SE Conference Welcomes New Churches

MATTHEWS, NC (April 20, 2004) - The Southeast Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church conducted its 41st Annual Meeting at the Church of Saviour as about 200 attended the conference's annual banquet last Friday under the theme "Each Church: Part of the Body."

Barb Martin, the conference's director of Christian formation, interviewed conference parishioners Gina Rivera of Faith Covenant Church in St. Petersburg, Florida; Alan Cox of Trinity Covenant Church in Greensboro, North Carolina; and Booker Herring of New Life Church in Atlanta, Georgia. The trio discussed how the conference and local ministries has blessed them and how God has worked in their lives.

Southeast Conference Supt. Kurt Miericke introduced the new churches to the conference at Friday's banquet. They include: Community Covenant Church in Deland, Florida (under pastor David Shaw); Commissioned Disciples Covenant Church in Tucker, Georgia (Catherine Gilliard); and Full Deliverance Ministries Covenant Church in Miami, Florida (Victor Hickson). The latter congregation has been using the building of Kingdom Ministries Covenant Church (formerly Palmetto Community Covenant) in Miami and has met the needs of its community via HIV/AIDS ministries, a food pantry, youth prison work and a job outreach, among other things.

Later that evening, the conference presented a video about various ministries throughout the conference and Rivera discussed the growing opportunities for young adult ministries in the Southeast. Retiring pastors Jim Swanson (Covenant Village in Plantation, Florida) and Dave Elowson (a pastor at two congregations near Bradenton, Florida) were also honored before Associate Supt. Robert Owens concluded the evening's activities. Central Carolina Community Covenant Church of Asheboro, North Carolina, led worship for the event.

On Saturday, a total of 76 delegates participated in the formal business meeting. Deric Gilliard (Commissioned Disciples Covenant), Lori Shackelford (Silverhill, Alabama) and Dan Leeper were elected to the conference executive board while Jeff Burton (Faith Covenant) and Randy Swenson Lighthouse Covenant Church, Tamarac, Florida) were re-elected.

During the Thursday evening conference Ministerium worship service, Church of the Saviour pastor Church Thomas gave the evening message under the theme "We Are The Body of Christ," using I Corinthians 12:27 as a text coupled with his personal journey. Funds were raised for conference ministries. Four workshops also were offered to more than 60 delegates on Friday morning, including those led by Miericke, Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) Vice President of Administration Mary Miller, Penny Barham, former conference executive board chair of Kallam Grove Christian Church, Madison, North Carolina, and pastor Ted Nordlund, who works with pastors from the Northwest Conference and the ECC at large.

"I think everyone who was there had a chance to experience, as well as hear about, what it means to be part of the body of the Southeast Conference," said Martin about last weekend. We as a staff saw that, during presentations of ministries, we saw that people were encouraged to send their resources to support conference ministries. For example, we don't have our own Covenant camps, but youth in Alabama/Mississippi, North Carolina and Central Florida will have separate camping experiences because of the participation of conference churches. What can't be done by one group can be done with the spiritual gifts of a group and I think that is what we showed Friday night."

Another positive aspect of the process of unifying churches in the conference is the ethnic diversity that is melded into creative ministry. Of the 43 churches in the Southeast, there are more than 25 percent that would be considered "ethnic" congregations and the leadership in the conference reflects this diversity.

To learn more about the Southeast Conference, call Miericke at 407-977-8009 or visit the conference website at www.se-conf.org.

Printable version of this page.