News from the Northwest Conference
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Converge 2012 to take place at Redeemer Covenant Church
We are excited to announce our next NWC Converge leadership training event, which will take place at Redeemer Covenant Church in Brooklyn Park, MN, on Oct. 27. The one-day event will feature a variety of workshops designed for pastors and lay leaders to come together to learn and be inspired. Some of the topics that will be addressed include: church communications, local church governance, church finances, processing setbacks, children's ministry, funding strategies for local churches, risk management, working with volunteers, and more. Stay tuned for registration materials and more details. |
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LBBC 5th Annual Pastor's Retreat
Five years ago Lake Beauty began offering a retreat to provide rest and refreshment for our member church pastors and their families. It was eventually expanded to be available for Ministry Staff and their families.
There is no cost for the retreat, we simply want to provide a place for the pastors to let their hair down. We have just concluded our 5th retreat and we were honored to host 108 staff and family members this year. It is a laid back schedule, and we offer all of the activities we have at camp for folks to take part in. It has grown over the years and continues to grow (even with some coming from outside of our member or Covenant churches).
I was told after our first retreat that for being a blessing to the pastors and their families we too would be blessed as a camp and that has shown itself over and over again these past years. This is an annual retreat that won't be ending any time soon. Here is what one pastor's family wrote to us last year.
To all the Staff at Lake Beauty Bible Camp:
We wanted to thank you so much for ministering to us through the pastor's retreat this summer at Lake Beauty! It was such a blessing to our family and a great time of fellowship with other pastors.
I felt the same love for God at this retreat that I felt when I was a camper at Lake Beauty 15 years ago! This was my husband's first main experience with Lake Beauty and he was absolutely astounded by the loving Spirit that resides there! Our kids, of course, cannot wait to come back! We appreciated it so much. May God Bless you all for being such a blessing to us!
Servants of the Master,
LBBC Pastors Wife
Its because of comments like these and many others that we feel very called to continue to bless our pastors and their families.
Brian Alnes
Executive Director
Lake Beauty Bible Camp
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ECC Board of Nominations
The Evangelical Covenant Church is looking for one candidate from the NWC to serve on the denominational Board of Nominations. The board searches for qualified candidates to run for a variety of denominational leadership positions.
Bonnie Sparrman is our current rep and her term expires in June 2013. The position is a five year term and the candidate runs unopposed. The deadline for names is Sept. 12. Please contact NWC Board Chair John Stewart with potential candidate names.
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Covenant Kids Congo:
Sponsor a Child. Transform a Community.
 Northwest Conference churches, members and attendees have an opportunity to stand alongside our Congolese friends in the remote area of Congo known as Equateur Province. Along with them, we are seeking to turn around the most overlooked province in the neediest country of the world.
But it will take all of us, says ECC President Gary Walter. A partnership with World Vision is about to make sure our Congolese friends receive the help they need. Together we can make a difference!
Right now, we ask our NWC churches to schedule a "Hope Sunday" this coming fall 2012 in order to give members and attendees the opportunity to sponsor a child in Congo.
For $40 per month, a Covenant household can make it possible to promote clean water, nutrition, education, health, and economic development; expressing God's love in tangible ways that provide opportunities for the recipients to experience new life in Jesus Christ.
An unprecedented need ... an unprecedented partnership!
Visit the Covenant Kids Congo blog to learn more and sign up to host a "Hope Sunday."
Watch a video introduction to Covenant Kids Congo by ECC staff.
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Common retirement planning mistakes
While we can learn a lot from our own mistakes, we can learn from the mistakes of others, too; this is true in life and true in retirement planning as well. So, according to a Consumer Reports survey of current retirees, here are some common retirement-planning mistakes that we can learn from.
Saving too late: With compound interest, a person can greatly increase his or her retirement savings simply by saving earlier in life. As such, many retirees regret not saving sooner.
Underestimating the cost of retirement: Some expenses are likely to go up in retirement (e.g. medical bills). Also, being more active and pursuing interests can lead to costs that aren't fully covered by a person's retirement fund. It's important to consider all of your possible retirement plans and expenses and estimate an appropriate savings goal.
Investing too conservatively: Investing conservatively might be safe, but the smaller returns can limit your retirement savings. A diversified portfolio can increase returns through riskier investments while tempering those risks with more conservative options.
For more information on retirement planning, contact one of the Covenant Trust Company Financial Services Representatives for the Northwest Conference:
Kevin Lawson, CFP®, 1-877-222-3960 or kelawson@CovenantTrust.com
Steve Allison, ChFC, 1-877-768-1766 or
srallison@CovenantTrust.com
We would be happy to discuss your current retirement plan and review ways to recover from missteps like the ones above or avoid them altogether.
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NWC Ministry Priorities series
View, embed and share our new videos on Vimeo
Our 2012 Annual Meeting included the debut of three new videos highlighting the Ministry Priorities of the Northwest Conference. Each video features interview segments with church staff, lay leaders and pastors, intermixed with animations of statistics and key statements designed to help explain each priority.
The videos are designed for use throughout the year in church new member classes, services and other adult education opportunities to help congregations better understand and engage the work of the NWC. The delegates from each church left with a DVD copy of the videos, and the series is available on the NWC web site's video page (www.nwc-cov.org/resources/videos) and Vimeo Channel (http://vimeo.com/channels/northwest).
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September 30 - October 1, 2012 Town and Country Workshop - Ruttger's Sugar Lake Lodge, Grand Rapids, MN October 1-3, 2012 Ministerial Association Retreat - Ruttger's Sugar Lake Lodge, Grand Rapids, MN October 6, 2012
VIVE - First Covenant Church, St. Paul, MN October 27, 2012 Converge - Redeemer Covenant Church, Brooklyn Park, MN
January 12, 2013
Recharge - St. Andrews Church, Mahtomedi, MN
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NWC Job Postings Page
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Pastors and ministry leaders, if you have people in your congregation who are exploring ministry, on a part- or full-time basis, please refer them to our job postings page.
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Superintendent Mark Stromberg Director of Church Planting Mike Brown Director of Congregational Vitality Jon Kramka
Director of Youth Ministry Ginny Olson
Office Administrator Cheryl Theilen Director of Communications Bryan Malley 612.721.4893 800.756.6692 |
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