News from the Northwest Conference

Pastor's Perspective

The question behind the question

By Rob Jacobson, Lead Pastor of Restoration Covenant Church in Apple Valley, MN

As the pastor of a new church, I am neck deep in church life and ministry. When I began I would often ask Mike Brown, director of church planting, for guidance. I would anxiously ask, "Mike, based on where Restoration Covenant Church is at, what do you think I need to do now?"

Mike would pause and then calmly say, "Rob, you just need to do three things really well: preach well, lead well and care well." It was excellent advice, to be sure, but I thought my question would prompt him to give me specific steps to follow. Later I realized Mike was modeling the very thing that would bring help to me and hope to others. He was answering the question behind my question.

This realization came as I was preparing a message about Luke 10:25 in which a religious expert asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life. When Jesus points him to their common law and prayers, and the command to "love thy neighbor," the expert wasn't satisfied. The narrator tells us that the expert wanted to justify himself, so he also asked Jesus, "And who is my neighbor?"

When people asked Jesus a question, especially one about theology or religion, they often had a very different motive for asking the question. I think in this case it was, "Jesus, I want to know how far my 'love' needs to reach?" Because Jesus sensed the question behind the question, he told the parable of the Good Samaritan.

Mike heard my question behind the question as, "Mike, how can I know I'm on the right track as a church planter?" He would end our meetings with, "Rob, you're a great pastor. You work hard and you have good pastoral instincts. Trust the Spirit of God in you." This was the help and hope he sensed I truly needed.

There is a crowd of people around-and even in-our churches that are looking for help and hope. Like me, they are probably not going to come right out and ask. What they really need is their question behind their question answered. I pray you'll pause in conversations and critical moments with people to ask for God's Spirit to give you discernment for their real needs.

*If you're interested in the rest or this message, you can listen here: http://www.restorationcov.org/resources/messages/ ("Grace" 9/15/13)

VIVE attendees learn the ins and outs of preparing for college
Recent Minnehaha Academy grads shared wisdom with younger students considering college options

Some were bleary eyed and quiet, others who had been to VIVE before, arrived bouncing with anticipation for the day. A mix of students and parents and adult leaders milled around Crosstown Covenant Church in Minneapolis with massive donuts and orange juice in hand, talking to several college representatives as they waited for the day to kick off.

This was the day where students moved closer to their dream of going to college. There were seniors who were making their final college selections, all the way to 5th and 6th graders who were starting early to plan for their futures. It was a day filled with hearing from expert college-prep coaches, inspirational speakers, recent college grads and current college students.

Students were challenged and led by former Denver Broncos player Steve Fitzhugh, as well as Richard Harris, college guidance counselor at Minnehaha Academy. Parents and leaders learned the ins and outs of preparing for college from Marcio Thompson, a financial aid counselor at University of Minnesota, and Meshia Jones, an admissions and outreach associate at North Park University. One of the highlights of the day was hearing stories about former VIVE students who were now succeeding in college and passing on their wisdom to younger students.

VIVE is an education outreach program that's designed to open a pathway to college for under-represented students and families. The Northwest Conference hosts VIVE in collaboration with North Park University. While it's not a promotion solely for North Park, students who attend VIVE are eligible for $1,000 to $5,000 North Park scholarships, based on how many years they attend VIVE. In addition to the possible scholarships, there were giveaways of T-shirts, water bottles, high-end headphones and iPads.

The VIVE leadership team is made up of area pastors, youth pastors, children's pastors and educational leaders who care about giving under-represented students an opportunity to go to college. The team is looking for new members for VIVE 2014. They are also exploring the possibility of a VIVE in a small city or larger town in our conference. If you're interested in serving on the team or hosting a VIVE event, contact Ginny Olson at ginny@northwestconference.org.

For more information on the national VIVE program, go to http://www.northpark.edu/admissions/vive. For our local VIVE event, go to http://northwestconference.org/children-youth-family/vive.

Recharge 2104 Super Early Bird Pricing deadline is Nov. 15

This one-day youth ministry and children's ministry leadership training event will be Saturday, Jan. 11, 2014, at Grace Fellowship in Brooklyn Park, MN. It's a great event for both staff and volunteers with seminars targeting the issues we face in ministry.

The morning general session speaker will be Rich Van Pelt. Rich specializes in training youth workers in adolescent crisis intervention and teen suicide prevention and response. The NWC has been on the steering committee for this event since the beginning.

For more info on Recharge, visit www.ministryrecharge.com

Lake Beauty Bible Camp
Solid Rock discipleship program taking shape, raising funds

Lake Beauty Bible Camp is excited to announce that we are embarking on a new ministry opportunity. Beginning the Fall of 2014 we will be starting a nine month Young Adult Discipleship program to meet a need and assist young adults in going deeper in their walk with Jesus, discerning what it is that God is calling them to do, and practically serving others.

This nine month program is designed to be a close community-based program that consists of classroom, practical ministry opportunities at the camp and the local community, as well as a 2-week trip to the Holy Lands to help them bring life to the scriptures that they will be spending a lot of time learning. We are working in partnership with Covenant Offices and North Park University with the curriculum development and credit transfers.

In order to make this new ministry opportunity a reality, there are two specific building additions we are working on to be ready for the start of the program we are calling "Solid Rock." One of the projects is remodeling the basement of the Chapel to provide dorm space for the program. The other is an addition to our current Dining Hall with a two-story building that will be additional dining space and classroom/meeting space for the students.

We are in the process of raising $500,000 by the end of December 2013. If you would like to find out more about "Solid Rock" please check out our web site - www.lbbc.com. We are asking for partners to come along side of us to raise the funds. We need to make these improvements to the camp a reality, and we would be honored with your partnership.

Brian Alnes

Executive Director

Covenant Trust Company
Protect Your Identity

The uncertainties surrounding the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have created more opportunities for identity theft. In a typical scam, a caller claims to be with the government and requests information to issue an insurance card for the ACA. The caller may ask for a Social Security number, Medicare ID, or even financial account numbers.

To protect yourself, the Better Business Bureau offers these tips:

The only place to shop for an ACA health plan is www.HealthCare.gov.
Typically, the government communicates through the mail; be wary of calls, texts or e-mails from someone claiming to represent the government.
Additionally, the government should already have your basic personal info, including your Social Security number.
Scammers can have any name or number appear on your Caller ID.

In addition, Covenant Trust Company recommends taking these safety measures at all times:

Never give out personal information over the phone.
Don't buy or donate anything over the phone; ask for a written request.
Don't be afraid to say no.
Do not wire money to anyone you don't know.
Never open an e-mail, link or electronic document from someone you don't know.
Shred documents with personal or sensitive information.

Identity theft is one of the fastest growing crimes in the United States; we offer materials and workshops that can help you protect yourself. If you would like to know more, contact one of our local Financial Representatives:

Kevin Lawson, CFP�, 1-877-222-3960 or kelawson@CovenantTrust.com

Steve Allison, ChFC, 1-877-768-1766 or srallison@CovenantTrust.com

To read more, please visit http://www.covenanttrust.com/news/

To request information, please visit http://www.covenanttrust.com/info/

Covenant Kids Congo
Video update

By Peter Cisneros, Covenant Kids Congo, Project Manager

In a continued effort to resource and inform you of what is happening with Covenant Kids Congo, here is a link to our latest video. This is a short overview video providing people with quick facts on where we are currently, as well as an "ask" at the end as we continue to work towards our goal of 10,000 children sponsored. Thank you for all of your support of our ministry!

http://covchurch.tv/ckc-fall-2013-update/

NWC Website
Church Resource Bank

Our website features a great tool for churches requesting or giving away materials and resources. On the Church Resource Bank page, you can browse available requests or give-aways, and submit a new resource to share with churches in need.

November 6, 2013

IN THIS ISSUE

Pastor's Perspective

VIVE 2013

Recharge 2014

LBBC Solid Rock

Protect Your Identity

Covenant Kids Congo Video update

NWC cal icon tan

November 9

IMAGINE - Plymouth Covenant Church, Plymouth, MN

January 11, 2014

Recharge - Grace Fellowship, Brooklyn Park, MN

March 14-15, 2014

NWC Women Ministries Renewal Conference - Buffalo Covenant Church, Buffalo, MN

April 4-5, 2014

MOVE - First Covenant Church, Minneapolis, MN

May 1-2, 2014

Ministerial Association Annual Meeting - Rochester Covenant Church, Rochester, MN

May 2-3, 2014

NWC Annual Meeting - Rochester Covenant Church, Rochester, MN

August 7-9, 2014

MUUUCE - Crossroads Church, Woodbury, MN

PSWC Seeks Nominations for New Superintendent

Covenant Newswire

The search committee for the next superintendent of the Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) is seeking nominations.

"The search committee is committed to seeking the broadest variety of perspectives and to giving a voice to every segment-and every individual-in the conference and throughout the Covenant," said Will Davidson, chair of the search committee.

Read the full story on the Covenant Newswire

NWC Job Postings Page

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.