News from the Northwest Conference

God is doing a 'new thing' at Community Covenant in Minneapolis following arson attack

Six months after an arson attack burned the sanctuary of Community Covenant Church in Minneapolis, the congregation returned to its newly remodeled church home last Sunday, Jan. 5.

Construction was completed on Friday, leaving one day to prepare for Sunday services. Some 40 excited church members spent all day Saturday cleaning in anticipation for the return on Sunday. Almost 200 people braved the cold Sunday morning, nearly filling all the new chairs and pews in the sanctuary. The morning was filled with tears of joy, shouts of praise and hope for the future.

Pastor Luke Swanson said in his sermon:

God says, "Don't remember the former things, I am about to do a new thing" (Isaiah 43:19). Our God is able to do a new thing in your life. God is continually up to new things. Praise the Lord, our God is doing a new thing! Don't dwell on the past and miss the new thing God is doing in your life right now.

"Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it." The Lord is telling us, "If you think I blessed you before, you ain't seen nothing yet. When I brought my people through the Red Sea and kept the children of Israel in the desert, that was not my last miracle, I'll do it again. I'll do a new miracle in someone's life today."

God does new things in new places. He will help you overcome new challenges, attain new victories and form new testimonies. Jesus wants to do a new thing in our life together.

CHET Minneapolis
First class graduates from CHET

We are excited to announce that CHET Minneapolis, the local satellite of the Covenant's Spanish language training institute, will graduate its first class of 22 pre-ministerial students Friday, Jan. 10. The milestone will be celebrated with a worship service/graduation ceremony at the Minnehaha Academy North Campus auditorium at 7 p.m., and all are welcome to attend.

CHET classes are held at Minnehaha Academy each week. CHET currently has 56 students enrolled in 6 different classes.

Dear NWC Pastors,

When's the last time you had breakfast with the President?

Well, the good news is he's coming to the Twin Cities on Feb. 10 and you're invited to dine with him. That's right, Gary Walter, the President of the Evangelical Covenant Church, invites you to join him for breakfast. Here's the scoop:

Place: Crossroads Church, Woodbury Campus
Time: 9-11 a.m.
Menu: Quiche, oatmeal, etc. (a breakfast fit for the President and his favorite pastors)
Cost: Free!

We're excited to host this event. It'll be a great meal, a great time to connect with each other, and a great opportunity to hear Gary respond to questions like: Describe the Covenant as you see it in 10 years? What worries you? What excites you? Where do see the "gay marriage" issue going in the Covenant? What is one thing you would like to say to us?

Please RSVP if you (and any staff) can come by Feb. 1. Email your RSVP to cheryl@northwestconference.org or call the NWC office.

Hope you can join us ... have a blessed Christmas,

Phil Print, Crossroads Church

Adventurous Christians to host The Passage for college age men

Two Journeys, One Destination

June 28 - July 7, 2014

The Passage is an experience that focuses on two journeys: one's walk with God and a wilderness canoe trip. It is a 10-day discipleship camp designed for college age men desiring to reflect on their personal faith journey and to discover what it means to become a man of God.

Coupled with that objective, participants will learn valuable life lessons on an 8-day canoe trip through the Minnesota and Canadian wilderness. It is an intense program that will challenge individuals spiritually, mentally and physically.

There's still room at Recharge!

This one-day conference focuses on encouraging and equipping leaders who are impacting the lives of kids and students. It's this Saturday, Jan. 11, at Grace Fellowship Church in Brooklyn Park, MN.

We're excited about this year-we have 9 new presenters and 12 new topics! Our line up of great speakers includes:

Rich Van Pelt -Risky Caring
Tiger McLuen - Faith Factors
Heather Flies - Women in Ministry
Michael Novelli - Bible Story Telling
Chris Corbett - Experiential Worship for Kids
Edrin Williams - Ministering to a Fatherless Generation
Kara Stromberg - Small Church Ministry
Cesar Castillejos - Middle School Ministry
Sara Sosa - Celebrating Milestones
Lisha Lender - Child Abuse
Matt Meyers - Peer Ministry
Ginny Olson - Ministry to Girls
Ken Castor - Teaching them to Pray

Join other Covenant churches during the lunch hour. For Recharge registration and directions, go to www.ministryrecharge.com.

Covenant Trust Company
Financial goals for the New Year

Are you planning on including financial goals in your New Year's resolutions? Here are some ideas if you don't have any yet.

Plan and save for retirement

The sooner you start saving and investing for retirement, the more time you give your investment to grow before you retire. So if you haven't already started, make saving for retirement a priority in 2014.

If you are already retired: do you have a financial plan? Not only do you need to budget for retirement, but you should also make a withdrawal plan for your retirement accounts. Consider withdrawal requirements and tax benefits when choosing when to withdraw money and from which account.

Get a will

A 2013 survey reported that up to 61% of Americans don't have
a will. Are you one of them? If so, make a will a priority this year.

Create a charitable giving plan

With a proper plan and through charitable vehicles like Charitable Gift Annuities, you may find a more effective way to give to the Northwest Conference and other Covenant Ministries, while also generating income for yourself and taking advantage of tax benefits.

Get your finances in order

Maybe throughout life, you've simply made and spent money without budgeting or saving. Perhaps this has worked, yet you don't feel secure in your financial situation. The New Year is a perfect time to change that.

Covenant Trust Company can help: contact one of our local Financial Service Representatives below to discuss the best plans for your finances in 2014 and beyond.

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/

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.

January 8, 2014

IN THIS ISSUE

Community Covenant Update

CHET Minneapolis Graduation

Breakfast with the President

The Passage at AC

Recharge 2014

Covenant Trust Company

NWC cal icon tan

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

April 26, 2014

Go:Serve - Redeemer Covenant Church, Brooklyn Park, 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

June 21-28, 2014

Adventures in Leadership - Adventurous Christians, Grand Marais, MN

August 7-9, 2014

MUUUCE - Crossroads Church, Woodbury, MN

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.