Pastor’s Report

Dear Partners in Christ’s Ministry at Covenant,

“You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on a lamp stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14-16) These words of Jesus were the opening scripture lesson in our leaders retreat this year under the theme: “Who are we, where have we gone and where are we going.” As we explored this idea we discerned that we are a missional, nurturing, relational, musical, diverse community of disciples in Christ. We don’t believe that everyone is the same; we celebrate our differences and our different gifts; and we commit ourselves to discover ways that we can use those gifts together. We are a grace based, Christ centered, welcoming, healing community. This is an important niche in a world that is more and more entertainment and consumer based even in its approach to religion. Christ is challenging us this year to celebrate our community in Christ and reach out from that community to share it with the world.

We have gone through a time of transition this year as our Associate Pastor Melissa felt God’s call to do Ph. D. study in Old Testament at Fuller Seminary and our Christian Educator, Joan Erickson felt God’s call to do Presbytery work and write curriculum for the denomination. Both are building on their ministry at Covenant as they share their gifts for ministry and let their light shine throughout the world. We welcomed Kevin Farrell to our staff this year as our Church Administrator and Laura Russell as our church secretary. They have combined with Liz Simon, our Newsletter Editor to put a new face on our newsletter, The Saturday Afternoon, as we share Christ’s light with the world. We have welcomed Susie Williams as our new Christian Educator and she has worked with Penny Maxwell our Sunday School Superintendent to continue building up the Christian Education program with the workshop rotation model and the Wednesday night fellowship. We have welcomed a new youth ministry team: Joe Wiseman, Adam Erickson, Andi Rutherford and Amy McCowen and they have continued to build up the youth at Covenant using a relational model for ministry that also values the diversity and uniqueness of each young person in there faith journey.

Our worship continues to reflect diverse worship styles and musical gifts as we share a traditional worship style on Sunday morning at 11 am and a blend of traditional and contemporary at the 8:30 Sunday morning worship. We are continuing our more Contemporary and experiential worship style on the Second Sunday Evening of each month with Joe Wiseman as our worship leaders and Andy Gilstrap and Ron Daray as the music directors. Our reflective Taize worship style is led by our Pastoral Care Group on the fourth Sunday of each month and continues to be a time of peace and healing. We are thankful for the musical gifts of Caroline Gilstrap and Debbie Farrell to lead that service. We have also added a wind and brass Ensemble under that direction of Laura Vollen. They led worship on Reformation Sunday and Christ Eve Sunday Morning this year and we are excited to have this opportunity to incorporate more of the congregation’s musical gifts through this ministry. It is one more way to let Christ’s light shine in worship.

We continue to be a missional leader in our presbytery, the community and the world as we sent two mission groups to do hurricane relief this year led by Donna and Virgil Strong. We also sent two groups to experience the beauty and majesty of God’s creation at Sonlight Camp in Colorado: one group of adults to prepare the camp and a group of youth to hike. Our Junior Highs did mission work in Wichita and the surrounding area in their summer mission camp. We continued to help feed the hungry in Wichita with our Second Friday volunteers at the Lord’s Diner. The deacons supported 10 local mission outreach programs and the Mission Committee continued our support of international mission through the Lims in Taiwan, the Haspels in Ethiopia and Cindy Reynolds, Threshold Ministry in China. Covenant is one of the leaders in an All Presbyterian Habitat House build in the fall of 2007. Each of these outreach efforts are ways in which we share the light of Christ with the world.

God continues to use us, to grow us and call people to various ministries at Covenant. I am always amazed and inspired by the folks God continues to call through our church. In addition to all the people God has called to share their gifts at Covenant, God has called two more of our folks to share in professional ministry. Joe Wiseman recently completed his course work and committee work for the Commissioned Lay Pastor program at Friends University and Dawn Flippin is continuing her coursework at Dubuque Seminary for Ordination as a Minister of Word and Sacrament.

As our Associate Pastor Nominating Committee is searching for the next Associate Pastor at Covenant, the Holy Spirit is searching each one of us to discover ways that God will use us in the New Year. I look forward to seeing the new challenges and opportunities God will set before us this year, confident that “the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)

Let your light shine for Christ this year as we reach out together in his name.

Your Partner in Christ’s ministry,

Rev. Dr. Rob Erickson