter our second year of helping churches reach out to the poor and at-risk, we are hearing more and more stories of local churches that have been blessed in this Gospel ministry."

Conference coordinators implement Churches Planting Ministries in each region and work with consultants to serve local congregations. Coordinators include Jerome Nelson (Central), Judy Swanberg (East Coast), Dick Lucco (Great Lakes), Jon Kramka (Northwest), Krisann Jarvis Foss (North Pacific) and Adam Edgerly (Pacific Southwest). For more information on Churches Planting Ministries or the consultant ministry, visit the Covenant website at www.covchurch.org and the Churches Planting Ministries link in the pull-down menu.

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