August 10, 2016

Youth Ministry    
The 30th Anniversary of MUUUCE!

From Aug. 6-8, 605 middle schools students and their leaders from 45 churches gathered together for creative craziness, on-their-feet worship, formative teaching and incredible fun at Crossroads Church in Woodbury, MN. There were several NWC churches that have been coming all 30 years, dating back to the event's creation at Faith Covenant Church in Burnsville by youth pastors Tony Deach and John Skelly.
 
The 2016 speakers included Cesar Castillejos, Kara Stromberg, Erik Anderson and Eric Bemowski, who focused their talks on the theme of Pixels: "When we come together, we make a beautiful picture." Besides the worship and teaching, a massive Welcome Party with giant inflatable games greeted students. That evening they had the choice to go to Grand Slam, Vertical Endeavors or Sky Zone. On Friday, attendees spent much of the day at Valley Fair.

 
MUUUCE (Most Unbelievable, Ultimate, Urban Camping Experience) is created with middle schoolers in mind: the messages, the worship, the games and the discussions are all geared towards helping middle schoolers realize they are loved by God, they're important to the church, and that fun can be a big part of their faith journey. The Crossroads team again did a fantastic job designing and hosting the event, with a team of over 200 volunteers working different shifts to make it run seamlessly.

Oct. 3-5 at Chase on the Lake Resort      
Registration now available online       
 
The NWC Ministerial Association Retreat for pastors, church ministry staff and spouses, will be held Oct. 3-5, 2016, at the elegant, historic Chase on the Lake Resort situated on beautiful Leech Lake near the heart of downtown Walker, MN.

Speaker: Cecilia Williams 
 
Cecilia Williams is passionate about connecting the ministries of the local church to the physical, social, and spiritual realities and concerns of the communities in which they are planted, as well as the communities to which they are called. She believes that God has anchored the church as a "catalyst of hope" for Kingdom advancement, community transformation and positive social change. Williams currently serves as Executive Minister for the Love Mercy Do Justice (LMDJ) mission priority of the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC).

Schedule includes: 
  • More Free Time to connect with your peers
  • Spiritual Direction opportunities
  • Worship and Communion
To register, visit the 2016 Ministerial Association Retreat event page online. 

Monday, Aug. 22 - 7 p.m. @ NWC Office  

Topic: The Department of Labor updated their rules for determining who is exempt (and not exempt) from overtime pay effective December 1, 2016.  We will discuss worker status (employee or contractor) as well as exempt and non-exempt classifications at our next gathering.

WebEx link available by emailing Sandy Norris.

Jeremy Bower promoted to Major

Congratulations to Jeremy Bower (Youth and Family Pastor, Salem Road Covenant Church, Rochester, MN) on his recent National Guard promotion to the rank of Major in the US Army National Guard. Jeremy currently serves as the 34th Infantry Division Operations Chaplain in Rosemount, MN.
Pastoral Care & Development   
Weekend Marriage Retreat for Pastors and Spouses coming in November   
 
The Pastoral Care & Development team is planning a Weekend Marriage Retreat for Pastors and Spouses, Nov. 18-20, at Lake Beauty Bible Camp. The retreat will be led by Keith and Cheri Meyers. More details coming soon. 
Pastoral Installation 
Mark Andrews installed at Lake Union Covenant Church in South Haven, MN
 
Congratulations to Mark Andrews who was installed as Pastor at Lake Union Covenant Church on July 24. Most recently having served as a planting pastor in Tavares, FL, this is a return for Mark to the NWC as he served at Hope Covenant in Grand Forks in 2003-06 and in an interim capacity at Lake Union in 2002.
NWC News  
Sabbatical for Superintendent Mark Stromberg runs through Sept. 13  
 
Please make note that NWC Superintendent Mark Stromberg will be out of the office through Monday, Sept. 5 (Labor Day), on Sabbatical and unavailable throughout his time away. Upon return, he will then be at Superintendent meetings the week of Sept. 5 and will have limited ability to respond in a timely manner during that time.

His first day back in the office will be Tuesday, Sept. 13. During his time away, please contact the NWC office with any questions or needs and you will be directed to another appropriate staff person. Mark thanks you in advance for your patient understanding during his absence. 
To see the full NWC Calendar, visit northwestconference.org/events/

September 7-9, 2016
CRIM Retreat - Covenant Pines Bible Camp, McGregor, MN

October 2-3, 2016
  Church Planter's Retreat - Chase on the Lake, Walker, MN

October 3-5, 2016
Ministerial Association Retreat - Chase on the Lake, Walker, MN

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