A mosaic of churches working interdependently together to transform lives and communities
By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant, PacNWC
Erik Cave interviews Asher Ernst, of City Covenant Church in Spokane, Washington. They discuss the church’s recent name change and the excitement of acquiring their building, giving them a permanent home. Ernst also talks about looking forward to hosting the Annual Celebration April 27-29.
By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant, PacNWC
This week Erik Cave interviewed Annaweinita Miller in the Yakima Nation. Annaweinita is the Director of Students Learning About Missions (SLAM) Trips and part of Mending Wings Ministries. Miller shares with us about her work and the opportunities for churches, NextGen ministries and families to get involved. https://mendingwings.net
By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant, PacNWC
This week Jill Riley interviewed Anna Carlson about Cascades Camp and Conference Center. Anna shared exciting things about the upcoming camping season and invites churches and individuals to get involved in promoting what promises to be a great year for campers. For more information and to schedule a church visit, contact Anna at annacarlson@cascadescamporg
By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant, PacNWC
On Saturday, January 21st, Pastor Ted Yuen and many members of McMinnville Covenant Church participated in a Lunar New Year celebration. Pastor Ted is part of a newly formed group called the “Asian Heritage Association”, which hosted the event. The celebration was held at a large Asian-owned business in town called Mac Market. This was the organization’s first public event and “blew away expectations.” Online pre-registration sold out at 700 but had many more attendees than that. The mayor came to kick off the event, telling the story of Asians in Yamhill County, including the history of discrimination and exclusion.
Jean Thompson, who is Chinese and attends the Covenant Church, headed up a dumpling-making team at the church. Church members and members of the community made 500 dumplings which sold out in two hours.
There were many Asian-owned vendors selling products, cultural groups leading a Lion Dance, a Tai Chi demonstration, and lots of activities for kids. According to Yuen “For a small community that has an Asian population of less than 2%, this was a landmark event that connected the Asian community with the entire community. There was a sense of joy and celebration throughout the day. It felt like shalom.”
CLICK For more information on the history of the Chinese people in McMinnville.
By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant, PacNWC
This week Erik Cave interviews Paul Collard, Executive Pastor at Columbia Grove Covenant Church, as the most recent inductee into the Pacific Northwest Football Officials Hall of Fame. They talk about life lessons from ministry and football.
By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant, PacNWC
This week Jill had the pleasure of interviewing Pastor Michael Thomas of Radiant Covenant Church. Radiant will host their first annual Faith and Race Conference this February 17-19. For more information go to http://www.faithandraceconference.com
By Bill Nylund, Lead Pastor, Milwaukie Covenant Church
This past July, a group from Milwaukie Covenant traveled to Tijuana for a multi-generational mission trip. Our goal was to construct a small house for a family whose present living structure was literally falling apart. Upon arriving at the construction site we found a pile of lumber sitting on a simple slab foundation. It was exciting to see this stack of wood transform into a functional living structure in under a week. However, the most meaningful part was when we handed the parents the keys to their new home. Although there was a language barrier between us, the deep appreciation and satisfaction shared between us was unmistakable.
We have shared in this type of experience numerous times since 2006 when we made Building and Disaster Relief trips a part of our mission outreach. It all began when a girl who grew up in our church shared about her efforts in helping in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Eight months following her presentation, we found ourselves involved in Relief work. Since then we have been blessed to work in multiple settings around the U.S. and Mexico. In the years that we have shared in Disaster Relief and Building Mission Trips, I have seen young kids and senior citizens, skilled trades people, white and blue-collar individuals, and people who knew very little about swinging a hammer come together to be used of God to help a person/family in need.
Prior to 2006 we had only heard about people helping, but now we can look back at the many projects that we have participated in. Although a specific trip might include five to eighteen workers, each project has been a complete team effort. Through fund raising, scheduling, and prayer this has been our Church’s ministry. It has been a blessing lending assistance in each case. I remember one building contractor who came on his first Disaster Relief trip in Houston saying, “This is where we are suppose to be”. Since then he has participated in several.
I would highly encourage everyone to consider expanding both you and your church’s involvement to include some type of Mission/Disaster Relief Trip. We are presently planning another Building Trip this summer, however there have been several times that an opportunity arises following some natural disaster. It is in these cases that “readiness” is of significant benefit. We have been able to mobilize a group within a few weeks. Taking the first step of inquiry can seem like a daunting task. We have used Dale Lusk with Merge Ministies (dale.lusk@covchurch.org) a Covenant group based in Texas to help us arrange a few trips. If I can be of assistance, contact me at pastorbill@milwaukiecovenant.org.
Thirteen years ago we heard about the relief efforts underway in New Orleans. I am thankful that we took action and ventured into assisting in such a ministry, it has been a blessing.
[Click Here] to visit the PacNWC Disaster Relief web page for more info on how to connect with opportunities around the world.
By Jill Riley, Communications Assistant, PacNWC
This week Erik Cave interviews Paul Collard, Executive Pastor at Columbia Grove Covenant Church, as the most recent inductee into the Pacific Northwest Football Officials Hall of Fame. They talk about life lessons from ministry and football.