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Canada Conference Considers CBC-ECC Partnership
By Craig Pinley
WINNIPEG, MB (May 2, 2004) - A key issue for delegates attending the annual
meeting of the Canada Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church
(ECC) concerned Covenant Bible College International and a proposed
partnership with ECC.
On Saturday at Faith Covenant Church, 94 delegates agreed to acknowledge
the partnership by amending the conference constitution - approving the
amended constitution would occur at the 2005 conference annual meeting.
In the evening,
320 gathered to celebrate the conference's 100th anniversary at another
local church during a banquet and worship service.
More than 100 participants from five provinces gathered for worship and
business on Saturday, representing the 2,742 now attending worship
services at conference congregations. Special guests during the day of
activities included ECC President Glenn R. Palmberg, Doreen Olson,
executive minister of the Department of Christian Formation, and former
Canada Conference Supts. Albert Josephson, Gerald Stenberg and Keith
Fullerton, a member of the ECC Executive Board.
Palmberg gave a greeting to delegates during the business meeting,
praising the conference for its faithful 100 years of ministry. During
the evening worship service, he presented a commemorative citation to
conference Supt. Jeff Anderson and Executive Board Chair Rod Johnson.
Three changes to the conference constitution were spread on the minutes
and will be considered during next year's annual meeting. They pertain
to the powers of the CBC Board of Trustees (Article IV, Section 1a), the
powers of the president of CBC and executive director (Article IV,
Section 1b), and the membership and reserve powers of CBC International
(Article IV, Section 2, a new section).
Saturday's decision is step one of a four-step process to make the
partnership official. Delegates at the June Annual Meeting of the ECC in
Minneapolis will also need to change the ECC constitution to acknowledge
the partnership - delegates to the 2005
Annual Meeting will officially vote on the Covenant's amended
constitution if the Canada Conference approves its amended constitution
in the spring of 2005.
CBC International President Neil Josephson and Palmberg answered
questions about the proposed dual affiliation. Josephson outlined the
key elements:
- CBC International would continue to be responsible for the vision
and leadership of the mission of CBC
- CBC would accept two corporate members into its structure - the
Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada and the ECC
- Of 17 actions that are the responsibility of CBC International, six
would need the approval of both corporate entities: (a)
amendment/modification/repeal of CBC's Articles of Incorporation and
Bylaws; (b) the selection/removing of a president/campus executive
director; (c) merger/dissolution of CBC or sale of assets outside of
ordinary business; (d) any act jeopardizing CBC's status as a tax-exempt
organization; (e) creation/dissolution of any affiliate or subsidiary of
CBC; and (f) amending or modifying CBC's mission
statement. Eleven others (selection/retention/dismissal of legal counsel
representing CBC, for example) would need only the approval of the
Canada Conference. The day-to-day ministry decisions of CBC would remain
under the guidance of the president of CBC International, local boards
and CBC faculty.
- CBC International would become the corporate member of each
affiliated local CBC campus with certain reserve powers over a specific
number list of issues. CBC International would be the sole corporate
member of each campus with the exception of CBC-Canada, where both
CBC-Canada and the Evangelical Covenant Church of
Canada would be corporate members.
Josephson stated in his annual report that "the many of us who have
crafted the affiliation
believe that it will more clearly and appropriately place CBC within the
mission of the entire denomination, retaining the mission stewardship so
important to CBC and to the Canada Covenant while strengthening our
partnership with the broader Covenant church fellowship."
Ultimately, said Josephson, the process of affiliating with the Covenant
was done with much thought and preparation, including the input of
members in a handful of boards (including the executive boards of each
campus). Anderson stated that the conference's
executive board gave unanimous approval to the partnership because they
believed the affiliation would extend the work of the Kingdom more
effectively.
Palmberg also answered questions about the ECC's desire to be affiliated
with CBC, stating, "We've had some conversations in the past few years
about CBC and its
connections to the rest of the denomination. CBC clearly serves farther
than the Canadian
congregations . . . so we discussed a more appropriate relationship."
Palmberg added that U.S. government laws mandate certain affiliation
documentation. Also, having CBC under ECC's umbrella would allow CBC
projects to be publicized and fundraising drives to be developed with
support from all conferences and regions.
In other developments:
- Delegates approved a conference budget of $558,148 for 2004
- Grace Wilson of Nelson/Balfour, British Columbia, was elected as
chair and Kendall Arndt of Melfort, Saskatchewan, was elected vice chair
of the conference
Executive Board. Trustees elected to the Executive Board included vice
chair Kendall Arndt of Melfort, Saskatchewan; Dave McIntosh of Sarnia,
Ontario; Karen Haukedahl of Edmonton, Alberta; Ray Baloun of Minnedosa,
Manitoba; and Rene Saboulsky of
Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Kathy Brawley of Strathmore, Alberta, and Jon
Drebert of Minnedosa, Manitoba, were elected to serve on the Committee
on the Ministry and
the Board of Christian Education respectively. Outgoing executive board
members Ken Johnson, Loren Nelson and chair Rod Johnson were earlier
acknowledged
for their service by delegates.
- Blackstrap Covenant Church in Blackstrap, Saskatchewan, was
recommended by the delegates for membership into the ECC, pending
approval at the June Annual Meeting of the ECC in Minneapolis. Steve
Meshenfriend is the pastor of the church, which began with a core group
of four families of College Park Covenant Church in Saskatoon. The
church's initial worship service was in February 2003.
- Anderson presented Keith and Viola "Vi" Fullerton with a Hudson Bay
blanket to thank them for their work in finishing a new book on the
conference, entitled
One Hundred Years: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada.
Said Keith Fullerton of the work, "It's been an extremely moving
experience to finish this book."
- Bret Widman, Dean of Students at Covenant Bible College-Canada in
Strathmore, Alberta, discussed a youth ministry internship that has been
considered in the conference as a leadership development partnership
with the local church. Official youth ministry
internships occurred at Hope Community Covenant Church in Strathmore,
Alberta, and Faith Covenant Church in Winnipeg, Manitoba, during the
past year, Widman said.
- During his CBC International president's report, Josephson thanked
conference delegates for their radical faith in helping in the
development of its three campuses. A building project in Windsor,
Colorado, and the ongoing transformation of its campus to a nearby site
in LaMerced, Ecuador, are two highlights.
- Dave Nelson discussed a ministry initiative this fall that would
educate Canadians about the First Nations population that is prevalent
in the country. The ministry is being supported in part by the
Covenant's Churches Planting Ministries initiative, which has
already helped coordinate a similar 'Sankofa' experience to help build
relationships between Anglos and African-Americans in the United States.
- Palmberg promoted the (ITAL) Bearing The Marks discipleship campaign
that will be premiered in June at the ECC's Annual Meeting. Delegates
were also shown a DVD clip documenting the life and death of Covenant
medical missionary Dr. Paul Carlson, who was martyred 40 years ago in
what is now known at Congo.
- Delegates prayed for conference members Alberto and Lisa Zepeda
(Kenya) and Linea Lanoie (Congo) as they prepare for short-term mission
works they will begin
this summer.
- The transfer of ordination of pastor Randall Friesen of Gateway
Covenant Church, Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, was accepted by conference
delegates, pending approval of the ECC's Annual Meeting in June.
- Delegates heard about the work of World Relief Canada and the
conference's contributions to entities in Sierra Leone and Eritrea.
Projects in Mozambique and
North Korea are being supported by the conference in 2004 via World
Relief Canada, said World Relief representative Vern Johnston.
- The next Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Canada
is scheduled for April 14-17, 2005, at the Evangelical Covenant Church
of Norquay,
Saskatchewan.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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