Covenant News

Lambert Award Presented; Bioethics Considered

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (June 23, 2004) - An award was presented, a challenge was given and a debate on a resolution regarding bioethics issues was voted upon by delegates during a Wednesday morning business session of the 119th Annual Meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

A total of 834 registered conference attendees were part of Wednesday's morning meeting. It included 569 delegates from 309 conference and regional congregations (a total of 659 voting delegates including 90 general delegates).

During the meeting's opening moments, Jim and Annette Anderson were presented with the Irving C. Lambert Award for service in urban ministries and justice matters throughout the Covenant. More information about Jim and Annette and their work will be found in a separate story as part of the online Covenant news coverage.

"I have admired his courage and his prophetic edge and he served as my pastor in Seattle," said ECC President Glenn R. Palmberg, who called Jim one of his best friends. "I remembered the things he did and tried to do – and the church wouldn't let him. If there are two people who do justice and walk humbly with their God, it is Jim and Annette Anderson."

Jim Anderson took time to honor the one whose name is on the award, telling one story about Irving Lambert's interaction with a local gang to illustrate the lengths to which he would go to minister to his community.

"Irving Lambert was a model for us in urban ministry," Anderson said, "a man with a tremendous willingness to take risks. And I have to give credit to the church he attended, the Douglas Park Covenant Church in Chicago, a church that decided to stay in their neighborhood and minister to whoever showed up. I feel honored to have been given an award to which his name is upon it."

Curtis Peterson, executive minister of the Department of World Mission, shared a report about the Covenant Church of Congo (CEUM), urging delegates to support the "A Future with Hope" fundraising initiative that would better assist the CEUM in areas of health, education and poverty. A short video about the CEUM followed Peterson's oral report about the initiative, which supports a discipleship campaign honoring the late Covenant missionary martyr Dr. Paul Carlson.

There are four hospitals and 74 clinics that would be served by health funding. "Our staffs are educated and trained, but there is not enough money to finish the job," said Peterson in discussing the critical needs for upgrading medical facilities in CEUM areas.

In educational areas, the initiative could assist in teaching some 50,000 students per year. And in helping deal with the unbelievable poverty in Congo, it is hoped that monies can help those who are living on $1 per day. It is hoped that micro businesses can be started and other projects can help improve the economy, Peterson added. A large matching fund challenge has been put to Covenanters – two individuals have combined for $1 million of donated monies that could be matched by monies raised by Covenanters - and a Christmas card fundraising effort and other initiatives are expected to help in the effort.

Covenant pastor Nathen Chang of the Hsintien Covenant Church in Taiwan presented CEUM's President Dr. Mossai Sanguma with a $10,000 gift before administrators and delegates prayed for the future of the CEUM. "Please tell your brothers and sisters in Congo that we love them and are praying for them," said Chang prior to the presentation.

The most discussed issue of the morning was a document entitled "A Resolution on Beginning-of-Life Issues in Biological Technologies," which asked Covenanters and their churches to become more aware of biological technologies in light of scripture, diligent study and dialogue and with prayerful discernment. The resolution included an encouragement by Covenanters to support legislation and regulations that protect human research subjects, including subjects in the earliest stages of human life. It was approved.

In other news:

• Ruth Hill, executive minister of Covenant Women Ministries (CWM), reported on CWM, noting the upcoming Triennial XI in Portland, Oregon, already has attracted 1,192 registrants. She also discussed "Light for AVA, Advocacy for Victims of Abuse," an initiative to help advocate for victims of abuse and provide resources to help Covenant churches to better serve those in need. A project manager for this position has been found and that person will begin duties this fall if the initiative if passed by CWM delegates at Triennial XI. A constitution will also be voted upon at Triennial XI to allow CWM to be renamed "Women Ministries."
• A report on Covenant World Relief (CWR) was given by director Jim Sundholm, noting that a massive food project is being coordinated in Congo near the Rwandan border with help from CWR. World Relief and CWR have also coordinated resources recently and a June 19 story on the Covenant website (www.covchurch.org) provides more information on that effort.
• Gary Walter, executive minister of the Church Growth and Evangelism, and Harold Spooner, executive vice president of outreach ministries for Covenant Ministries of Benevolence, reported about a four-day Ethnic Roundtable that convened in February in Chicago. They announced that a total of 19 percent of Covenant congregations are either ethnic or multiethnic – a total of 145 churches in all – and shared five goals for the Covenant to help it better serve its increasingly diverse constituency.

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