In recent months, I came across a silly little ditty entitled, "The Bible in Fifty Words." It goes like this...

"God made...Adam bit...Noah arked...Abraham split...Joseph ruled...Jacob fooled...bush talked...Moses balked...Pharaoh plagued... people walked...sea divided...tablets guided...promise landed...Saul freaked...David peeked...prophets warned...Jesus born...God walked, loved, talked...anger crucified...hope died...Love rose...Spirit flamed...word spread...God remained."

Well, we know that there is so much more to the Word of God than can be expressed through mere rhyme and rhythm! After all, we believe that the message contained therein changes lives through the power of the Holy Spirit. We believe that "the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart" (Hebrews 4:11-13).

As such, we are reminded of the importance of allowing it to permeate our lives and inform the decisions we make as leaders. For even as preachers can find themselves straying from it in the name of "relevance," local church leaders can find that it is no longer their primary source for knowledge and truth as they seek to make significant decisions that will have a profound impact on the health and missional vitality of their churches.

It is why our early forbears would ask, "Where is it written?" They knew the danger of straying from the revealed Word of God, and they sought to convey its power and sweet message of salvation to those of us who have followed in their footsteps.

You are invited to an evening of gospel music, with all proceeds going to help kids in need have a chance to go to Covenant Pines Bible Camp. The benefit is Sunday, Nov. 4, 4-7 p.m., at the Robert L. Williams Fine Arts Center on the north campus of Minnehaha Academy. Silent Auction begins at 3 p.m. (an hour before the concert) and continues during intermission. Purchase tickets at here or at the door. 

Robert Robinson: The Minneapolis Star Tribune named Robert "Minnesota's Master Male Vocalist." Robert served as Executive and Artistic Director of the Twin Cities Community Gospel Choir for 20 years. He was a two-time Minnesota Music Award Winner for Best Gospel Artist and Group. His music catalog includes 12 solo projects and many collaborations.

Tecora Rogers: Born and raised in Chicago, Tecora is a prolific and internationally renowned singer, composer, teacher, and producer. Her musical roots can be traced back to singing in her church choir at the tender age of 6. Inspired by her spiritual upbringing and her love of jazz, Tecora infused the two musical genres creating "power jazz," which combines the complexity of jazz with the electricity of gospel, a sound that differentiates her from other jazz musicians.

Come for an entertaining evening while supporting kids who would love to spend a week next summer at Covenant Pines Bible Camp!

The Children & Family Commission is excited to sponsor "Imagine: A day for those serving Children & Families." Imagine is designed to connect people who work with kids, deliver concepts to apply to your ministry, and provide a place to share ideas and ask questions.

Please forward this email to anyone serving in Children & Family Ministry in your church! 

The event is FREE and open to anyone who works with kids. Lunch will be provided, and the event will feature speaker Tiger McLuen, as well as time for discussion, freebies and opportunities to browse and purchase resources.  

Come and learn about building a team of caring adults around each child, working with messy families, and practical ways for your volunteers to make a difference. We're confident this will be time well spent! Mark your calendars and please share this event with your staff and volunteers.  

WHO: All NWC Children/Family Staff and Volunteers

DATE: Saturday, Nov. 10, 2012          

TIME: 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.

LOCATION: Crossroads Covenant Church, 17445 Notre Dame Street NE, Forest Lake, MN 55025

SPEAKER: Tiger McLuen is the President of Youth Leadership, a local organization dedicated to educating, equipping and encouraging leaders in youth and family ministry

TOPIC: From Chaperones to Shepherds: Equipping your volunteers to engage in the spiritual formation of kids.

RSVP as a church group by Friday, Nov. 2 to 612-721-4893 or kara@nwc-cov.org. Download a promo flyer to share with your volunteers at www.nwc-cov.org/imagine 

Is your church considering facilities projects in the coming months? Do you worship with more than 40 but less than 300 each Sunday? Check out this unique grant opportunity that may be right up your alley ...

The Oldham Little Church Foundation is a private foundation which annually grants approximately $700,000 to small, evangelical Protestant churches throughout the United States. Since our founding in 1949, we have provided over 15,000 completion grants totaling $38 million for facility renovations, repairs, and new construction projects.

OLCF's mission is to support small evangelical Protestant churches with improvements to their facilities so that they may be a witness in their community and win souls for Christ. To learn more about grants, visit http://www.oldhamlcf.org.

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 fall 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. 

Communications Corner

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Covenant Trust Company 

2012 Goal Check-up    

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).