2015 Annual Meeting

Join us in recognizing candidates for Ordination and Commissioning 

We are putting the finishing touches on plans for the 2015 NWC Annual Meeting-which will take place April 16-18 at Salem Covenant Church, New Brighton, MN-and we've got great speakers and events lined up this year! Registration materials should have arrived at your church by mail.  

Ordination to Word and Sacrament

• Jeremy L. Berg - MainStreet Covenant Church, Mound, MN
• David A. Bergstrom - Altru Health System, Grand Forks, ND
• Nathan R. Hillman - Thomastown Covenant Church, Staples, MN
• Jerry M. Kosanovich - Palo Congregational Church, Aurora,MN/Trinity United Methodist Church,
• Hoyt Lakes, MN
• Toni K. Schwabe - Rice Creek Covenant Church, Lino Lakes, MN
• Todd J. Spieker - Bethel Covenant Church, Ellsworth, WI

Ordination to Word and Service

• Rosemary A. Lee-Norman - Sanctuary Covenant Church, Minneapolis, MN
• Seth G. Lindberg - Redeemer Covenant Church, Brooklyn Park, MN

Transfer of Ordination

• David P. Berge - City of Lakes Covenant Church, Minneapolis, MN
• Keith D. Meyer - Hope Covenant Church, Grand Forks, ND

Commissioning

• Chadwick L. Persons - Bluewater Covenant Bible Camp, Grand Rapids, MN

More highlights from throughout the weekend:

Theme

Our theme this year is about fostering a healthy missional church culture within our region. We are convinced that God desires for every church to be faithful and fruitful in its context.

Congregational Vitality is about God's Spirit renewing peoples' ability to notice and experience God in their midst, and partnering with God in achieving His purposes in the world. This is why it is a NWC priority and something we are looking forward to exploring deeper together as we gather for our 2015 Annual Meeting.

Speaker

John Wenrich serves as the Director of Congregational Vitality for the Evangelical Covenant Church. In that role he works with regional staff throughout North America to provide ministry resources, guidance, and support to established churches. John also speaks internationally on the topic of congregational vitality and leadership.

View, download and share a video invitation from John Wenrich 

Ministry Fair

The "Celebration of Mission" Ministry Fair will take place throughout Friday afternoon of the 2015 Annual Meeting. Delegates and attendees will have an opportunity to learn about and interact with a whole host of conference-related ministries including representatives from our camps, Women Ministries, Covenant Trust Company, CHET and more.

Northwest Conference Authors

We are fortunate to have many great authors in our Conference, and this year's Annual Meeting and Ministry Fair will feature opportunities to learn more about their books, shake their hands, and perhaps take home a few new good reads!

Adventures in Leadership (June 20-27) promo materials available 

Nominate one or two of your students who have strong leadership traits for a transformational, weeklong leadership development experience. AIL is for select high school students and is based at Adventurous Christians camp. It's a powerful time of exploring Christian leadership principles and putting them into practice, all in a guided, challenging environment.

Information and materials are available on our AIL page.  

Sabbath Renewal Retreat for Children, Youth & Family Ministry Leaders

March 1-3, 2015 // $25 // Covenant Pines Bible Camp retreat center, McGregor, MN

Retreat begins with supper at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 1 and ends after breakfast on Tuesday, March 3.

We will gather for meals and guided reflection times led by Judy Swanberg, Associate Director of Pastoral Care & Development, Northwest Conference. Mornings, afternoons and evenings are yours. Rest, hike, read, draw, explore, knit, sleep. Judy will be available for spiritual direction, as well.

Details: Meals are provided by camp, linens are not. Bring a sleeping bag or sheets, plus a towel. Private rooms, shared bathroom.

To extend your stay, contact Holly Larson at Covenant Pines. holly@covenantpines.org.

Registration: contact Kara Stromberg, Director of Children & Family Ministry by Wednesday, Feb. 25 at kara@northwestconference.org.

Download the retreat flyer 

Covenant Pines Ministries Executive Director search update 

The Covenant Pines search team has been meeting for a number of weeks preparing for the search process for the next Executive Director. As we are able, we want to provide our constituents with periodic updates on our progress.

The Search Team Members are: Bill Cranford (First Covenant, St. Paul), Chair; Annie Waterman (Plymouth Covenant), Secretary; Michelle Beilby (Salem Covenant); Mary Kate Fretheim (Edina Covenant & Covenant Pines Executive Board); Jon Kramka (Northwest Conference); Ben Pease (Salem Covenant); Val Pederson (Buffalo Covenant); Herman Saul (Crosstown Covenant); and LaToya Taris (Community Covenant, Minneapolis). We are also utilizing the services of Rick Heltne and LeaderFinders, a search firm, to assist us with our charge.

To date you should know that we have drafted an Opportunity Profile, which presents an overview of the ministry and the Executive Director role in a narrative format as an introduction to potential candidates. The Opportunity Profile is now being posted on the Adventurous Christians, Covenant Pines Bible Camp and NWC websites, and being distributed to interested parties. If you know of interested candidates please direct them to the Profile as well.

Youth Ministry 

Did you go to CHIC? 

As a CHIC alumni, you know how God works in high school students' lives at this triennial Covenant event. Would you help a teenager get to CHIC? It's expensive. $649 for registration + $205 for transportation makes it a challenge for a number of our kids. 

We want to raise enough money to fund 100 $100 scholarships to invest in students who desperately want to go but can't quite afford it. This CHIC, we're planning on over 1,500 people from the Northwest Conference alone. Please partner with us to get each kid who wants to go to CHIC to CHIC. Every dollar helps us reach our goal.  

http://www.youcaring.com/other/get-northwest-conference-kids-to-chic/265502