Covenant News

Alaska Work Leads Local Newsletter Activities

MANCHESTER, CT (May 12, 2004) - Bob and Carol Olson of Trinity Covenant Church are among a number of volunteers headed to Alaska for various mission work at Evangelical Covenant Church institutions.

Carol Olson, a graduate of North Park University (then College) had always dreamed of doing ministry in Alaska. She used her nursing skills at a Covenant camp in Unalakleet in 2001 and again in 2003 after undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Bob Olson is a retired research engineer who had met his wife while they served in a short-term Covenant ministry team called Youth Caravan. He has served as church chair at Trinity Covenant and been involved in numerous other ministries. Carol had served in youth ministry at a Covenant church in Brockton, Massachusetts, and recently served Trinity Covenant as parish nurse while she and her husband worked with the children's Trailblazer program.

The Olsons are among many Covenanters making a difference in their corner of the world. Following are items gleaned from the more than 250 local church newsletters received each month by the Department of Communication, grouped by conference and region.

CENTRAL

• Chicago, Illinois: Soprano Veronica Mitina of Ravenswood Evangelical Covenant Church competed in the Bel Canto Foundation's 30th anniversary final contest on April 17 and won a scholarship in the Young Artist division.
• Wilmette, Illinois: Winnetka Covenant Church's Kim Steiner was recently informed by the Girl Scouts Illinois Crossroads Council that she is being awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor accorded by the organization.
• Millard, Wisconsin: Edna Bethke of Millard Community Church, a recent entry into the Covenant, celebrated her 100th birthday on April 13.

EAST COAST

• Waltham, Massachusetts: Barbara Suplit, who grew up at Covenant Congregational Church and now serves as a psychiatric nurse practitioner at Chicago's Children's Memorial Hospital, recently served on a three-week, short-term mission trip to Armenia along with representatives from North Park University and others. Among the itinerary for the trip is a visit with the Patriarch of the Orthodox Armenian Church.

GREAT LAKES

• Kalamazoo, Michigan: Kalamazoo Covenant Church's Terri Snow, Gene Snow and Edythe Snow were recognized at the April 28 annual breakfast ceremony put on by the Volunteer Center of Greater Kalamazoo. Terri Snow has worked on Relay for Life, a fundraiser event in the area. Gene and Edythe have been involved with the Comstock Community Center. Also in the church's recent newsletter was the new work of a daughter of the church, Bethany Lee. Lee is headed to Christian Associates International, a mission work focused on evangelism and church planting in the cities of Europe. She has already served in volunteer work with AmeriCorps and Habitat for Humanity and is completing work on a Master of Christian Education at Azusa Pacific University in southern California.

NORTH PACIFIC

• Yakima, Washington: Wiley Heights Covenant Church's Jim Milton had the opportunity to participate in a cross country skiing "marathon" in Sweden.

NORTHWEST

• Blaine, Minnesota: Good Shepherd Covenant Church's Jackie Ihlang was honored for 10 years of service for a church daycare program on April 24.
• New Brighton, Minnesota: Salem Covenant Church's bowling team won the Eastside Church League this year under the leadership of captain Gary Tillman. Others on the team included Dennis Johnson, Tony Kordus, Jerry Samuelson, Mike Schwartz, Al Tengvall and Scott Tillman.
• Trimont, Minnesota: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Trimont's Elaine Anderson and Eunice Erickson were recognized for their volunteer efforts by CREST, a Faith in Action program in the Trimont area.
• Willmer, Minnesota: A son of First Covenant Church, James Hoogheem, was honored recently in Washington D.C. after being chosen to represent Minnesota as a National Distinguished Principal. He is an elementary school principal in the Osseo School District and was also honored at a state principal's convention.

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST

• Hilmar, California: Sandy Rico of Hilmar Covenant Church was honored by her local Rotary Club as Outstanding Teacher in her community and was recognized at an April luncheon. Rico is a teacher with the Keyes Union Elementary School District.
• Redwood City, California: Peninsula Covenant Church recently gave five parishioners $100 apiece and 10 others received $50 each in a "reverse offering" event. The 15 invested their money into services of a variety of ministries, stated executive pastor Rod Toews in a church newsletter. A number of families involved their children in the decisions and some kids sold personal items and made items to sell to friends as a way to increase the amount of money for the organizations being given funds. "The talents of $1,000 multiplied many times," Toews said. "We will never be able to measure the effect of food and clothing given to the poor, but in cash given we have recorded over $18,000 thus far. What was given out boomeranged back with tremendous impact...the lessons learned will continue to be a blessing for many years to come."

SOUTHEAST

• Oveido, Florida: Southeast Conference superintendent Kurt Miericke is hoping that relationship building with fledgling ethnic ministries will come to fruition in his region. In early May, he visited with two Hispanic Ministries that are interested in being part of the conference. Rev. Walter Contreras from the Pacific Southwest Conference was also present. The first ministry is a bicultural Hispanic church plant in south Orlando that a non-denominational megachurch, Northland Community Church would help support. The second is an existing small congregation in North Miami under pastor Jorge Vaca. Miericke also recently was the guest speaker at a four-day conference in Kingston, Jamaica. Seven churches have now organized into a fellowship known as Christian Centre Ministries. Pastor Courtney Burnett is the National Overseer and Pastor Winston Williams is the International Overseer. Joining Miericke were pastors Rose Cornelious, Mike Rose, Ed and Anita Carey, and the Williams family. Said Miericke, "There is much poverty in Jamaica, but these people were rich in the Lord. They desire to affiliate with the Southeast Conference."
• Asheboro, North Carolina: Central Carolina Community Church, a two-year old congregation, has experienced growth and God's goodness in recent months under the leadership of pastor Ed Arroyo. On Easter Sunday, the church had 488 participate in worship service. Three weeks earlier, the church had 388 in Sunday services. Last August, the church was averaging 227 in worship service, said pastor Ed Arroyo. Since then, he said, "the church has exploded and families are being healed." An energetic music program has attracted people, but the pastor said that the church's sense of family has also attracted parishioners. The church has helped a few people with substance abuse to begin the recovery process at a center in Florida. Arroyo is a high school referee and coaches in the community as well. He has been in Asheboro for more than two decades. He said, "Something unique is happening here - we're doing some things no one has ever done here."

ELSEWHERE

• Medellin, Colombia: Covenant missionaries Gary and Mary Lou Sander reported recently about the work of Nerys Revis and a recycling business receiving assistance from Covenant World Relief. Revis lives in San Carlos, the mother of five girls. She wasn't attending the local Covenant church but when the congregation helped her submit a grant proposal for her recycling business and she received support, she was overwhelmed by the church's willingness to help her. She has since become a Christian, said the Sander family in a newsletter. Two other daughters have also come to know Christ as savior and attend the Covenant church in San Carlos. "The best part of my little business is that I am helping the poor people," said Revis. "When they come to my house or see me on the street, I can now offer them a little money for their bottles, their cans or their cardboard so that they are able to buy their daily bread. I like that."

To read more stories about Covenanters and their impact on their world, regularly visit this online Covenant news report at www.covchurch.org. To submit stories or story ideas, email Covenant Communications at newsdesk@covchurch.org or call 773-478-4676, extension 117.

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