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Mission Trips Highlight Busy Summer for Covenant Youth
CHICAGO, IL (August 26, 2004) - A half dozen youth groups from Covenant
congregations were busy on mission trips during recent weeks, according
to newsletter and email updates from more than 250 Covenant churches.
These trips, as well as other individual accomplishments, have been
compiled by Covenant Communications and are highlighted by conference
and region.
CENTRAL
- Elgin, Illinois: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Elgin sent a
group of youth and adult volunteers to Buffalo, New York, from July 26
through August 2 to help an organization called International Teams to
inner-city ministry. They served residents and staff at Vive la Casa,
which helps resettle refugees. During the week, the group led songs,
crafts and games with refugee children and helping parents that are part
of the organization's English as a Second Language (ESL) program.
- Princeton, Illinois: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Princeton
sent a group of teens to Logan, West Virginia, for a week of mission
work. Some students assisted flood victims in Logan County. Others led a
children's ministry and visited senior adults, among other things. Team
members included: youth pastor Donovan DeGaetano, Tricia Musselman,
Maggie Faber, Kenton Glover, Aaron Harris, Molly Losey, Julie Musselman,
Kristina Nelson, Cameron Nyman, Megan Owens, Abby Pfundstein, Ethan
Smith, Jason Wallace and Paul Wolf.
- South Holland, Illinois: The New Beginning Covenant Fellowship
(NBCF) youth choir, Youth With Attitude (Y.W.A.) held its first annual
Back 2 School
concert entitled "A New Beginning" at Seton Academy, 6100 Seton Drive -
on August 28. Y.W.A. is 30 members strong and ranges in age from 13-18,
said church representative Tiffany Murkey. The group is part of a church
plant in a Chicago southeast suburb started earlier this year by pastor
Kevin Davenport. More about the youth choir can be found by calling
Murkey at 708-704-6443 or emailing her at: tiffany_murkey@hotmail.com
- Lafayette, Indiana: The youth group from the Evangelical Covenant
Church traveled to Philadelphia in July for one week of urban ministry
with Vision For Youth, a parachurch organization. Two dozen youth and
adults participated. They combined their talents with 100 from other
churches and ministered in the north side of the city, helping a
Hispanic church and mission, said youth pastor Jon Black. Nightly
outreach programs under a giant tent were a key part of the ministry
that week. They also provided medical services at the evening sessions
and worked hard at building relationships with neighbors. "It was cool
to see how God took away our fears and replaced it with joy and
boldness," said Black. "There were a lot of good experiences."
- Beloit, Wisconsin: Redeemer Covenant Church's Becky Nilson has been
giving back to her church by being their summer youth director. Nilson,
a senior at nearby Beloit College, earned All-Midwest Conference honors
in basketball last year, averaging 12 points during her junior year and
being named the team's Most Valuable Player. She is a Psychology major
at the school. Basketball isn't the only college sport she excels in. In
volleyball, she led the Buccaneers with 103 blocks and is among the
school's career leaders in that category. In track and field, she placed
fourth in the javelin throw in the conference meet. For her efforts, she
was among four student-athletes given the Janssen Award, given annually
to the top junior male and female athletes at the college.
EAST COAST
- Naugatuck, Connecticut: Darryl White Jr. was featured in the recent
Hillside Covenant Church newsletter for his academic and athletic
achievements at Naugatuck
High School. He ranked 12th in a class of 349, made the National Honor
Society, and received 10 different scholarships at an honors award night
at the school before he graduated. A starter in baseball and football,
White was named tri-state Athlete of the
Year by a local television station and honored as a National Football
Foundation and College Hall of Fame banquet in March. He will attend the
University of Connecticut this fall and major in physical therapy.
GREAT LAKES
- Allegan, Michigan: Christ Community Church's Jonathon Burns was part
of the Master Arts Theater's summer stock and participated in The
Elves and the
Shoemaker in late July as part of his training. Other youth were
busy at the church as some participated in a weekend mission trip to
Chicago and others headed to a Holland, Michigan, rescue mission for a
work project.
- Jamestown, New York: First Covenant Church's youth group took 21
senior high students and four adults on a mission trip to Chicago during
the first week of August. Along with youth pastor David Soderberg and
his wife, Karen, team members included adult leaders Todd Hynatyszyn and
Rob Megar and students Colin Braeger, Courtney Charles, Phil Genco,
Yvette Hunter, Katelyn, Justin, Melissa Illingworth, Heidi
Johnson, Elijah Kellom, Elizabeth Miller, Ashleigh Rough, Cody Vincent,
Kylee Baca, Abby Brunner, Adam Cheney, Aaron Kazar, David Megar, Julie
Muckinhaupt and Jay Young. The group went to different sites of the
city, including three shelters sponsored by Jesus People USA Covenant
Church in the uptown area. Soderberg said that the group also worked in
the Englewood neighborhood, serving children's groups with vacation
Bible school and helping feed people during the lunch hour. They also
painted and did clean up work in the neighborhood. The group visited the
John G. Shedd Aquarium and ate at some of the trendy downtown
restaurants, as well as worshiping at Willow Creek Community Church in
South Barrington. "Each evening at 11 p.m., when we got to the rooms we
stayed in, we gathered for a time of journaling and had a devotional
message and processed through the day," said Soderberg. "They found that
some of these
people we helped are normal people like us with needs like we do."
NORTH PACIFIC
- Kent, Washington: Kent Covenant Church's Heather Bupphas will be
serving for 13 months as a missionary with Covenant House, the largest
organization serving the homeless in the U.S. Covenant House is located
in Queens, New York. It ministers to those 18 to 21 years old in
downtown Manhattan at live-in shelters. She is part of the
organization's Faith Community Program.
NORTHWEST
- Hutchinson, Minnesota: Oak Heights Covenant Church sent six students
and two adult leaders to Chicago from August 9-15 to serve at Jesus
People USA Covenant
Church in Chicago's Uptown neighborhood. Leaders were Glen and Ginny
Kegley. Students included Abby Willson, Hope Borscheid, Hannah Conrad,
Andy Herdegen, Bridget, and Laura Kegley.
- Mankato, Minnesota: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Mankato took
a junior-high group on a mission trip to Ladysmith, Wisconsin, where
they helped with various projects under the sponsorship of TeenServe.
Jeffrey Dean was the speaker at the work camp, which included nightly
worship services after students worked in the community each day. A
total of 400 people from various churches were part of the work camp.
Said one student, "Our group was assigned to paint the outside of a
woman's house and stain her deck. She was not at home when we began (she
had been hospitalized) and so it was really neat seeing her reaction
when she came home - seeing a group of six kids working hard to improve
the home she loved." Another student wrote in the church's latest
newsletter, "I came on this mission trip hoping to become closer in my
relationship with God. In fact, it was more than that."
PACIFIC SOUTHWEST
- Los Altos, California: Foothill Covenant Church's Annette Albertoni
and Stephanie Ericsson have been part of mission experiences lately as
Albertoni is training with YWAM - Youth With A Mission - (headed to
Egypt and South Africa) and Ericsson has served this summer at Sonshine
Ministries in Lake Shasta.
- Vista, California: Oak Hills Covenant Church 12-year-old Nicole
Parmenter finished first in four events at the Long Course Junior
Olympics held from July 29-August 2. Swimming in the 11-12 age group for
North Coast Aquatics out of Carlsbad, California, Parmenter won the
100-meter breastroke, 50 freestyle, 50 backstroke and 200 Individual
Medley events while placing second in the 50 breastroke and 50
butterfly. Two weeks earlier, she had competed in eight events at
another age-group meet and had three first-place finishes while
finishing second twice and fifth in two others.
- Walnut Creek, California: Hillside Covenant Church's Steven
Fischback was a member of NorCal Baseball, a 15-and-under amateur
baseball team this summer. The team finished their 2004 summer season by
clinching the National Championship of the Perfect Game's Freshman/15U
World Wood bat tournament on August 8 in Marietta, Georgia. Fischback is
an incoming junior at Las Lomas High School in Walnut
Creek, having earned All-League honors during his sophomore season.
SOUTHEAST
- Greensboro, North Carolina: Trinity Covenant Church sponsored a book
reading contest called "Growing with God--One Book at a Time" this
summer and a host of
children earned various prizes for their diligence. Grand prize champ
was Jordan Burrell, a fifth grade student who read 62 books. Second
grader James Hoskins won his age group after reading 60 books - edging
Michel Rojas (55 books) - and Andy Hoskins and Jack
Hoskins both read 60 books to tie for their age group prize.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
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