2016 FEB-MAR Covenanter

WINTER 2016

T HE

EAST COAST COVENANTER

A TRIANNUAL PUBLICATION OF THE EAST COAST CONFERENCE OF THE EVANGELICAL COVENANT CHURCH

THE POWER OF HOWARD K. BURGOYNE

Networking

SUPERINTENDENT, EAST COAST CONFERENCE

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Eph. 4:16 (NIV) People who are searching for a new job understand that often it’s not just what you know but who you know that makes a difference. To leverage this principle LinkedIn serves as a virtual platform to facilitate professional networking that leverages personal connections. In the arena of Christian ministries of all kinds, networking, both formal and informal, is also a critical resource to leverage.

Similarly, the East Coast Conference, as all ECC regional conferences, increasingly functions as a ministry network. No one church, person or conference office contains sufficient expertise, capacity and resource to respond to every need; but by extending our perspective in a network that crosses the region, denomination and beyond helpful resources are often just a few clicks of the mouse away from being identified. Rather than seeking to be the source of all things for churches and leaders, we seek to develop and oversee the linkage that connects leaders to leaders, churches to churches, resource providers to resource seekers. In that way all of us can both give and receive, in keeping with how God has gifted and matured us.

As a Conference we have a long history of networking through various associations.

We continue to operate a Ministerial Association and a Women Ministries Association. Additionally, we maintain networking groups for youth workers, women clergy, executive pastors, children’s ministers, spiritual directors, church planters, and revitalization focused pastors.

At its most basic, networking requires a space to convene (often virtual), a way to advertise its existence, and a means to add/delete persons from the forum. This can happen easily via Facebook or Google Hangouts.

We are always looking for additional ministry interests that would benefit from the formation of an active network – such as social justice, affordable housing, recovery ministries, racial reconciliation, disciple making, worship leading, church leaders, short term mission teams, young adults, marriage/family, senior ministries, etc. – whatever affinities will benefit from leveraging personnel, knowledge and resource connections.

Organize Regional Networks: We will organize and resource an array of active leadership networks that function both in person and in virtual settings to enhance the ministry and maturing of church leaders across the conference, where relationships, interests, experiences, skills, and resources intersect around common opportunities to multiply influence.

This winter 2016 edition of the East Coast Covenanter highlights some of our active networks and how they are serving to enhance local church ministry. Let us know what network you’d like to form and join!

On the move,

Have a question for Howard? Email him at howard@eastcoastconf.org

IN THIS ISSUE: The Power of Networking - Howard Burgoyne Overview of a Network: Highrock Church On Church Planting Networks - Jason Condon Get to Know: Hartford City Church Better Together - Vitality Update

issuu.com/eastcoastcovenanter

As we advance towards our 2025 Vision, we intend to develop networking opportunities in keeping with this perspective:

Children & Family Coaching Women’s Ministry Update Youth Ministry Update

Transitions

Ignite: Invitation to the Annual Meeting

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EAST COAST CONFERENCE 52 Missionary Road Cromwell, CT 06416 860.635.2691

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Overview of a Church Planting Network

DAVE SWAIM

Highrock Cambridge Highrock Arlington Highrock Acton

Highrock Northshore Highrock Brookline Highrock Quincy

Highrock Church started in 1999, and since then, has grown into six total churches (five church plants) in the Greater Boston area.

The decision to create a network followed much deliberation and prayer. Below are thoughts shared by pastors and network board members on the process, both looking back and looking prospectively towards the future.

I. The Network Dream

LEAD PASTOR, HIGHROCK ARLINGTON

After planting six churches, and assisting with several more, I am more convinced than ever about the Kingdom impact of church planting, but I am also aware of how costly and challenging it is to plant a new church.

In addition to the obvious work of getting to know their new neighbors, and pulling off weekly services, the new congregation also needs to establish a constitution, a financial system, a tech infrastructure, and much more. These are essential, but usually not the kinds of things pastors or lay people dream about when they sense God’s call to plant a church. As a result, many of these chores can be draining distractions from the kind of ministry they are eager for.

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can offer more services and spiritual leadership.

neighborhoods, but also have the deeper resources of a larger church.

All of this is why we launched the Highrock Network. Rather than sending out new churches to sink or swim on their own, we want to offer a much higher degree of partnership all the way through the process, including years after launch as the congregation passes through new stages of maturity, and encounters increasingly complex questions and diverse needs.

We’re already seeing the benefits of sharing sermon series and preaching preparation, website development, and collaborating on special events that no one of the congregations could pull off on her own.

By sharing resources and experience, as well as consolidating certain functions across the network, our goal is to plant more effective churches more efficiently, meaning that they will cost less in terms of both dollars and labor, but be able to focus more of their energy into reaching their neighborhoods, activating people into ministry, and growing in faith.

And even once they pass all those hurdles, they will inevitably encounter new challenges that are common to most congregations, but can be profoundly discouraging for young planter or leadership team.

Usually we have to choose between smaller churches that are relationally rich and deeply embedded in their neighborhoods, and larger regional churches that can offer higher degrees of excellence and more programs to serve different people groups, but without that same personal touch.

Finally, the cost associated with starting and supporting a church plant explains why almost all plants in the U.S. are in middle or upper-middle class areas.

Low resource communities struggle to sustain a church plant and a fulltime pastor, much less multi-staff who

But by unifying as a Network, we can enjoy the best of both worlds! Not only do we realize economies of scale, but by sharing our respective strengths, we are able to nurture many congregations that are highly involved in local

Rather than sending out new churches to sink or swim on their own, we want to offer a much higher degree of partnership Our next goal is to train more leaders and future pastors by developing shared training structures and giving young pastors broader exposure to multiple ministry contexts. At the same time, we are exploring how to plant effective congregations in lower resource areas.

We are still only in the early stages, but our dream is that God will use our collaboration to plant even more churches to reach even more of our neighbors with the Good News of Christ Jesus!

Mission, friends. This is what it has always been about.

JOE LEE CHAIR, HIGHROCK NETWORK BOARD

II. The Network Model

By 2014, Highrock Covenant Church in Arlington, MA had planted three other Highrock churches, started one Highrock campus church, and was planning for another plant. It was at this point that, for greater Kingdom impact, Highrock leaders wanted to formalize our informal connection of Highrock churches into a church network. The big question was: Which model should we adopt for this network?

Choosing the “right” model for our newly formed church network was a year long journey trenched with many conversations, research and prayers. I remember one of those conversations early on in the process with Jason Condon, East Coast Conference Director of Church Planting. On the back of a paper place mat, the two of us diagrammed and discussed a continuum of various models from “multi worship services” on one end to “fully autonomous and independent churches” on the other end, with many

JOSH THRONEBURG LEAD PASTOR, HIGHROCK BROOKLINE

intermediate models in between.

Highrock leaders researched various models both inside and outside of the Covenant. The common theme we encountered was this: Church plants who were sent as autonomous and independent churches longed for more guidance and connection with the sending church, whereas campus churches longed for more autonomy. Though we affirm all models in the Kingdom, we took the best of both models and finalized on a network model of churches that are “autonomous and collaborative.”

Our desire for collaboration reached beyond the local church level. From the beginning, we wanted to partner with our Conference and denomination. With strong support from Howard Burgoyne, East Coast Conference Superintendent, and the Conference Board, Highrock Network is in the process of becoming an Association of the East Coast Conference.

In sum, the Highrock Network Model is an organizational structure designed to allow member churches to better accomplish our vision by:

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reconciling the natural tension between being locally focused and having a Kingdom-sized impact on our city; recognizing the autonomy of

2) local churches while voluntarily

collaborating for effective church planting; and

administrative tasks, 3) centralizing freeing pastors and members for more effective ministry.

It is our hope that the Highrock Network Model may be a prototype for the formation of other networks within the East Coast Conference as well as the Covenant.

III. A Vision for Church Planting

Highrock Churches have always shared a vision to be locally focused congregations where people in the church live in the community and engage in the life of their neighbors. Our vision statement is clear - we want to live and love in such a compelling and Christ-like way that our neighbors are challenged to seriously consider the claims of Christ. In order to do that, we must be close enough to be seen.

Therefore, in order to live out our vision we don’t just need one mega-church that draws people from great distances, but many local congregations embedded in the many neighborhoods that make up Greater Boston. One of the dreams of the Highrock Network is to help local Highrock churches identify, assess and train church planters for the Greater Boston area. So many communities in the Boston area don’t have a vibrant Christian church serving as a witness in their town, and we are hoping and praying that God will use us to start churches in those communities.

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STEPHEN SHARKEY LEAD PASTOR, HIGHROCK QUINCY

IV. Reflections on the Network I love the recent rallying cry of the Covenant Church “In it together.”

It speaks to our unity and common mission that spans across cultures, generations, across the country and beyond. As beautiful as this statement is, it is still so easy for a local congregation to feel alone.

HR Quincy photos:: Mike Chu

The Highrock Network has allowed us to put the spirit of “in it together” into a regional context so that we can tangibly support one another and combine our financial and human resources to better advance God’s mission in Boston. That means that a young, small, church plant like ours can participate in that mission in ways that we might not be able

WILL & BECKY BARNETT PASTORS, HIGHROCK ACTON

We are often told that church planting is lonely. And that as church planters, you have to learn how to do nearly everything. But planting within a network has been a different ballgame for us. We might even describe it less as planting something new, and more like cultivating the growth of a newlybudding branch of an already deeplyrooted tree. As the youngest Highrock church that just launched in September 2015, we’ve loved having the network as a lifeline, support, and resource.

When we had several volunteers go down sick for our Grand Opening Sunday, we had a carload of young

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to serve otherwise. As a network we are able to share in resources like web development, local and global church planting, sermon series preparation, pulpit sharing, city-wide service projects, and more. Furthermore as pastors within the Highrock network we are better able to benefit from collegial relationships shared across the network that are invaluable as we do the hard work of leading our local congregations. As the pastor of a small church within a larger network the Highrock network allows me to experience the benefits of a larger pastoral staff and relationships, that truly allows us to be “in it together.”

V. Reflections on the Network

adults from Highrock Cambridge show up on moment’s notice to hold babies and shepherd little ones. When we face new pastoral challenges, we send out a quick SOS, and soon are receiving insight and encouragement from network pastors over a ZOOM call.

When we were searching for ways to spiritually mature our launch team, we could reach for the well-tested Spiritual Guides program developed at Highrock Arlington and plug it right in.

The Covenant often talks about how we’re “in it together.” Planting within a network has transformed that slogan into a daily reality.

BRYNN HARRINGTON ASSOCIATE. PASTOR

On Church Planting Networks JASON CONDON | DIRECTOR OF CHURCH PLANTING

VI. Network Collaborations I have been so grateful to see and be a part of the Highrock Network taking shape, particularly in the past year as our collaborative efforts have resulted in more and more opportunities for Highrockers in the Greater Boston Area to grow. As we’ve shared resources and supported one another across the network, I’ve seen us in our love of Christ and our neighbors both as individuals and as church communities.

I’ve always thought of the Highrock churches as a group of siblings - we share DNA, name, and stories, but our personalities, giftedness, and obstacles are distinct. As in any family, our different cultures and personalities do not come without challenges. But when we’re at our best and leveraging our gifts together, these distinctions also make us much stronger. They provide us with more possibilities and broader imagination, and together, I believe we’ve been able to offer richer and deeper discipleship opportunities to one another.

We’ve been able to collaborate on events, like speed-dating for Highrock singles across the network, fundraisers to support missionaries, art shows, service projects, and worship services. We’ve dialogued over sermon preparation, as pastors helping one another see aspects of Scriptures we might have missed on our own and sharing those insights with our congregations. We’ve been able to share resources such as Highrock Spiritual Guides, a ministry of listening to the Holy Spirit together.

Even in moments of struggle, we have had the benefit of collective wisdom and broader experience to draw on.

And while I’ve loved seeing all of this connectedness, I am also deeply grateful for our individuality and the freedom to allow God to work within us in our own unique contexts as well. Hope grows in the process of heavy-lifting and falling down, and because we have the freedom to fail and grow, we’re all so much stronger.

Knowing that we can lean on each other in moments of strength as well as weakness, has been incredibly helpful and I believe, has encouraged us all to flourish to a greater degree.

A Church Planting Network takes the concept of “Covenant Family Planting” and extends it, well, into the extended family category. In the robust “family spectrum” of support churches on the East Coast Conference that directly help plant new congregations, we have: → Mission Friends: think “aunts, uncles, & cousins” → Partner Churches: think “grandparents & siblings” → Parent Churches: think “Mom & Dad” →C hurch Planting Networks: think “Entire Household & Extended Family” (for the Biblical Greek Geeks, overlap with the oikos/“household” concept found in the NT) ■B y strategically banding together in creative ways, these growing networks further refine and maximize local insights, pooled resources, and robust leadership development. They wonderfully extend the already rich family dynamic of partnership and fellowship we enjoy as East Coast Conference & Covenant congregations.

■ I mpact of church planting networks on East Coast Conference: Though a relatively new development in the last few years: →H ave the highest representation of church planter candidates in recruits, referrals, and in-house development → I ncreasingly fulfill and further aspects of the traditional Director of Church Planting role →C reate robust leadership development pathways, increasing the number and diversity of current and future pastors and leaders → I mprove the overall church planting ecosystem for the thriving of all our church plants ■ Networks developing within the East Coast Conference: →H ighrock Network, Greater Boston (Dave Swaim, point leader): most fully developed, 6 congregations, about a dozen worship services, pursuing Association status with East Coast Conference (see article on the Highrock Network) →H ope NYC / New City Network (Drew Hyun, point leader): welldeveloped, 4 congregations, 7 worship services; host NY/NJ Cohort Gatherings and the first www.NewCityGathering.org urban church planting conference in May, with East Coast Conference & Covenant Church Planting partnering and co-sponsoring → Sanctuary Network, Providence/RI (Andrew Mook, point leader): groundwork done, growing from 1 to 3 congregations over next year. Sanctuary Downtown (current), Sanctuary North (Spring 2016), with Sanctuary Eastside to follow. Gives leadership to New England Cohort gatherings. →M ore possibilities developing: some exciting but still early explorations in new contexts currently underway

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Hartford City Church Hartford, CT

GET TO KNOW:

Hartford City Church HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT | PASTOR PHILLIP BEAT T Y | HARTFORDCIT YCHURCH.COM

Hartford City Church is the first new Covenant church in Connecticut in over 115 years.

It was born out of a desire to see the kingdom of God flourish in a city of desperate need and great potential. It began as a seed God planted in my heart two and half years ago, and God is moving now in exciting ways as we establish this new community of faith.

As a youth pastor in the East Coast conference for over 12 years, I was aware of the tremendous growth of church planting and how new churches were sprouting up all over New York and Boston. Several people had told me that I would be a good church planter. There was only one problem; I never wanted to plant a church!

Yet one day I felt God tap me on the shoulder and say, “What about Hartford?” I had been working in Hartford

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with a youth ministry mission initiative called The Hartford Project. For 12 years I had helped to lead hundreds of young people from around New England as they served others and met needs in the city of Hartford. I connected with many pastors, community leaders and others who desired to see God move and make a change in Hartford. Poverty, violence, racial division, and extreme economic inequality are just a few of the challenges that this great city faces.

After years of growth as a collaboration of 20-30 churches, we were asking what the next step is. God began to show me that planting a church in Hartford might be the exact thing for me to do.

So from the fall of 2013 to the summer of 2015 I went through the church planting assessment and training, and transitioned from youth pastor to lead pastor/church planter in Hartford CT.

The support of the Conference cannot be understated, it is the main reason church plants survive and thrive in the Northeast. We set out in July of last year with about 40 people from 3-4 different churches to begin sharing our vision in Hartford. Choosing to focus on the predominantly Hispanic south end of Hartford allows me to draw on ministry experience from Mexico and Central America, and diversifies the church options in those neighborhoods. We sought the blessing of other pastors in Hartford, and they enthusiastically supported the planting of our new church because they know the need is great: 63% of CT residents do not attend church at all.

Our vision is to be a community of people who experience God’s beautiful restoration. God’s vision for how he wants the world to be is found in Isaiah 61:1-4.

This verse guided the development of the Hartford Project and became the seed

verse for Hartford City Church. Our mission is to Glorify Jesus Christ and Bless the city of Hartford. Our values are to Love All, Serve All, and Welcome All. As we began to share our vision, mission, and values with people during our preview service months, many responded to them with enthusiasm and affirmed that we are setting out to do something different, something vibrant, and something needed in Hartford.

Our average attendance is 115 each Sunday, and our core group has grown to 50-60 people. Most are coming from other churches, but many are people who are returning to church after a long absence. Some are coming to church for the very first time. We are also reaching college students from UCONN, Trinity College, and University of Hartford. We hope in 2016 to reach more unbelievers for Christ and more people who live in the neighborhood where we worship.

We pray that HCC becomes a bridge for people living in urban areas and people in the suburbs to come together in meaningful community through Jesus Christ.

As we pray for a truly diverse church, God is blessing that desire. One of the ways we want to foster connection in diversity is by having a meal together after every service. At this meal we get to know each other, building relationships across gender, culture, age, and race. We continue to work and pray for a true multi-cultural community of faith in Hartford.

We have been blessed by so much support from other churches as well as friends and family. Trinity Covenant Church in Manchester; Pilgrim Covenant Church in Granby, Evangelical Covenant Church in Springfield, MA, Covenant Congregational Church of

West Hartford, and Hilltop Covenant Church in Cromwell have all joined us as partners both financially and in prayer. This collaboration among Covenant Churches in the Connecticut River Valley is perhaps unprecedented.

We pray that HCC becomes a bridge for people living in urban areas and people in the suburbs to come together in meaningful community through Jesus Christ.

The power of the Holy Spirit is released when we live out our unity as the body of Christ. We are excited to see what the Holy Spirit is going to accomplish in our hearts and lives and in the city of Hartford in 2016.

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Better Together

KREIG GAMMELGARD | DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL VITALIT Y | KREIG@EASTCOASTCONF.ORG

We are reminded to do life together in several New Testament passages; we are better people and pastors when we are loving one another, forgiving one another, praying for one another, and admonishing one another.

In her newly released book, Friendfluence, Carlin Flora tells us that pastors need not only be aware of the importance of friendships in our churches, but to be mindful of them in our personal and professional lives as well. “ What would a society that truly recognized Friendfluence look like?

For one thing, it would not hold the individual responsible for everything.

Shoring up your willpower is a noble goal, but it is very difficult.

Acknowledging our ability to help one another in these areas might make us more successful in meeting our goals.

Mother Nature does not want you to finish a paper for school or lose weight, per se. She could care less. She built you to fit in with your ‘tribe,’ though. So if you befriend those who are already accomplishing what you have been independently struggling to achieve, your habits will more easily converge with theirs. And aside from all of the subtle behavioral and moral influences we’ve unearthed, direct help from friends is also an underutilized resource. Ask more of your friends for aid and support and you will give them the gift of feeling influential.” “ In order to fully tap the power of friendship, we should collectively spend less time emphasizing the differences and more time acknowledging that everyone can benefit from stronger friendships— not the idealized pop culture versions, 8

but the real, sometimes annoying, sometimes troubling, and sometimes transcendent kind.” “ Humans putting their heads together in shared cooperative activities are thus the originators of human culture.”

How is your Friendfluence?

I have had the good fortune of being a part of a small group of Covenant colleagues for over 10 years. Many of us were youth pastors together, then church planters together, having served in the same conference for many years. While circumstances have changed among us, we were drawn together out of a desire to regularly rub off on each another.

Our group was born out of a desire to prolong the fellowship we often enjoyed together at the Midwinter Conference. It was there, often simulated by a provocative presenter, that we would enjoy a level of conversation that took us to the very depths of our professional gifts, skills, fears, sorrows, questions, and desires. Long sessions of talking and praying together ignited a desire within us to prolong the richness of our fellowship. We wanted to benefit from one another on a more regular basis, and we have done so now for a decade.

We meet yearly for a four-day retreat somewhere in the U.S., we visit one another individually during our travels, we communicate regularly, sharing insights, prayer requests, and case studies from our own experiences where we are utterly baffled and need some collective wisdom to move us forward in our leadership. In short, we are doing life together as Covenant pastors, and we have experienced that while we are in it together, we are better together. And while this group may be unique, it doesn’t need to be.

One of the driving directives of the 2025 Vision for the East Coast Conference is for us to be a M.O.V.E.M.E.N.T. of churches that organize regional networks for the purpose of enhancing ministry and maturing leaders in our conference.

To fulfill this vision, the Conference staff wants to encourage more regional networks and more affinity groups to regularly gather, whether personally or virtually.

Several groups have already been networking together in our conference for the purpose of sharpening one another in their common ministry. Youth pastors gather a couple of times a year, multi-staff pastors have had yearly retreats, executive pastors share lunches and annual retreat time together, Vitality pastors are organized into cohorts and gather to pray, resource, and share best practices, church planters meet together frequently for training and strategy, and the Women Clergy Network meets as well. The end result is that competencies are sharpened, character is developed, and chemistry is enhanced. In short, we become better leaders through these ministry networks.

Several of you are already engaged, and for that we are thankful. Others of you would like to plug in to a ministry network to advance your own expertise, or to launch a new ministry emphasis within your region of the conference. Perhaps you’d like to learn how to launch a refugee ministry or an immigration advocacy group. Perhaps you would like to learn more from those pastors emphasizing discipleship as a core value and practice. Perhaps you’ve envisioned a group of lay-leaders resourcing one another in the best practices of congregational governance. All of these groups (and more) can be launched in the months to come. Contact me, and I’ll help you get started!

Children & Family Coaching ANNET TE THOMAS THOMAS316@GMAIL.COM & PAT CROASMUN PCROASMUN@GMAIL.COM | FAMILY MINISTRY

Did you know that 65-85% of those who will become believers do so before the age of 14? Children are open to the gospel in ways that adults are not.

Most of the churches in our conference have a ministry to children and their families, though only a few churches are able to have a staff member dedicated to children and family ministry. To support lay leaders and staff in their work with children and families, denomination and conference leaders have asked Annette Thomas at Fellowship Covenant Church in the Bronx and Pat Croasmun from Covenant Church of Easton, CT, to help churches strengthen their ministry to children and families.

65 - 85% of those who become believers do so before the age of 14 This ministry is an opportunity to serve the individual local churches and encourage them to become a community of people who can be equipped to make and deepen disciples.

We believe that the collective contribution of ideas, experience and practical information will create rich benefits. Our coaching ministry consults, encourages, and supports both staff and volunteers in the local churches. We organize gatherings for networking, sharing information and providing retreats. We create a line of communication for bouncing off ideas, addressing concerns and fostering relationships.

This communication occurs by phone, email, and personal visits to churches. We carry out our purpose with joy and gratitude to God for allowing us to have a part in helping God’s children and their families to grow as disciples of Christ.

Providing practical help to churches is very important to us.

We consider ways that children are given a chance to have presence, voice and engagement in the church and with the church. We can enjoy their efforts as they grow and as they bring their gifts to the church by reading scripture, singing for the congregation, doing liturgical dance, and moving the congregation through drama and presentations that glorify God and edify the church.

For example, the children at Fellowship Covenant Church led the congregation in worship during the Advent season.

They also created a presentation board in order to display their ideas through art and prose and used it as a way to connect with the congregation. The congregation then responded by writing comments on post-its that showed their appreciation and encouragement.

We can partner with our children to express the work that Christ does in our lives to move closer to Him and to bring others to that faith. Children must feel they have a valued place and an opportunity to express fresh insights and revelations that big people sometimes forget. We can watch with delight as a little child leads us. The Children & Family Coaches Ministry wants to be an agent in helping churches realize God’s awesome plan to bring discipleship to the world.

Coaches are available to discuss a wide variety of issues and topics, including: ■ the importance of ministry to children (biblical and

research support for ministry to children), ■ supporting parents as the primary spiritual nurturers

of their children, ■ continuing traditional Sunday School or moving to

other children’s ministry formats, ■ maintaining discipline in a Sunday school classroom, ■ incorporating children into the body of the church, ■ caring for special needs children in your church, and ■ using a variety of teaching activities in your lesson in

order to reach children with different learning styles.

If you would like to learn more about our regional gatherings, receive our e-mails, or speak with one of us, please feel free to contact us (emails listed above).

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Women’s Ministry Update CATHY BERGSTROM | EAST COAST CONFERENCE WOMEN’S MINISTRIES PRESIDENT | BERGSTROM9@COMCAST.NET

We at the Women’s Ministry have been praying for you! Praying for women in Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire; for women in Vermont, Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey; and for women in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and Maine. We’ve been praying for women across the East Coast and the West Coast, across North America and the world - we’re with you wherever you are and however you land - and we’re praying for you.

We strive for the East Coast Conference Women Ministries to be a place for you to come home to - a place to lay open your wounds and to dance in celebration.

We work for you to find community, acceptance, and partnership. We are engaged in missions AVA, Sisters in Ministry, and have been inspired by the work the Lord is doing in them. Come and share the ways in which you’ve seen God move recently, and consider the ways in which you might become further connected with your sisters here, or help in our growth.

First, looking back over 2015, our Annual Fall Women’s Retreat at Pilgrim Pines in September was inspiring.

Reesheda Washington delivered a powerful message from God to the 115 women in attendance--Say Yes To God. Women reflected, prayed, shared, laughed, cried, and met with God. Her friend and assistant, Jayme Dominicak, shared her gift of song with us and God was glorified. Amen.

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The Women Ministries Leadership Team met in December to discuss the upcoming year. We prayed for HIS guidance and for us to be true to HIS leading.

We strive to be a place for you to come home to - a place to lay open your wounds and to dance in celebration.

2016 is shaping up to be an exciting and dynamic time for Women Ministries in the East Coast Conference.

First, our Annual Spring Celebration is scheduled for Saturday, April 2, 2016 from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Evangelical Covenant Church, 915 Plumtree Road, Springfield, MA. Cost is $35. You will receive coffee, morning snacks, workshop materials, and a lovely luncheon.

Triennial XV is July 28-31, 2016 in Kansas City, MO. You can register at www.covchurch.org/triennial The theme is Quench. The event promises to have spirited speakers, life-giving learning experiences, and enriching excursions.

Our Annual Fall Women’s Retreat again at Pilgrim Pines is September 23-25, 2016. Our speaker is Meagan Gillan, President of Women Ministries for the denomination. Registration details will be made available soon.

Youth Ministry Update

KEVIN KOKX | EAST COAST CONFERENCE YOUTH MINISTRY CONFERENCE COACH

“In it together” is one of the distinctive mantras of the Covenant. As a youth pastor, it is so wonderful to have friendships with other youth workers where we can celebrate our victories, and receive encouragement through our trials. In all of my years of youth ministry, having women and men be missional friends is instrumental in my spiritual formation.

As youth workers in the East Coast Conference, we have the opportunity to help each other be known, cared for, and be provided with resources. Along with two other network leaders, I share the responsibility of creating connection points for youth workers in our conference.

Much like any specialized ministry in any local church, youth workers have a distinct place of ministry. Because of this, Tim Ramgren and Ric Wild created monthly gatherings named “Renewal” where we come together to encourage, resource with, and pray for one another.

Transitions

Likewise, we have two retreats a year at Pilgrim Pines for our youth workers where we encourage, train, and help one another in our calling and profession as youth workers! Most recently, many youth workers came together as part of the Midwinter conference called Youth Worker Connection. Two days before the start of the conference, all the youth workers from the Covenant came together to be encouraged, trained, and resourced through the leadership of Tim Ciconne, who is the ECC’s youth ministry leader.

If you have any additional ideas on how we can encourage youth workers in our conference, please feel free to contact me at kevin@mcckeene.org or at 603-831-8452.

May we continue to encourage one another as we live into the calling of helping young people love Jesus and others in the East Coast Conference.

 COMINGS & GOINGS  WITHIN THE CONFERENCE

Darren Catron, from Director of Youth & Family to Associate Pastor for Formation, West Peabody, MA (January 31, 2016) Stephen Poore to Church Planter, Richmond, VA (January 1, 2016) Debra Gustafson to Halifax, PA (Interim) (January 10, 2016) Matthew Stillman, from Zion Lutheran Church, Seven Valleys, Pa, Interim Pastor to Trinity Christian Fellowship, Pinehurst, NC (January 7, 2016) Kristian Hernandez to Astoria, NY (Hope, Lead Pastor), December 13, 2016 Bradley Bergfalk from Omaha, NE to Litchfield, CT (UCC) (December 19, 2015) Austin Eisele from Worcester, MA (Salem, staff) to Topeka, KS (Brookwood) — (December 13, 2015) Travis Jarrett to Acton, MA (Staff) - November, 2015 Mary Miller, CVOC, Cromwell, CT - from Associate Chaplain to Lead Chaplain (November 1, 2015) Kris Heckard, Pastor, from Halifax, PA to retirement, (December 31, 2015) Peter Tullson, Associate/Executive Pastor, from Manchester, CT (December 2015) Glen Halvorsen, from Covenant Village of Cromwell (CRC) to Retirement (October 31, 2015)

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Ignite: a Baptism with the Holy Spirit & Fire!

A N I N V I TAT I O N T O T H E A N N U A L M E E T I N G | H O WA R D B U R G OY N E | E A S T C O A S T C O N F E R E N C E S U P E R I N T E N D E N T

“But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launder’s soap. He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver.” (Malachi 3:2-3 TNIV) “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Matthew 3:11-12 TNIV)

In the Hebrew Bible, fire is one of the elements that attends the revelation of God to Israel. It envelops the burning bush where Moses first heard the word of the LORD; it was a sentinel by night that manifest God’s presence as the people journeyed from bondage to the promised land. It undergirded the offerings for sin and fellowship. It was kept aflame in the holy place in the tabernacle and temple as a sign of prayer and presence. Fire served as both promise and threat. It brought comfort and terror; light and heat. It consumed and cleansed; it proved and purified.

As a Sacrament of the Church, Christian baptism takes up both of these, uniting them in the one Baptism we receive in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit: we are destined to be born of water and the Spirit (John 3). Jesus is the One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. When we baptize those Christ is calling to be His disciples we pray, “…as we baptize with water, baptize with the Holy Spirit,” This is still our prayer and expectation. This is still the promise and provision of being united with Christ by grace through faith. This is still to be our normative Christian experience, equipping us for a conscious and personal dependency on the Spirit of Jesus for our vocation as disciples. We are therefore to pray for the perpetual fullness of the Holy Spirit to 2 0 16 AN N UAL MEETIN G well up from within us, releasing mercy, grace, and April 28-30 | New Rochelle, NY truth to all around us. Being filled with the Spirit New York Covenant Church always makes the word of God audible, the will of Register online: www.ecconfevents.com God visible and the way of God possible.

For the Messiah to baptize with the Holy Spirit and fire portrays that He, as an artisan, intends by his fierce love and determination to take his people through the smelter to make them precious, using intense heat and concentrated air to separate out the pure elements from the base impurities to which they were bound. It is a prophetic metaphor of liberation and transformation for the people of God, called to become a royal priesthood before the world.

John’s water baptism was a sign of redemption from slavery to sin and a preparation for repentance towards God. Spirit baptism is a tandem sign of creating a new identity and an empowering vocation in Christ. Tongues of fire resting over heads of Jesus’ disciples is emblematic of this great promise. Christ ignites a purifying and empowering flame over each of His disciples.

As we make plans for our 2016 Conference wide annual meeting in New Rochelle, NY (April 28-30), we plan to convene around this theme and promise: “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Make plans to join us in worship and celebration of the outpouring of grace and power granted us by Christ Jesus for our transforming wholeness, work and witness.

Greetings Fellow Covenanters!

We are so honored to host the 2016 Annual Meeting of the East Coast Conference. We welcome you to New York Covenant and to the city of New Rochelle. I planted New York Covenant Church (NYCC) 17 years ago. It is a wonderful congregation that believes deeply in compassion and justice, worshipping through arts, and transformative preaching and teaching.

Our mission is to make disciples by cultivating relationships. At NYCC you’ll get a warm embrace from down to earth people.

We are going to do our best to make you feel that you’re right at home when you come with great food and great fellowship. If you have any questions at all, please feel free to contact us (newyorkcovenant.com).

THE EAST COAST

COVENANTER Paul W. Kahn

EDITOR / GRAPHIC DESIGN & LAYOUT / WRITER

Sandi Lee

EDITOR / WRITER

Howard Burgoyne

Yours In Christ,

PUBLISHER

Rev. Dr. David Randolph Holder

EAST COAST CONFERENCE

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52 Missionary Road, Cromwell, CT 06416  (860) 635-2691 FAX: (860) 398-5071  www.eastcoastconf.org

SUPERINTENDENT:

Howard K. Burgoyne

www.issuu.com/eastcoastcovenanter

DIR. OF CHURCH PLANTING:

Jason Condon

DIR. OF CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY:

Kreig Gammelgard

OFFICE MANAGER:

Sandi Lee

FINANCE MANAGER:

Robin Jones