WALNUT CREEK, CA (April 29, 2003) - Twelve churches were recommended for membership in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) and the merger of two other congregations was approved during the 101st Annual Meeting of the Pacific Southwest Conference this past weekend.

A total of 188 delegates and general conferees registered for the meeting, representing 49 conference churches and a number of other conference institutions, boards and commissions. The annual meeting, held at Hope Center Covenant Church, was preceded by a two-day gathering of the Conference Ministerium at Hillside Covenant Church.

A strong emphasis on church planting, church development and outreach ministries permeated the annual meeting. "It is so important that we invest in ministries that really matter," said conference Supt. Evelyn Johnson as she outlined numerous initiatives in various stages of development. She also stressed the importance of connecting and engaging churches and institutions within the conference in carrying out ministry. "We are better together," she reflected. Strategic partnerships play a key role - "something happens (in strategic partnerships) that can't happen in that same way in a local church ministry."

Four strategic partnerships were highlighted by the superintendent:

• Women's ministries: A key component is the Faith in Action program that offers grants to women's ministries groups in local churches for outreach and compassion work. Shelters, work in a women's prison and outreach to single-parent families were examples cited by Kathie Norman, president. Two retreats for women will be offered this year: a northern retreat May 31 and a southern retreat June 6.
• CHET: There were 400 enrolled this past year at the Center for Hispanic Studies - a record number that is the equivalent of 170 full-time students. "The Lord has been exceedingly beautiful and helpful in providing the means for CHET to accomplish its mission," said CHET President Jorge Maldonado. There were six Covenant Hispanic churches just a few years ago, Maldonado pointed out - there are now 22 Hispanic churches with which the center works.
• Covenant Bible College: A feasibility study affirmed the potential for a new CBC-West campus, reported Jeff Mazzariello, newly appointed head of the CBC-Midwest campus in Colorado. The next step is to prepare a specific proposal to go to the conference executive board and the CBC board.
• ECC: The conference receives a lot of "people" support from the denomination, especially the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism, reported Johnson. Much of that partnered work occurs in areas of church site selection, financing, legal issues and church planting that utilizes resource staff in Chicago.

A budget for 2004 was approved and a revised constitution and bylaws was spread on the conference annual meeting minutes for action at next year's meeting. The revisions will complement changes made to the denomination's documents and approved in 2001. A new NextStep.Together campaign also was introduced, reflecting a goal of $500,000 to be raised in the conference to support church planting, pastoral and congregational care and leadership development.

Three individuals were elected to three-year executive board terms: Dan Freeman of Modesto Covenant Church as treasurer, Valerie McCann Woodson of Bay Area Christian Connection as secretary, and Stephen Wong of Grace Community Church as chair of the Multiethnic Ministries Commission. Three retiring members of the executive board were recognized: Catherine Barsotti, David Hanson and James Gaderlund. During the Conference Ministerium meeting earlier, Michael White was elected chair of the executive committee.

A Covenant men's report noted that nine students attending North Park Theological Seminary are receiving $13,500 in financial support from the men's group. The conference's two camps - Alpine and Mission Springs - served 40,000-plus campers last year, reporting 700 first-time commitments to Christ and 2,500 recommitments.

The accompanying photo shows some of the representatives of new congregations recommended for acceptance into membership in the denomination. The 12 churches recommended for membership include:

• The Creek Covenant Church Community, Walnut Creek
• El Encino Covenant Church, Downey
• Fuente de Esperanza Covenant Church, Isla Vista
• Iglesia del Pacto Evangelico Esperanza, Sacramento
• Pacto de Nueva Vida/New Life Covenant Church, Wilmington
• River's Edge Covenant Church, Brentwood
• Sanctuary Covenant Church, Sacramento
• Southeast Asian Covenant Church, Fresno
• Tapestry Covenant Church, Santa Ana
• Vida Abundante Covenant Church, Roseville
• Iglesia Misionera Hispanoamericana, Pasadena (by adoption)
• Nuevas de Gozo Covenant Church, Lennox (by adoption)

Two churches recommended for merger are Iglesia del Pacto of Oakland and Emmanuel Independent Christian Church of Oakland, to be known as Bethel Evangelical Covenant Church of Oakland. Two disbanded churches to be deleted from the roster of ECC churches are Lifesource Community Church of Phoenix, Arizona, and Mercy Covenant Church of Mission Viejo, California.

The Pacific Southwest Conference has experienced significant growth both numerically and ethnically during the past eight years. Since 1995, the number of churches has increased from 83 to 124 with average worship service attendance increasing from approximately 23,000 to more than 35,000 on a given Sunday. Approximately two-thirds of the conference annual budget is invested in planting new churches, which average six new plants per year (37 churches have been planted since 1996). Of the 65 churches added to the conference roster during the past 25 years, 45 percent serve congregations that are predominantly Hispanic, African American or Asian American.