Covenant Church Midwinter in Chicago
At the end of January I participated in the Covenant Church’s Midwinter gathering in Chicago. Over a thousand pastors and ministry leaders gathered from around the US and Canada to focus in on the “one anothers” from Scripture “love one another, forgive one another, encourage one another, etc.” Through prophetic preaching and seminars led by diverse voices in the Covenant the call of Christ was held before us and we were invited to recenter in God, in community and in the hope and power of the Gospel.
In a time of such polarization and anxiety the theme hit home and gave me hope that in times of crisis, the church can draw upon the power of the Holy Spirit and respond to Christ’s calling, to be salt and light, to welcome the strange and love our enemies. Over the course of the week I met with many pastors and leaders who are feeling the strain of ministry in polarized times, and equally so, stories of church communities courageously joining together to love and serve their neighbors and holding up the hope and light of Christ to an anxious and fearful culture. I left the conference feeling the weight of the challenges and brokenness that are deeply felt but also the hope that God is present and active in countless ways as people join in loving God and neighbor.
It was encouraging to see initiatives inviting and equipping the church to stand in solidarity with the most vulnerable in their communities.
Grace Shim and Julio Isaza from Serve Globally led a workshop on living in a divided world with purpose and hope. Julio and his wife Katie have worked for many years in Columbia equipping churches and communities for peacemaking. He brought wonderful insights from his experiences and challenged and encouraged us all to the work of being vessels of Christ’s reconciliation and peace where ever we live.
John and Josh joined the conference from Jonkoping, Sweden. They were visiting Swedish students from SVF, a Christian Folk College, who are spending a semester at North Park University. SVF has has had an exchange program for over 50 years with North Park and it was exciting to hear that it is going strong. In 1998, I was a student through this program and it prepared me in ways I couldn’t know then for future ministry in Sweden.
It was a privilege to listen to this panel of wise and resilient pastors share about their experiences. We heard the stories from one of the first women to be ordained in the Covenant and the first superintendent.
Pray for Covenant churches, and other church movements in the US as they seek to be a prophetic voice in word and deed.
Pray for the Spirit of Christ to break down walls of division and fear and bring healing and hope.
Pray for immigrants and refugees, and people of color who are living in daily fear for their safety and wellbeing.
Visit to Community Covenant Church in Minneapolis
It was a joy to worship at Community Covenant Church in Minneapolis and share a Serve Globally update from Europe. It was a tough Sunday as the previous day, ICE officers had killed Alex Pretti and there was palpable grief and sadness at all that was happening in the city. Community Covenant came together to pray and to be reminded of our call to be Christ’s ambassador’s, standing with the vulnerable, resisting violence with peaceful resitance, and to stay centered in Christ. It was a moving Sunday. Thank you Community Covenant for your faithful witness in your neighborhood and the way you encouraged and challenged my faith on this Sunday.
Pray for Community Covenant, and churches around the US as they seek to remain centered in Christ and his call to be peacemakers and reconcilers in their neighborhoods. Pray for the Holy Spirit to empower his people with hope and courage to be salt and light.
On the Saturday when Alex Pretti was killed, communities throughout Minneapolis joined together for candle light vigils. My brother was part of organizing a gathering in his neighborhood. Though the weather was icy cold (-30C) many neighbors came out with candles to express their grief and to stay connected as a community. I was touched by the many stories I heard of people caring for their immigrant neighbors, bringing food, helping children get to school, and their desire to encourage each other in the face of fear and uncertainty. As I was reflecting on this evening I thought of all the candles people were holding and the small fire that lit up the neighborhood. We gathered around that fire with our little lights to draw hope and strength from each other. There is power when we come together, to share, to grieve, to sing out our hope that love is stronger than hate.