Oct 2017 Covenanter

THE

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

FALL 2017

SETTING THE PACE

HOWARD K. BURGOYNE

SUPERINTENDENT EAST COAST CONFERENCE

“When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream…” Psalm 126:1

Those who run marathons

can describe the physical, emotional, and mental disciplines that integrate as they advance through the demanding 26.2 mile course. Setting a sustainable pace is a critical factor for such runners. Sometimes runners will train in groups, with one charged to “set the pace” to steward the groups sustainability. They must steward their energies so that they can finish the race, while releasing their energies so they might win it. Governing the pace of the race, while adapting to the conditions and competition is essential.

As the season turns to fall the ministry momentum of our conference is in full stride. As I have entered my 12th year as Superintendent, I feel like we are advancing at a solid pace at about the half way mark from visioning to accomplishing. Our vision advances out towards 2025 – and we are on or ahead of pace to realize the goals we have adopted within the Conference Board. With 11 years in the rear-view mirror, and looking out ahead I come back to the scripture text that I began to pray in 2006, Psalm 126. It has been

the central prayer text of my years serving among you as Pastor of the Conference and chief steward of this apostolic mission. As a text to guide our prayerful visioning, here are a few things that Psalm 126 may offer us as counsel.

First, the Psalmist reminds us to reflect on our heritage, for there we discover the sovereign and gracious hand of the Lord.

Like a race, life is a course – a journey – and where we came from is as essential as where we are headed. The way we journey is critical, and the journey is to be a prayerful journey.

Second, memory is not intended to stop short in nostalgia. Memory is the seedbed in which we plant our hopeful prayers for the future, asking that God will keep us faithful and make us fruitful. Our prayers embody our understanding of who God is, what God’s purposes are, and what brings pleasure to God. Our prayers and our labors are acts of worship & witness to God’s sovereignty and generosity. He is the giver of every good and perfect gift!

IN THIS

ISSUE: issuu.com/eastcoastcovenanter

Third, the central metaphor here is agricultural, which frames our entire existence as humans. We sow, we water, but God brings the harvest. We are called to be fruitful in our love and in our labors, to cultivate the earth, fill it, and steward it. Our spiritual agriculture and ecology is invested in gospeling, discipling, and reconciling everyone into and through the fullness of Christ. This mission is the most significant and integral issue on the entire planet – it envelops all nations, all economies, all politics, all industry, all peoples, all cultures.

It is worthy of our entire lives, all our energies, resources, and resolve. We are urged, "Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith." (Heb. 12:1-2) Jesus is the one who sets the pace, and is in fact running with, in, and through us. "Those who sow in tears will reap with shouts of joy..." (v. 5).

On the move,

Have a question for Howard?

Email him at howard@eastcoastconf.org From the Superintendent: 1 “Setting the Pace" A Servant Community 2 Hilltop Covenant Organizing for Action 3 Covenant Coalition Justice Conference

Loving Justice, Doing Mercy... In Theory... 4 ...and in Practice (Vitality Updates) 5 Equipping Leaders 6 Becky Manseau Barnett Installation 7 Save the Dates 8 Transitions 8

 facebook.com/eastcoastconf

eastcoastconf.org

EAST COAST CONFERENCE 52 Missionary Road Cromwell, CT 06416 860.635.2691

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A SERVANT COMMUNITY One Hundred Twenty-Five Years of Service:

1882-2017

Edited from Rev. Robert McNaughton’s account.

McNaughton pastored at Hilltop Covenant Church (1973-1998)

Nothing describes the 125 years of Hilltop Covenant Church more clearly and accurately than service.

The little colony of Swedish immigrants began its life together in service to one another, thereby beginning 125 years of deep and permanent service to others: including children (The Swedish Children’s Orphanage, then The Children’s Home of Cromwell, now Ädelbrook); the elderly (Pilgrim Manor, now Covenant Village of Cromwell); the Eastern Missionary Association (now the East Coast Conference).

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In these 125 years of the Swedish Evangelical Society of Cromwell (through several name changes), there have been many people whose stories have been untold or unremembered. Somehow they found their way to this little Connecticut town where there was the possibility of work and where they could join with similar immigrants, hear their familiar language, enjoy cooking and eating food as they knew it in the old country, find fellowship, companionship, and perhaps even a spouse, worship in the familiar tongue, and share the joys and sorrows that face every immigrant community.

This congregation has never been large. When Rev. James Lundell arrived from North Park Theological Seminary in 1958, it was expected that he should be the last pastor, and the church would close. But it happened that it was just beginning a period of substantial growth and change. A plot of land was secured from the Conference and the Children’s Home (now Ädelbrook), a new parsonage was built almost entirely with volunteer labor, and when the old church burned, a new church was constructed. At the time, the church membership stood at something like 50-60, yet they embarked on this new venture, taking several loans. The cost was the equivalent of about $1.5 million in 2017 dollars, an enormous amount for so few people, who paid off the mortgage in 24 years.

The church’s membership reached its numerical height in the early 1990s reaching 210. But the ultimate mark of the congregation has never been numbers, but rather service, in the name of Jesus. May it always be so.

Reverend Scott Jones currently serves as pastor, and has led the congregation since 2010. The church celebrated their anniversary on September 23-24.

ORGANIZING FOR ACTION COVENANT COALITION JUSTICE CONFERENCE

An Appeal by John Franklin Udochi, Esq.

Associate Minister, Covenant Justice Coalition Conference New York Covenant Church, New Rochelle, New York

Confronting evil is necessary because the cloth of the gospel is seamlessly interwoven into God's justice.

Justice, that includes His love, mercy, and forgiveness.

The evangelical mission of the Christian Church should serve the redemptive purpose of Christ in seeking justice for the poor, the marginalized, and those on the fringes of our society. This significant work of Christ remains a mission for the Church. Therefore, to that end, the theme for this year’s Covenant Coalition Justice Conference is “Organizing for Action.”

As a Church Body, we need to build on a biblical coalition to develop a “Jesus Politic” and communicate His message as a “Body Politic.” This enables us to speak with one voice and to act with one purpose. A purpose geared towards effecting change that is essential to improving the condition of our human family. Recognizing the plight of our neighbors, while being moved by compassion into action, to address the injustices within and outside our communities should become a focal point of our mission for Christ.

Therefore, as a Church Body, we need to raise the blood-stained banner of the crucifixion of Christ, to confront in love the injustices of our time. We need to hold up that old rugged cross used to crucify our Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary, as a symbol of our faith, to confront in love the symbol of the crooked cross etched on the swastika, representing the flag of hatred, racism, and intolerance.

The Church’s involvement is inherently premised on biblical platforms as founded on the Great Commandment (that includes a social mandate to love the neighbor): “ Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” (Matthew 22:37-40 - NIV) The Great Commission that serves as an institutional mandate for the church’s obedience:

“ The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

(Luke 4:18- NIV).

This year, the goal of the Covenant Coalition Justice Conference is to create biblical platforms for action on poverty, immigration, and mass incarceration, as these issues have significantly plagued and confronted our society in contemporary times.

So, join us, as we welcome you to this year’s Conference.

John Franklin Udochi, Esq.

Associate Minister Covenant Justice Coalition Conference New York Covenant Church New Rochelle, New York

“ Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:16-20- NIV) And the mandate of Christ that expresses His political mandate to serve others:

COVENANT JUSTICE COALITION - OCTOBER 20-21, 2017 New York Covenant Church, 500 Main St, New Rochelle, NY 10801 REGISTER TODAY!

www.covjustice.org

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LOVING JUSTICE, DOING MERCY...IN THEORY...

BY KREIG GAMMELGARD DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY

The nightly news grabs our attention every evening and reminds us that not all is well in our world. Conflict is rampant, needs are increasing, and justice is in jeopardy.

Within the Covenant, we are encouraging all of our churches to pursue missional health, focusing particularly on pursuit of Christ and the pursuit of His priorities in the world. The slogan of “What Would Jesus Do?” (WWJD) is worth revisiting within our congregations.

The focus within the Start and Strengthen Churches priority is for every congregation to grow in each of the 10 healthy missional markers: 1 Centrality of the Word of God 2 Life-transforming walk with Jesus 3 Intentional evangelism 4 Transforming communities through active compassion,

mercy and justice ministries 5 Global perspective and engagement 6 Compelling Christian community 7 Heartfelt worship 8 Sacrificial and generous living and giving 9 Culture of godly leadership 10 Fruitful organizational structures

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One of the five ministry priorities of our denomination, and the fourth characteristic that we hope will define all of our churches is Love Mercy, Do Justice. From our inception, the Covenant has been concerned with helping hurting people (love mercy), and addressing the causes of that hurt (do justice). The mission of Love Mercy, Do Justice (LMDJ) is to “Join God in making things right in our broken world.”

The desire of the Covenant and our Conference is to resource and equip the local church in its call to love, serve, and work together with people at the margins toward holistic individual, family and community transformation. Many churches are doing well in their service to the least, the last, and the lost in their communities, and many would like to grow in this ministry priority.

An opportunity to challenge our minds, expand our hearts, and grow in our skills is coming soon to the East Coast Conference through the annual Covenant Justice Coalition Conference organized and hosted by New York Covenant Church in New Rochelle, NY. I encourage you to join many other East Coast Conference churches and leaders that will be attending in order to think, act, and live more like Jesus. Details are in this Covenanter.

...and in practice

Vitality Updates

BY KREIG GAMMELGARD DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY

This fall, several churches are

engaged in vitality and pursuing their missional health. They are paying attention to and discerning the guidance of the Holy Spirit, working ON their church, not just IN their church, and pursuing Christ and His priorities in and for the world.

• 5 churches are hosting vitality workshops focusing on cultural health, change management, and strategic ministry planning

Loving mercy and doing justice takes many forms. In our largest cities, many of our pastors have proclaimed that ALL of the ministries of their church are LMDJ ministries, as the needs and hurts and injustices are constant within their contexts.

Covenant churches in our conference are meeting needs and providing help in a variety of ways, and doing what Jesus would do in their communities.

Our churches are offering: • homeless shelters • thrift stores • food and meals • job training • hydroponic farming for fresh vegetables • furniture repair and replacement • immigration legal services • sponsorship and hosting of refugee families • medical/health clinics • tutoring services • language classes • shut-in visitation • foster care and adoption services • child care • and even… barbequed chicken for a cause?

For 35 years, Haddam Neck Covenant has hosted a booth at the Haddam Neck Fair over Labor Day weekend. They grill and sell chicken… lots of chicken! And all of their hard work provides thousands of dollars (often tens of thousands of dollars) to help meet the needs of people in their community, and many around the world.

Over those years, this small congregation has provided nearly half a million dollars to resource nearly 20 organizations that prioritize and practice compassion, mercy, and justice.

This past Labor Day, I was inspired by their hard work and their large hearts.

Whether you are a rural, suburban, or urban church, let me encourage you to prioritize Love Mercy, Do Justice in your congregation this year. Lord knows the world could use His touch!

• 300 people will participate in these workshops • 4 churches will be attending the annual Navigate Vitality Conference: o Bethany Covenant-Berlin, CT o Newton Covenant- Newton, MA o ECC- North Easton, MA o Covenant Community Church - Essex Junction, VT

• Dozens of churches are prioritizing the 10 Healthy Missional Markers with message series on all ten of the markers, or with special emphasis on the two markers with the most room for growth- Intentional Evangelism (and the BLESS materials), and Transforming Communities through active compassion, mercy, and justice ministries • Continue to pray that all of our vitality churches see the Lord’s Prayer being fulfilled in and through their churches- that His Will will be done on earth as it is in heaven

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EQ UI PP I N G L E A D E RS DISCIPLING & LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

BY BARBARA ETTINGER ASSOCIATE SUPERINTENDENT DIRECTOR OF DISCIPLING & LEADERSHIP

Center Church RVA staff in Richmond, Virginia meets with Barbara Ettinger to discuss leadership development in a planting context.

Church planter Stephen Poore on far right.

Equipping leaders and making disciples who make disciples: at this writing, your newest Associate Superintendent is all of six weeks into the job. In order to serve and lead well over the long term, I am investing during these early days in building relationships and getting to know our pastors, leaders, and their congregations. In addition, I am testing innovative ways to foster peer learning and to provide practical training in identified areas of interest and need.

Listening and Leaning In Meeting with our pastors and leaders through coaching calls or in person, I’m asking big picture questions:

• What are the three most essential characteristics that

you think should be evident in the life of a mature Christ follower?

• Thinking about discipling in your context, what has

worked well to grow disciples who make disciples in a more just, caring, and diverse world?

• What obstacles stand in the way of that multiplicative disciplemaking goal?

• What aspects of your own discipling and leadership would you most like to see develop and grow?

These and other questions, taken together, provide a window into the state of leadership and discipling in the lives of our pastors and leaders and also in the congregations they serve. My first visits have been in Fairfax, Springfield, and Richmond, Virginia with some of our church planters and established church pastors. I’m challenged and inspired by their leadership.

video conferencing and brown bag lunches to discuss a book, blog, or podcast that offers insight, challenge, and engagement with catalytic leadership or discipling concerns. The first Lunch and Learn community has started discussion of Gregory Coles’ new IVP release, Single, Gay, Christian: A Personal Journey of Faith and Sexual Identity.

We will meet a total of three times via video conferencing to discuss our reading. During the third and final meeting, author Gregory Coles will join us via video conferencing and engage in a Q&A with us as a learning community. This first foray in digital learning communities is a beta test of the Lunch and Learn concept for pastors and leaders. Participants will offer feedback on the experience that will help shape future Lunch and Learn offerings.

Training in Practical Skills Let’s face it: money matters in ministry! Sound financial leadership in a church context can advance mission and open doors to new avenues of service and effectiveness. Toward that end, the Conference is partnering with National Covenant Properties to bring Financial Training for Church Leadership and Staff to the East Coast Conference. Twice this fall, leaders and pastors will have the opportunity to learn in a workshop setting from a multispeciality team of experts while networking with other church laity from around the conference.

Participants will: discover how healthy missional churches manage finances; think through how to structure a budget to make key ministry decisions; learn the latest tax regulations for ministers; hear best practices to communicate financial reports to leadership and congregation; use and interpret Financial Dashboards; and be trained in fraud risk assessment and prevention.

Fostering Peer Learning

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To paraphrase the words of Jesus, when pastors and leaders meet to learn together—there God is in the midst of them! I’m testing the concept of digital Lunch and Learn discussion groups to facilitate dialogue that shapes our leadership and discipling. We meet via

Early Registration is open online ($25pp) at www.eastcoastconf.org/events Contact the Conference Office for more info on these two dates:

Nov 18, 2017 @ Salem Covenant Church (Worcester, MA) Dec 2, 2017 @ New York Covenant Church (New Rochelle, NY)

BE C KY MA NSEAU BARNETT installED as co-pastor of highrock acton

PUerto

RICO

RELIEF & RECOVERY

Becky Manseau Barnett and Will Barnett have served as partners in ministry for a decade, constantly adjusting their roles to accommodate changing family realities. When planting Highrock Acton in 2015, Becky began as a part-time associate, giving their family flexibility in a time of transition. As their family settled and the plant flourished, Conference and Highrock Network leaders recognized how this arrangement did not match the reality of their ministry where they shared responsibility and authority for the leadership of the church. With the congregation’s blessing, Becky and Will were installed by Howard Burgoyne as co-lead pastors of the congregation. Becky is now the first female lead pastor in the Highrock network of churches.

Covenanters can now donate funds designated specifically for relief and recovery efforts in Puerto Rico.

The island already was suffering terribly from Hurricane Irma two weeks prior to Hurricane Maria and had left 80,000 people without power. Relief and recovery will be a long-time effort, and it is estimated that parts of Puerto Rico will be without power for up to six months. Approximately 75 percent of the island still is without water.

Love Mercy Do Justice is working with Covenant churches and other partners to coordinate an immediate and long-term response to the disaster.

To contribute to the work in Puerto Rico or other areas slammed by recent hurricanes, visit:

www.covchurch.org/justic/domestic-disaster-response

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COVENANT JUSTICE COALITION 2017

SAVe THE dates

October 20-21, 2017

New York Covenant Church 500 Main Street, New Rochelle, NY REGISTER: www.covjustice.org

ASHRAM 2017: RETREAT FOR THE ECC MINISTERIAL ASSOCIATION

FINANCIAL TRAINING FOR CHURCH LEADERS WORKSHOP is being offered by National Covenant Properties hosted in two different locations in the East Coast Conference: This workshop is invaluable for all pastors, church planters, executive pastors, associate pastors, and especially church leadership (board chair, treasurer, financial director etc) and church financial staff (bookkeeper, finance person, etc.) - and will provide opportunities for your church to gain its very own dashboard and fraud assessment from Capin Crouse at no additional cost.

November 12-15, 2017

Pilgrim Pines Conference Center THEME: Blessed are the Peacemakers FEATURED SPEAKER: Andy Larsen REGISTER BY NOV 6

www.pilgrimpines.org/ashram

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REGISTER: www.eastcoastconf.org/events Saturday, November 18, 2017 Salem Covenant Church 215 Mountain Street East Worcester, MA 01606

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Early Registration ($25) & Submission of Church Financial Statements Deadline for Salem: Friday, October 27, 2017

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1 Rev. Gabriel Salguero - Founder of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) 2 Dr. Ron Sider, Author, Distinguished Professor of Theology, Holistic Ministry & Public Policy 3 Dr. Obery M. Hendricks, Jr. - One of America's foremost commentators on relgiion/politics 4 Dr. Michelle Clifton-Soderstrom - Professor of Theology & Ethics, North Park Theo. Seminary 5 Roy Larsen - Director for Urban & Intercultural Ministries, Evangelical Free Church 6 Rev. Dr. Michael Carrion - Senior Pastor, Promised Land Covenant Church

Saturday, December 2, 2017 New York Covenant Church 500 Main Street New Rochelle, New York 10801 Early Registration ($25) & Submission of Church Financial Statements Deadline for NYCC: Thursday, November 9, 2017

128TH CONFERENCE ANNUAL MEETING

April 26-28, 2018 Bethany Covenant Church | 785 Mill Street, Berlin, CT 06037

TRANSITIONS

 

COMINGS & GOINGS WITHIN THE CONFERENCE

Andy Ober to Brookline, MA (Church Planter Residency), May 2017 Dave Capozzi to Brockton, MA (Church Planter), Jun 2017 James McClaren to Manchester, CT (Interim) Jul 2017 Steven Anderson from Essex Junction, VT (Interim) to Albert City, IC, Jul 2017 Barbara Ettinger from Madison, WI (IVCF) to East Coast Conference (Supt., Discipling & Leadership Development), Aug 2017 Meghan DeJong to Needham, MA (Staff), Aug 2017 Cory Gill from Brookline, MA (Staff) to open to call, Aug 2017 Will Barnett from Acton, MA (Lead) to Acton, MA (Co-Lead), Sep 2017 Becky Barnett from Acton, MA (Staff) to Acton, MA (Co-Lead), Sep 2017 Jeannette Conver from Kent, WA (Staff) to Essex Junction, VT, Oct 2017 Deb Lewis from Kalamazoo, MI (Chaplain) to Norfolk, VA (Chaplain), Sep 2017 Matt Webel to Salem, MA (Church Planter Residency), Sep 2017 T. Dan Clayborne from New Sweden, ME to Nazareth, PA (Lutheran Church), Nov 2017 Peter Kim from Vernon Hills, IL to Manchester, CT, Dec 2017 EAST COAST CONFERENCE

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

SUPERINTENDENT:

Howard K. Burgoyne

DIRECTOR OF CHURCH PLANTING:

Jason Condon

DIRECTOR OF CONGREGATIONAL VITALITY:

Kreig Gammelgard

DIRECTOR OF DISCIPLING & LEADERSHIP:

Barbara Ettinger

THE EAST COAST

COVENANTER Paul W. Kahn

EDITOR / GRAPHIC DESIGN & LAYOUT

Sandi Lee

EDITOR / WRITER

Howard Burgoyne PUBLISHER

www.issuu.com/eastcoastcovenanter OFFICE MANAGER:

Sandi Lee

FINANCE MANAGER:

Robin Jones