Covenant News - North Pacific Conference Recommends New Church

Covenant News

North Pacific Conference Recommends New Church

PORTLAND, OR (May 1, 2003) - A proposed revised constitution was spread on the minutes for a vote next year and a multiethnic church in Tacoma, Washington, was recommended for membership as 126 credentialed delegates from 44 churches attended the annual meeting of the North Pacific Conference at Irvington Covenant Church.

Saturday morning's business meeting took on a celebrative tone as 40 parishioners from Tapestry Covenant Church and their pastor, Darryl Hutcherson, represented their congregation, which is being recommended for membership in the Evangelical Covenant Church. The congregation began public worship services a year ago. Membership will come for a vote by delegates attending the 118th Annual Meeting of the ECC in June.

Conference delegates also honored three retiring pastors with longtime ties to the North Pacific Conference - Phil Axelson, Gary Peterson and Ed Newton - and recognized the work of conference office administrator Laurel Idso, who has served for 14 years and will retire at the end of 2003. Included in the acknowledgement of her work was a video greeting by Glenn R. Palmberg, ECC president and a former North Pacific Conference superintendent.

In other decisions made during the business session:

Robert Dings, Mercer Island Covenant Church in Mercer Island, Washington, and Gerry McGill, Highland Covenant Church in Bellevue, Washington, were elected to the conference executive board and delegates re-elected Christian Brueninger, pastor of Pine Lake Covenant Church in Sammamish, Washington, and conference chair Thomas Robinson, Emerald City Bible Fellowship in Seattle, Washington, to the board.
Delegates defeated a resolution on Covenant Freedom and Women in Ministry following a 30-minute discussion. Both the conference and the presenter of the motion, Graham Covenant Church of Graham, Washington, were given time to present their views.
Krisann Jarvis Foss, the Churches Planting Ministries representative for the conference, gave a report about the ministries of the conference. Meanwhile, Gene and Phyllis Pugnetti of Creekside Covenant Church in Redmond, Washington, made a presentation on the Sons of Sudan Foundation, an organization near Seattle that focuses on helping Sudanese refugees transition into the United States.

Delegates had an opportunity to see one of the new ministries of Irvington Covenant Church, Irvington Village, which is an affordable assisted-living residence that opened in January 2002. Associate Supt. Don Robinson said delegates and pastors also had the opportunity to view other transforming works in Portland during an afternoon city tour that included stops at the revitalized First Covenant Church in Portland, Irvington Community Development Corporation (a job placement and training center), and The Shepherd's Door Ministry to Women and Children, a transitional living facility.

More than 150 attended a dinner and worship celebration sponsored by the conference and hosted by Irvington Covenant. A group from Irvington Covenant, directed by Pat Roche Greenidge, provided special music for the dinner.

"The North Pacific Conference is in a very healthy position," Robinson reported. "In spite of the recession, we're on solid financial footing. There are wonderful ministries to be celebrated and overall we're in a strong and healthy place with our local churches. It was a very positive annual meeting and the representation of Tapestry Covenant showed the diversity of the conference and the wonderful ministries at Irvington Covenant Church gave people a positive feeling about what is happening."

The North Pacific Conference includes 70 congregations with a combined average worship attendance of 14,104, according to the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism. For more information about the confe rence and its annual meeting, call 206-275-3903 or visit the conference web page at www.covchurch-npc.org.

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