Covenant News

December Ministry Roundup Shows Covenanters in Action

CHICAGO, IL (November 29, 2003) - Dr. Debra (Hokanson) Brinkmann of Bethlehem Covenant Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, received the Up and Coming Decalum Award during the 2003 Homecoming weekend at North Park University (NPU) in October. The award recognizes professional excellence in alumni within 10 years of their graduation.

Brinkmann graduated from North Park University (then College) in 1993. Soon thereafter, she attended Mayo Medical School in Rochester, Minnesota. She received her Ph.D. in Biomedical Sciences, specializing in radiation oncology, in 1998. Two years later, she completed her Radiation Oncology Physics Residency at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. Brinkmann attained certification from the American Board of Radiology in Therapeutic Radiologic Physics in 2002.

Brinkmann is an instructor in oncology while serving as a faculty medical physicist in the Division of Radiation Oncology at Mayo Clinic, a position she started in April 2003.

A member of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine since 1994, Brinkmann is also guest associate editor for Medical Physics Journal, and is a scientific reviewer for the Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics, and the International Journal of Radiation Oncology, Biology, and Physics. She and her husband Benjamin (also a 1993 North Park graduate), have two children and reside in Byron, Minnesota.

Here are a listing of other activities that Covenanters and Covenant churches have been a part of in recent months, as reported in church newsletter. The listing is organized by conference and region.

ALASKA

• Soldotna, Alaska: Four Alaska Christian College students and two staff members traveled to Elim for a high school weekend called "Fall Blast." More than 50 students attended the event. College students speaking at the retreat were Marty Towarak and Zane Paniptchuk. Anna Mute and Nils Savetilik helped behind the scenes.

CANADA

• Sarnia, Ontario: Lighthouse Community Church hosted a celebration service at the site of its future building, a 50-acre piece of land, on November 22. A down payment has been paid for the land and a loan from National Covenant Properties is in place, said a church representative. The cost for the land was $250,000 (Canadian). Lighthouse Community leadership, under pastor Mark Crate, began its relationship with the Evangelical Covenant Church about two years ago. The congregation originally met in a rental hall and worshiped on Sundays but now holds services on Saturday nights at a local Christian Reform Church building. The average worship attendance ranges from 120-170.
• Saskatoon, Saskatchewan: College Park Covenant Church celebrated 40 years of ministry on November 8-9. Del Peace from Covenant Bible College, Strathmore, Alberta, was guest speaker. A pancake breakfast on Saturday morning, a Saturday evening family concert, and special Sunday morning worship were part of the weekend. The church culminated the weekend Sunday afternoon with a pizza/Coke float luncheon. College Park Covenant has an average worship attendance of more than 120 under pastor Darryl Bryant and youth pastor Gavin Jensen.

CENTRAL

• Crest Hill, Illinois: Charlie Kern of the Church of the Good Shepherd Evangelical Covenant finished 270th overall in the October 12 LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon. He was clocked in 2 hours, 42 minutes, 28 seconds for 26.2 miles.
• Rockford, Illinois: Bethesda Covenant Church reported in its recent newsletter that a leader in its Lao congregation, Mathew Khempaseuth, graduated from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary Lao School of Ministry in October.

EAST COAST

• North Easton, Massachusetts: Alynne MacLean, president of Science With a Mission, Inc. and a member of the Evangelical Covenant Church's Executive Board, helped coordinate its second annual fundraising dinner in Norton, Massachusetts, on October 24. The event raised almost $14,000, said an organization representative in a church newsletter report. Science With A Mission, Inc. was organized by MacLean as a way to provide inexpensive diagnostic medical helps to underserved countries.
• Lords Valley, Pennsylvania: Church at Hemlock Farms recently honored recently retired pastor Robert Duncan for his seven years at the church and longtime ministry to many others. Among those in attendance at the October 6 event was East Coast superintendent Robert Dvorak.

GREAT LAKES

• Allegan, Michigan: A Christ Community Church praise songbook, "Harry Anderson Songbook," was produced and contains 16 songs. Anderson, a retired elementary school music teacher, began writing and composing songs in recent years, said Patrick White, Christ Community pastor. Songs have been written for friendship evangelism programs and stewardship campaign theme Sundays, among other things. The songbooks can be purchased for $10, plus shipping and handling from the church. For more information, call 269-673-2329.

MIDSOUTH

• Edmond, Oklahoma: Pack the House was a success in the LifeKIDS ministry of Life Church recently as the church ministered to 478 kids during morning worship experiences. With this growth in this program, LifeKIDS will be opening six new classrooms. Another children's ministry at church, Sidewalk Sunday School, takes Sunday school to 400 inner-city families weekly. The ministry is also reaching out to families during the holidays, sending a Thanksgiving food basket filled with a turkey and all the "fixings" to families in the area. Christmas gift bags and toys will also be given to the children in December. More information about Life Church and its many ministries is available at www.lifechurch.tv.
• Carrollton, Texas: Dr. Willie Peterson, founding pastor of Bethel Bible Fellowship in Carrollton, recently concluded his pastoral ministry at Bethel and the church recognized his significant ministry in an October celebration. Dr. Terry Woodson, president of the Urban Evangelical Mission, is the new senior pastor at Bethel.

NORTHWEST

• Duluth, Minnesota: First Covenant Church celebrated 120 years of ministry on November 5 with a birthday party and also on November 9 with a special multi-church worship event led by James Hawkinson, executive secretary emeritus of publications of the Evangelical Covenant Church. On October 26, a son of the church, Rev. Clifford Johnson, preached at morning services. The church was founded on July 22, 1883, according to a recent church newsletter. Along with its own festivities, First Covenant helped the Evangelical Covenant Church of Biwabik by raising $3,580 for a CVP201 Clavinova digital piano and cover. According to Biwabik church pastor Jeffrey Jones, his congregation purchased the piano and used it for worship service on November 23 and Thanksgiving Eve community service at its new building. The Biwabik church had lost its former building due to an arson fire and moved into a new facility last spring. It is still finishing construction work.
• Roseville, Minnesota: Longtime Roseville Covenant Church attendee and Roseville native Myrtle Marti was honored as one of four "Top Aggies" for making significant contributions to her community, according to a recent edition of the Roseville Review newspaper. Marti has run in more than 35 road races since age 73, including the Twin Cities Marathon 5K race, which she ran in with several children and grandchildren.
• Brandon, South Dakota: Swedona Evangelical Covenant Church celebrated 125 years of ministry on September 7 as former pastor Carold Anderson performed special music and was the guest preacher for an afternoon worship service. The event was preceded by a catered dinner. A cookbook was also published for the event. Swedona Evangelical Covenant Church was organized on April 7, 1877 with 36 charter members at the Eric Erickson home. The church, known then as the Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Mission Church of Swedona, consisted primarily of immigrants coming to the Dakota Territory from Illinois. The initial church building was made of sod and used from 1879 until a frame church was erected in 1881. A parishioner, C.F. Hanson, donated two acres of land for the building. John F. Wretlof, served the church as its initial pastor from 1877 until 1909, the longest tenure ever for the congregation. He shared duties both at Swedona and Salem Covenant Church in Salem, South Dakota. Wretlof's first congregation class at the church was confirmed in 1880.

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST

• Riverbank, California: Wainer Guimares, pastor of The Bridge Covenant Church, was one of four people honored last month at a regional Christian Public Servants Breakfast at the DoubleTree Hotel in Modesto. The event recognizes those who identify themselves as Christians and help others through their involvement in clubs, nonprofits organizations and community activities. Guimares, the founder of The Bridge, was honored with the Walter C. "Bud" LaCore Citizenship award for his work in many areas, including his role as Riverbank High School PRODIGAL Club adviser and service as director of Community Casa center. He was Riverbank's Citizen of the Year in 2002.
• San Andreas, California: Rob Satterberg, pastor of San Andreas Community Covenant Church, is performing in the role of a page in "Amahl and the Night Visitors," a musical drama by Gian Carlo Menotti that was coordinated for the stage by Main Street Theater Works. Satterberg has performed frequently with local choral groups, reported a newspaper article about the drama. "Amahl and the Night Visitors" tells the story of a crippled shepherd boy and his mother and the unexpected visitors - three kings from the east following a bright star - traveling to Bethlehem. This Christmas spectacle was one of the first musical productions written especially for television. The first show over the Christmas season was November 30.
• Santa Barbara, California: Das Williams of Montecito Covenant Church was elected to the Santa Barbara City Council on November 4, culminating more than a decade of public service to his community. According to a recent church newsletter, Williams is most well known for his environmental work, including procuring funds for creek restoration and ocean pollution mitigation, writing a law that requires pipelining of oil and efforts to preserve open space in his region.

SOUTHEAST

• A total of 97 met for a Covenant Women Ministries retreat at Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida, as Faith Covenant Church of St. Petersburg served as the event host and pastor Jeff and Gina Burton assisted in planning aspects. The theme for the event was "The Wedding," reported Mary Owens in a report emailed to conference pastors and staff. Joy Larson hosted the Friday night seminar "The Courtship." Saturday morning included a prayer walk and a business meeting and Glenda Gomez hosted the morning session "The Vow." Pastor Anita Carey of Palmetto Covenant Church in North Miami, Florida, hosted the evening session "The Commitment." After a Scripture walk on Sunday morning, pastor Catherine Gilliard of Commission Disciples Covenant Church in Stone Mountain, Georgia, spoke about "The Celebration." The group then celebrated communion. "This retreat was a time of fellowship, love, prayer and offering," stated Owens in her report. "There were some who rededicated their lives to Christ; there were some that came to an understanding that they were not alone in their walk with Christ. It was a Spirit-filled time."

ELSEWHERE

• Medellin, Colombia: Covenant missionary Cathy Campobello reported that Covenant World Relief and the Colombian Covenant Mission's (including Covenant Kids Foundation) have partnered in a variety of ways. In a "Centers for Business" project. Covenant Kids Foundation is working with different churches to establish businesses that will help them to be more self-sustaining. Campobello stated that two churches had begun businesses earlier this year and another is in the organizational phase and hopes to begin operations soon. "It is exciting to see how God multiplies even the smallest of businesses and uses it to bless His people," she wrote in a September newsletter. Along with helping start businesses, Covenant Kids Foundation has been working with nearly three dozen special needs kids in churches. And in other areas, cows are being raised and sold for milk and beef as a way to earn finances. Overall, Campobello wrote, "the unity among Covenant churches is growing, especially in Medellin, as they work together in several areas of ministry such as the youth, children, women and missions." To find out more about the efforts of Covenant adults and their congregations, check www.covchurch.org. Churches and individuals can alert Covenant Communications of various happenings by email at newsdesk@covchurch.org.

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