April 7, 2016
 
Pastoral Care & Development  
We create the space and you decide how to fill it based on your current needs

WHEN: May 16-17

WHERE: Lake Beauty Bible Camp

This is a self-directed time away for whatever is most needful for you right now: prayer, rest, study, advance planning, quiet reflection or any combination of the above.

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT:
  • Private room for sleeping
  • Quiet places to work, pray, unwind
  • Three good meals with colleagues
  • Retreat coordinator available for personal conversation
Fee: $30 per participant
 
To download a promotional flyer or for registration details, click here.  

Join us for our first Finance Connection 
Monday, April 18 at 7 p.m.
 
Send your local church volunteers and paid staff working in the area of financial tasks to a conversation about the philosophical, as well as technical, aspects of serving well as leaders in this crucial area of ministry.
 
Join us in person at the Northwest Conference office (3106 47th Ave S, Mpls) on Monday, April 18, at 7 p.m. or join us electronically. Let me (Sandy Norris) know you're interested in the WebEx option and I'll send an invitation with the link. The first gathering will identify topics for future conversations and learning. 
 
Contact Sandy Norris at sandy@northwestconference.org or 651-707-6617 for more details.  

2016 Annual Meeting
Join us in recognizing candidates for Ordination and Commissioning
 
The 2016 NWC Annual Meeting will take place April 28-30 at Lakeview Covenant Church, Duluth, MN, and we've got great speakers and events lined up!
 
Throughout both the Ministerial Association and Northwest Conference Annual Meetings, we'll be recognizing candidates for Ordination and Commissioning. Candidates will share testimonies during the Ministerial Association meeting on Friday morning, and will be recognized and prayed for during the Friday evening NWC Annual Meeting Worship Service. This year's list of candidates includes:

Ordination to Word and Sacrament
  • Karna Louise Anderson - Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis, MN
  • Sten William Carlson - Cedarbrook Church, Menomonie, WI
  • Elizabeth Lynn Englehorn - Crossview Covenant Church, North Mankato, MN
  • Brad Alan Kindall - Faith Covenant Church, Burnsville, MN
  • Daniel Aaron May - First Covenant Church, Willmar, MN
  • Luke Stephen Oliver - First Covenant Church, Superior, WI
  • Leslie Xavier Sanders - First Covenant Church, St Paul, MN
  • Amy Jane Strom - Evangelical Covenant Church, Bemidji, MN
  • Kecia LeAnn French Stroot - Evangelical Covenant Church, Roseau, MN
  • Terry Curtis White - First Covenant Crossroads, Duluth, MN
Ordination to Word and Service
  • Paula Anne Frost - Rochester Covenant Church, Rochester, MN
  • Charlene Marie Rotvold - Faith Covenant Church, Burnsville, MN
Transfer of Ordination
  • Dennis Robert Edwards - The Sanctuary Covenant Church, Minneapolis, MN
Theme: Serve Globally
While correlating to one of the mission priorities of the ECC, our 2016 theme primarily emanates from the historic commitment that NWC churches have had to proclaiming the good news of Jesus around the world. Join us as we celebrate the good things that are being done to do just that through our churches and people!

Speaker: Al Tizon
Al Tizon is Executive Minister of Serve Globally, the international ministries arm of the Evangelical Covenant Church.
 
Registration
For more details as they become available, and to register online, visit our 2016 Annual Meeting page.
 
Youth Ministry 
MOVE: Unsung / April 15-16 
Minnehaha Academy 

In this culture of Instagram fame and Snapchat celebrities, God still uses the average person to do amazing things. Bring your high school students for this incredible life-changing two-day event focused on compassion, justice and service.

Hector Saucedo (remember him from CHIC Basecamp?) is our speaker and Blue Oaks is leading worship. Cost: $30 for students and $20 for adults. Registration materials are online on our MOVE 2016 page.


Children & Family Ministry
Registration now open! 
Saturday, May 7, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.  |  First Covenant Church, St. Paul
 
Register Now  |  Go:Serve Event Page  |  Go:Serve Promo Video

Do your families know about Go: Serve? For $10/family, families with elementary-aged kids will minister together in family-friendly, safe, but stretching environment. Serve and learn together as a family, spark discussion and inspire kids to make a difference in their communities.

New ministry sites in East St. Paul this year! All families will participate in all ministry sites.

Register online as a family by May 2. Hope to see you there!


To enhance connections among those serving in NWC churches and other types of ministry, we offer this Life Events feature. Pastors and ministry staff are encouraged to send news of births, adoptions, weddings, and deaths (immediate family only) to Jeff Burton, Director of Pastoral Care & Development.

Births

James Bjorn Hofer

Born: March 21, 2016
Parents: Kia and Tommy Hofer (Kia is the high school youth pastor at Excelsior Covenant).




CHET Northwest Conference 
CHET NWC students equipped to be better parents and leaders    
 
On two recent Saturdays, current students and graduates of CHET Northwest Conference participated in engaging workshops on two important topics. Nils and Erika Clauson, Covenant Missionaries in Mexico, led "Raising Children in Two Cultures," and Pastor Marcelo Balbi-who is serving in Minneapolis and has a long history with the Covenant taught-"Leading from Within."
 
The vision of CHET is to transform communities with the Good News of Jesus Christ through Latina and Latino leaders. We know that few of our students will become pastors, but our hope is that they will be discipled to love, lead and serve more like Jesus because of their studies. As part of CHET NWC's pre-ministerial program, students take six classes on the Life of Jesus, one each semester, and also participate in one workshop per semester.
 
For more information, contact Greg Ellis, CHET NWC Coordinator at: greg@CHETNorthwestConference.org or follow CHET NWC on Facebook.
 

Pastoral Installation
John Jenks installed at Lakeview Covenant Church in Duluth, MN

Congratulations to John Jenks who was installed as pastor at Lakeview Covenant Church in Duluth, MN, on April 3. John was previously founding pastor of Cascade Covenant Church in North Bend, WA where he served for 24 years. 
 
To see the full NWC Calendar, visit northwestconference.org/events/

April 15-16, 2016
MOVE - Minnehaha Academy, South Campus, Minneapolis, MN
 
April 28-29, 2016
Ministerial Association Annual Meeting - Lakeview Covenant Church + First Covenant Church, Duluth, MN
 
April 29-30, 2016
Northwest Conference Annual Meeting - Lakeview Covenant Church, Duluth, MN

May 7, 2016
Go:Serve - First Covenant Church, St. Paul, MN
 
June 18-25, 2016
Adventures in Leadership - Adventurous Christians, Grand Marais, MN
 
August 4-6, 2016
MUUUCE - Crossroads Church, Woodbury, MN

Northwest Conference, 3106 47th Ave. S.  |  612.721.4893  |  northwestconference.org