Covenant Network welcomes five new Covenant congregations whose sessions have affirmed the Call to Covenant Community in the past month.

Freedom Plains United Presbyterian Church, LaGrangeville, NY
Paul Lent, pastor

Formed by the merger earlier this year of Freedom Plains Presbyterian and First Presbyterian of Poughkeepsie, Freedom Plains United offers several Bible study groups, four bell choirs (as well as an adult choir), health and wellness programs through its parish nurse, and a number of mission projects including Habitat for Humanity.  Many members just participated in the CROPWalk, raising money to alleviate hunger.

Shepherdstown [WV] Presbyterian Church
Randall Tremba, pastor

Established in 1743, the Shepherdstown church works “to bring the divine dream of a world full of peace, freedom, health, justice, and love to fruition.”  It partners with several local ministries and is currently celebrating a Peacefest initiative with the Muslim community.  This congregation will play a key role in organizing in Shenandoah Presbytery for the upcoming vote on 10-A.

First Presbyterian Church of New Canaan, CT
Paul Gilmore, pastor

Offering “an open, progressive view of theology,” First Presbyterian of New Canaan tries to help its members “to live spiritually, to love inclusively, to learn continuously, and to leave a legacy.”  Its extensive music program includes three children’s choirs, two handbell choirs, and flute, recorder, and brass choirs.

Ginter Park Presbyterian Church, Richmond, VA
Carla Pratt Keyes, pastor

As only the second Covenant congregation in the Presbytery of the James, Ginter Park clergy and elders helped lead the presbytery’s dramatic movement toward broader acceptance of gifted Presbyterians seen in this year’s tie vote on Amendment 10-A.  Former G.A. Moderator and PSCE Ethics Professor Isabel Rogers was an active and valued elder in this congregation before her death.

First Presbyterian Church of Morgantown, WV
Kristine Haig and John Sonnenday, co-pastors

Located in a college town, First Morgantown invites everyone looking for “Spiritual growth / Rest / A chance to live out your faith / A place for your kids / A way to learn / A place for your questions / A friend / Forgiveness  / A reconciling congregation / Refuge / Social justice / Meaningful worship.”  The church supports a number of international missions as well as the campus ministry at West Virginia University.  It recently hosted a showing of the documentary “Out in the Silence.”

Explore the vibrant and varied ministries of these exciting congregations through their websites, or drop by if you are in their neighborhoods!

First Presbyterian Church of Evansville, IN, a Covenant congregation, hosted a rally last week to say “Stop the hate” that causes bullying, ostracism, and division – whether because of sexual orientation or other categories perceived as “other.”  Pastor Kevin Fleming said the gathering aimed to counter prejudice, homophobia, racism, and fear of those different from ourselves.

“We gather this evening to say ‘Enough!” he said.  ”We must stop the hate.”

Speakers at the gathering included lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists, and Catholics.

While particularly timely because of the recent wave of gay teen suicides, the event had long been planned, to coincide with the 12th anniversary of the death of Matthew Shepard. the gay student murdered in Laramie, Wyoming.

The gathering was well reported by the local Courier Press.

In the early 1960′s a group of NASA folks and others started a new church in southeast Houston called Sagemont Presbyterian Church.   That was the beginning of a resilient congregation that has come to be known as A Community of the Servant-Savior Presbyterian Church, a Covenant Network congregation and one of the hosting congregations for this year’s conference in November.

Why resilient?   This congregation has weathered the oil business bust of the 1980′s that brought an economic depression; a chemical dump-site a few miles from church property that turned into a superfund cleanup site that hit the neighborhood hard with the bull-dozing of 700 homes and an elementary school; and last spring the total destruction of their forty-year-old church building by fire – an arson.

Some time after the disintegration of the neighborhood from the cleanup site and the dwindling of the congregation from 300 to about 30, the remaining members got together for a period of discernment and had a vision of becoming a church of “radical hospitality”….and then they got to work.   This remnant congregation focused on the environment, turning their acreage into a congregational organic garden.  They totally remodeled their church surroundings, “de-institutionalizing” and creating, instead, warm welcoming “home” spaces which gave them a new ministry as retreat hosts.  During this time they also organized a Servant Leadership School, an ecumenical seminary for the priesthood of all believers which has provided deep sharing and personal and group growth for its participants over the years.     Members of Servant-Savior opened their hearts as well, becoming both the first More Light Presbyterians congregation and Covenant Network congregation in their presbytery.   It was, of course, a natural extension of that vision of “radical hospitality” to welcome GLBT persons.

And now, six months after the fire, they are still a “mustard seed” church, meeting in a school and looking forward to soon having a temporary building back on their home land.  A building committee is working toward design of a permanent structure.   There continues to be an emphasis on environmental stewardship as 3-1/2 of their 5 acres is dedicated to green space, and a congregational garden is once again being re-envisioned.     The current Servant Leadership School is in session and participants are studying Reaching Out by Henri Nouwen.    The annual Christmas Basket program – a 20+ year outreach  – is being planned to once again, with the help of the greater community,  feed 72 families for a week.

Rev Alan Brehm is pastor of Servant-Savior and describes the congregation as “the healthiest, most joyful, most rewarding group of people” he has ever served.     As you can imagine, the loss of their church home has been stressful, but as Rev Brehm explained there is and always has been so much joy in worship at Servant-Savior that it is hard to walk away on Sunday without a smile on your face.

If you are coming to the annual conference in Houston, you will have a chance to meet some of the members from Servant-Savior and they would like to invite any who are staying in Houston for the weekend  to worship with them on Sunday, November 7, as they welcome the visit of Rev. Janie Spahr.

A Community of the Servant-Savior Presbyterian Church has a Facebook Page and their profile says, “we are not a small church, but a big family”.   Take a look at the pictures…..and the smiles!

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota

Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church members describe their congregation as a small neighborhood-centered church whose whole 100-member congregation is involved in leadership and pastoral care.  The church building is nestled in the thriving southside Minneapolis neighborhood just west of downtown.  The Bryn Mawr Neighborhood has developed from farmland in the mid 1800′s to a “garden suburb” when first established pre WWII.

A message on the church’s website says, “We take Jesus as our model for living, particularly in his embracing of all people, including the outcasts of his culture.  We seek to follow his model of inclusivity and valuing of all people.  Individual members have strong convictions about issues such as celebrating the ministries of our GLBT sisters and brothers, peacemaking, environmentalism, consumerism, and the economic differences that pervade our society.”

Bryn Mawr’s “Mission Possible Team” supports St. Anne’s Place, a homeless shelter in N. Minneapolis that provides housing for women and their children.  A unique outreach mission of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church is the Cedar Lake Seven Men’s Gospel Choir, which draws from the radio gospel music of the 40′s and 50′s and has entertained thousands of people since their formation in 1994.

Central Presbyterian Church,  St. Paul, Minnesota

Central is a downtown St Paul church with a growing membership that is excited to welcome the GA to the Twin Cities.  The church is on the National Register of Historic Places and on Wednesday, July 7, GA visitors will have an opportunity to visit Central on one of the historical tours – “Presbyterian Pioneers in St Paul”.  Founded in 1852, the current building was erected in the late 1800′s and has a history rich with notable speakers including former slave Booker T. Washington; three time presidential candidate William Jennings Bryan; former President and Supreme Court Chief Justice William Taft and evangelist Billy Sunday.  In addition to welcoming GA commissioners and visitors who visit Central, the congregation will be joining the Sunday worship service at the convention center and individual church members will serve throughout the week in a variety of ways.

Central’s outreach to the downtown community includes year-round Wednesday lunch – great food, live music, good conversation – followed by a worship service of Scripture, hymns and prayer – a wonderful mid-week refreshment to many!

The Rev. David Colby is Central’s pastor and also serves as a Director on the Covenant Network Board.

House of Hope Presbyterian Church, St Paul, Minnesota

Another St Paul church listed on the National Historic Register, House of Hope was founded in 1849, named after a Dutch refuge in Connecticut and meant to be a shelter “to all who feel themselves as strangers in a strange land”. Individual congregation members will be serving in many areas for GA and continuing the tradition of welcome and hospitality on which this church was founded.

The House of Hope Choir School is one of the area’s finest and most unique children’s and youth choir programs. Open to all boys and girls of the entire Twin Cities community regardless of religious affiliation, the Choir School offers students of all ages, levels of musical experience, and walks of life an exceptional opportunity to sing, learn, and dine together in an engaging atmosphere that encourages excellence, character development, and spiritual growth.

House of Hope’s Pastor David Van Dyke currently serves as Co-Moderator of Covenant Network.

Dayton Avenue Presbyterian Church, St. Paul, Minnesota

Their logo is a cityscape with church steeple, a rainbow that grows from left to right and over all a cross.   Their passion is for social justice and faith-based action.   Dayton Avenue Presbyterian Church is home to about 160 members who carry on the tradition of the “rainbow coalition” begun at Dayton Avenue in the 60′s, a ministry that today operates a free clothing outlet; sponsored a 175-unit housing facility for low income families; supports refugees; contributes to a ‘food shelf.

During the upcoming General Assembly, two members of Dayton Avenue will be recognized for service and commitment to ministry.  The Presbyterian Peace Fellowship will honor Dayton Avenue member, Mel Duncan, at its breakfast on Wednesday, July 7, with the Peaceseeker Award for 2010.  Mel is the co-founder of Nonviolent Peace Force, an unarmed, professional civilian peacekeeping force that is invited to work in conflict zones worldwide.

A second Dayton Avenue member, Elona Street-Stewart, will receive a Woman of Faith Award given by the General Assembly Mission Council at the Woman of Faith Breakfast on July 4.    Ms Street-Stewart is being honored for her many years of involvement from grass roots to national levels of involvement in social justice issues including racism, affirmative action, women and family issues and public policy.

St. Luke Presbyterian Church, Wayzata, Minnesota

St. Luke Presbyterian Church was founded in 1957 in Wayzata, a western suburb of Minneapolis that is rich in history from early settlement in the 1850′s and with Native American tribes before that.

St Luke has a long history of being deeply engaged in issues of peace, justice and healing change for the local, national, and world community.  They have supported the Sanctuary Movement of the 80′s and more recently voted to be a part of the “New Sanctuary” movement.  Over the years this congregation has sold Peace Bonds; opened a food co-op;  participated in ministry with the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and have ongoing support for the Native American focus group.  St Luke even has a sweat lodge on the church property that continues to be used to this day.  Currently the 360-member congregation is making plans to transform their 4.2 acres into a model of sustainability, producing both beauty and food to share.                  Their commitment to GLBT persons is also longstanding.  St. Luke is being awarded a More Light National Award at GA at the MLP National Celebration Dinner on Saturday, July 3.   Members of the St Luke congregation will be marching in the annual Gay Pride Parade the end of June.  The church maintains an expansive library of over 3500 books, video and audio-books, including many resources for  GLBT persons and their families.

“Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38)

Come to Minnesota for the 219^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church and be sure to meet the hosts -  The Synod of Lakes and Prairies; the three presbyteries of Twin Cities Area, Northern Waters and Minnesota Valleys, including our  nine Covenant Network congregations.

The COLA (Committee on Local Arrangements) is hard at work under the leadership of CovNet member Manley Olson (North Como Presbyterian Church) who serves as co-chair.   Over 2000 volunteers are being organized throughout the three hosting presbyteries.  Our Covenant congregations are part of that organizing effort and we will be reporting on these congregations over the next few weeks.

North Como Presbyterian Church, Roseville

Roseville, Minnesota is a close suburb of St. Paul and members of North Como are looking forward to participation at General Assembly.    The church’s Session has agreed to relocate Sunday morning worship – July 4 – to the convention center. There will be many North Como singers in the mass choir which will be singing at the Opening Worship on Sunday, July 4 at 10 am, and a group sharing music at the closing worship on Saturday, July 10.   Signups at North Como for volunteer positions will also include communion servers.    Members Manley (Co-Chair) and Ann Olson (Recorder), Tanna Morse (Moderator’s Reception),  John Silliman (Departure Arrangements), Jennifer Anderson (Daily Worship), Sue Moseman (Moderators’ Reception) and Kate Wolfe-Jenson (Publicity) serve on the COLA.

North Como members also originated, sing in and support as an outreach ministry – The Global Harmony Community Chorus – an inter-faith, non-auditioned community chorus who most recently raised funds for Haiti earthquake victims and since its inception have raised well over $100,000 for global relief efforts.

Oak Grove Presbyterian Church, Bloomington

A description on their website describes this congregation as “small enough to have a family feeling; large enough to make a difference.”  Members of Oak Grove will certainly make a difference to visitors coming for GA as they will be greeting at the airport and hotels, staffing the information booth at the convention center and helping participants with special needs. Bloomington is a large community conveniently connected to Minneapolis and home to the Mall of America.

Next month a sizeable team from Oak Grove will be meeting at the Mall to participate in the Race for the Cure.  In community ministry and support, Oak Grove members focus on the increasing diverse population of Bloomington including a tutoring program called Homework Connection and an established and sustained relationship with the local Muslim community through education and activities.

Valley Community Presbyterian Church, Golden Valley

Golden Valley is considered a “first ring” suburb of Minneapolis, about ten miles from the convention center.   Valley Community Presbyterian is a 500-member congregation that was founded in the 1950′s.    They will have a presence at GA in the special needs/resources booth.  This includes assistance to commissioners and visitors with locating emergency medical services, optical, pharmacy as well as help with mobility needs and info on handicap accessible restaurants in the convention center area.   Valley Community volunteers in the special needs/resources booth will also be handing out maps of all GA venues and headsets for those needing interpretive services.     Member Linda Wold (Co-chair of a Hospitality Committee)  serves on the COLA.

Valley Community’s congregation is a strong supporter of PRISM (People Responding in Social Ministry), a local service agency providing over 5,000 persons with food, clothing, financial assistance, transportation and other resources.

Westminster Presbyterian Church, Minneapolis

This downtown Minneapolis church is literally across the street from the convention center and will be a major hub of hospitality and respite for commissioners, visitors and volunteers  alike.   Starting off on Friday, July 2, Westminster will be hosting the Covenant Network dinner.  A Friday evening free concert open to all -  “Music of Minnesota” -  will feature CANTUS (who sang at our Conference there in 2008) and Monroe Crossing, a blue grass ensemble.   The ecumenical worship service on Wednesday, July 7, will also be held in Westminster’s sanctuary and each day (Monday – Friday, July 5 – 9) both the sanctuary and the chapel will be open in the afternoon for quiet time and prayer. During the week of  July 5 – 9, there will be a hot breakfast served in the church’s great hall and courtyard with walkup availability as long as provisions last.  Box lunches will also be prepared and may be reserved by going online to the GA registration website.  Members and pastors serving on the COLA include Rev. Tim Hart-Andersen (Opening Worship),  Rev. Meghan Gage-Finn (YAAD Event),  Rev. Margaret Thomas (Hospitality Committee Chair), Rev. Ed Martin (Airport Welcome), and Susan Dray (Website).

Of the many service projects undertaken by members of Westminster Church is one that has been going strong for over 100 years!  The social service sewing project members craft prayer shawls, blankets and other items.

“Our building is gone, but our church is strong” is the sentiment expressed on the website of the Community of the Servant Savior Presbyterian Church in Houston, TX.  Destroyed in an arsonist’s fire on April 9th, this small Covenant Network and More Light congregation with a big heart finds itself ‘in the news’.  Prayers and support are welcomed for the difficult days ahead, as the Servant Savior family perseveres in their call to work for social justice; bearing witness to the redemptive grace and love of God for all people.  Brothers and Sisters of the Servant Savior, your Covenant Network family holds you in our hearts.

Since its inception, Covenant Network has received affirmation from over 400 Sessions, who have studied and signed the original Covenant statement and the Call to Covenant Community. See the growing list.

CELEBRATING OUR COVENANT CONGREGATIONS

This February 13th Riviera Presbyterian will be hosting the presbytery meeting for the Presbytery of Tropical Florida.  Members of this presbytery (which defeated Amendment B by 82%)  will gather in this recently remodeled, rededicated sanctuary beneath the brightly-colored mosaic glass cross and be welcomed by a Covenant Network congregation that has embraced, focused and broadcast that the good news of the gospel is for ALL.    In south Florida, Riviera Presbyterian Church is like a lighthouse that sits alone on a rocky shore.

A Covenant Network congregation since 1997, the beginning of the movement, Riviera Presbyterian members told me that over the years the Covenant Network resources – studies, videos, conferences, newsletters – have been invaluable in identifying and understanding theology and encouraging them to express their inclusive approach to faith, individually and as a congregation with the leadership of their pastor, the Rev. Dr. Laurie Kraus.   Being a Covenant Network congregation has provided a link to a larger community of faith for a church in a presbytery where they are otherwise theologically singular.  Instead, Riviera’s members now consider their church to be “in the lead” in their presbytery, neighborhood and community as to what a “Welcoming Church” really looks like.

Riviera members shared that the emphasis on faith exploration and on honoring individuals’ gifts of the Spirit have brought Riviera to a cohesiveness – an almost ideal community  – in a time when “inclusive” is often unfortunately only a banner word waved in church marketing campaigns.

Lovingly described by its members, Riviera Presbyterian is a totally integrated congregation whose life in community is spiritual, educational and missional with active participation in local outreach as well as with a school in Nyeri, Kenya.  There is music and the arts in worship, including services based on the meditative Taize worship style and the use of two community labyrinths in “walking prayer”, guided by a trained labyrinth facilitator.   In mission, Riviera is actively involved with Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, supporting their pastor’s work on the National Response Team of PDA.  Presently, the church’s longtime partnership with All Nations Presbyterian Church, a predominantly Haitian congregation in the North Miami area, has led to close ties which now call Riviera to compassionate support following the earthquake.  In mid-February, the Riviera congregation will host a fundraising concert, “Love Changes Everything”, and the congregation is working with All Nations and its own membership to support the emerging long-term recovery efforts.

Whether gathering beneath the beautiful cross or in small groups, in daily life in workplaces, schools and  homes, for mission, study, fellowship and worship, the congregation of Riviera Presbyterian knows that they are a beacon of Christ’s love growing stronger in south Florida.

Thanks to members Laura Fothergill, Richard Godbeer and Michele Ready and to Rev. Laurie Kraus for their input for this article.   Riviera Presbyterian Church is located at 5275 Sunset Drive, Miami, FL 33143.  To contact the church call 305-666-8586, or go to the website.