Finding Us
316 Wood Road (map)
Rockford, IL 61107
Ph 815.398.4247
Weekly Schedule
Sunday Morning
8:30 Traditional Worship
9:45 LifeTime Hour
11:00 Contemporary Worship
Wednesday Evening
6:30p Children & Youth
7:00p Adult Bible Study
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Written by Pastor Peter Dibley
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Spring is such a joyous time of year. Flowers blooming, trees blossoming, and the fresh fragrance of rain remind us of new life; especially new life in Christ. Yet there are billions of people who are spiritually dead and do not know new life in Christ. There are millions of people who not only are spiritually dead, but their day-to-day physical lives are dead, hopeless, and dark. We who are Christians are called to share the good news of Jesus Christ which brings new life. This new life is both physical and spiritual. One way of sharing the good news is through ministries and actions focused on compassion, mercy, and justice.
Not too long ago, in a galaxy not too far away, the Women's Ministry Commission of First Evangelical Covenant Church brought to our attention a grave injustice of our current time: modern day slavery and human trafficking. There are a lot of areas where slavery occurs: agriculture, manufacturing, sex industry, domestic service, etc. Two of these areas were specifically targeted: sex slavery and chocolate.
Many people have asked about the chocolate issue. This is a complex issue. Women's Ministry provided a list of chocolate companies that know about the use of slaves in the cultivation, harvesting, and processing of their chocolate. These companies have responded in different ways to this knowledge. The most well-known response was that a majority of chocolate manufacturing companies in 2001 signed a document commonly called The Cocoa Protocol. In brief, the companies made a promise to certify their products as free of trafficked or forced child labor by 2005. When 2005 rolled around, these companies had made little if any headway in achieving that goal. They changed the goal of the agreement to certify 50 percent of their products to be free of trafficked or forced child labor by 2008. According to most watchdog groups (e.g., STOP THE TRAFFIK and International Labor Rights Forum) the signers of this document did not reach this 2008 goal, and have done very little to implement the goal as of 2010. Despite the failure to reach the 2008 goal, it is important to recognize that some companies have made better advancements than others. For example, Cadbury has released one line of product that they can verify is slave free. (It is their Dairy Milk chocolate bars.) Nestlé has also releaded one line of verifiable slave-free chocolate in the UK and Ireland: the four-finger Kit Kat® bar. Hershey's chocolate has acquired two formally independent companies (Scharffen Berger and Dagoba) who are able to verify their products as fair-trade, organic, and/or slave free. Hershey's has also made a commitment to support growing environmentally sustainable cocoa.
So here is the burning question: should we buy chocolate products from Cadbury, Nestlé or Hershey's? Of course you have to decide for yourself, but here is what I have been thinking. There are a couple of different opinions I have read on this issue. One opinion is to only buy fair-trade/slave-free, whole trade, and/or organic products. Another opinion is that it is not wise to boycott the "big chocolate companies." The reasoning for the second opinion is that although the big companies buy chocolate from some farmers who use slaves, they buy a majority of their chocolate from farmers who do not use slaves. Thus in the end, those farmers who do not use slaves are hurt in the boycott process. I am sure there is good sense in this opinion, but here is the rub for me. If a small company can ensure its products are slave-free I cannot understand why a large company cannot do the same. Smaller companies with a fraction of market share are proving slave-free chocolate is not only possible but competitive. Imagine the impact on the industry (and on Africa) if a company like Cadbury committed to ensure that all their products were 100 percent slave-free and environmentally sustainable. Certainly one chocolate bar is a good start. Certainly the goal of 50 percent fewer exploited, abused children is a good goal. But let us be honest, one bar and 50 percent fewer child slaves is simply not good enough. I would prefer to buy chocolate from a company that can guarantee all their product line is free from slavery at every level of production (i.e., from cocoa bean to chocolate bar). This is why I support buying fair-trade/slave-free, whole trade, and/or organic products. We need to let it be known that there is a market for slave-free products. The power is literally in our hands and it is such a small, easy decision. We do not have to give up eating chocolate. We are not being asked to give additional funds to a cause. We are merely choosing one product over another. That simple choice here makes a world of difference there. In addition to your purchasing power it is also recommended to write to one of the "big companies" and share your concern about their slow response to provide 100 percent slave-free chocolate products. If you want to know where to purchase "good" chocolate, see below for a list of where to buy fair-trade/slave-free chocolate in Rockford. If you know of other stores that carry these products, let us know! Bon appétit!
Just Goods
- Devine—chocolate bars
- Endangered Species—chocolate bars
- Equal Exchange—baking chocolate and hot chocolate
Natural Choices
- Alaska—baking chocolate, chocolate syrup
- Endangered Species—chocolate bars
- Green and Blacks—hot chocolate
- nSpire (SunSpire)—chocolate chips, M&M, Almond Joy, Mounds, Peppermint Patty style chocolate, and much more
Starbucks
- Starbucks brand—chocolate bars, chocolate-covered graham crackers and espresso beans
- Dagoba Organic—chocolate bars
Woodmans
- Endangered Species—chocolate bars
- Greens and Blacks— chocolate bars
- Newman's Own— chocolate bars
- nSpire (SunSpire)—chocolate chips and Almond Joy/Mounds style bars
- Rapunzel— chocolate bars
- Sharffen Berger— chocolate bars
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Written by Pastor Peter Dibley
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Last Spring I wrote about the church calendar. I mentioned that the church calendar is divided into six cycles: Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, Lent, Easter, and Pentecost. I made mention of the meaning of Lent. I wrote that the Covenant Book of Worship
"describes the season of Lent as 'a reflective and penitential season, asking Christians to examine themselves as they remember the suffering and sacrifice of Jesus on their behalf.' The Season of Lent is a 40 day (excluding Sundays) period based on the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness fasting and resisting temptations (Matthew 4:1-11; Mark 1:12,13; Luke 4:1-13). In our egomaniacal culture where personal ease and desire take a cultish precedence over all else I have found this time of reflection and denial in imitation of Jesus deeply enriching. For those who are comfortable with practicing it, I pray you will find it enriching to your life as well." What I took for granted is that people would understand what I meant by a "time of reflection and denial."
The practice of denial is the tradition of fasting from something for the 40 days of Lent. The practice of reflection is the commitment to follow a Lenten devotional.
This year, while contemplating what I would give up for Lent and what devotional I wold follow, I read some thought-provoking articles. One article particularly caught my attention. The article, "Lent Isn't About Denial—It's About Transformation," by Julie Clawson, takes aim at the practice of denial for the sake of denial. The title of Clawson's article may be misleading as it seems to indicate that denial is not to be a practice of Lent. But she clearly indicates that denial is important in the Christian life, but only as a means to an end. That end is transformation. Self-denial begins the process that allows for transformation because it takes something out of one's life and creates a space for Christ. As Christ fills one's life then that person can become more like Christ by loving people and caring for their needs. What I appreciate about the article is the question she asks, "What can I do to allow God to transform me this season?" This is a great question that points to the purpose of practicing Lent. Indeed, it is a question that one should ask every day whether during Lent, or Christmas, or on vacation. So during Lent, the practice of denying oneself a commodity lik chocolate or coffee may be what one person needs for transformation. Denying oneself of watching a TV show or movie may be a way to be transformed. Denying oneself of Facebook, Twitter, or MySpace during Lent may be transformative.
One may ask, how does the act of giving up coffee, chocolate, watching TV or movies, Facebook, etc., achieve transformation? Let me give an example: what if a person not only gave up eating chocolate as an act of self-denial for the 40 days of Lent, but made a commitment to buy fair trade/slave-free chocolate once he/she goes back to eating chocolate? What if a person who gives up TV or movies replaces that time with reading his/her Bible and praying? What if a person who gives up online social networking starts a face-to-face small group that helped the needs of others? Maybe a person does not give up anything like I have suggested. Maybe a person makes a choice to only write positive comments on Facebook, or watches only uplifting TV or movies, or maybe a person chooses to host a fair trade/slave-free chocolate tasting for his/her friends during Lent (do a web search for fair trade Easter chocolate, e.g., Lutheran World Relief). Whatever the choice, ask the question, "How is this going to transform me and help me love others and care for their needs?" |
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Written by Darla Ruiz
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First Covenant recently bought a seven passenger van for our Sister Church in Kalinovka, Ukraine. The following is a letter from Pastor Igor:
Dear Church of the Lord Jesus Christ in Rockford!
Please receive the warmest greetings from brothers and sisters from Kalinovka as well as Igor and his family. We have recently finished our Christmas program that God allowed us to serve in the surrounding villages.
We have started celebrating Christmas last year on December 25th. (Christmas in Ukraine is generally celebrated by the Orthodox calendar, the first Sunday in January.) Brothers and sisters gathered together in the evening time in the House of Prayer where we all together read Christmas story from the Bible and shared with each other stories and wonderful experiences how Jesus was being born in our hearts some time in the past. It was a very special time with a cozy and peaceful but at the same time so joyful atmosphere when all of us could meet in a friendly circle as one big family of God. We thank God and of course thank you for making it possible for us to meet in such a beautiful place for fellowship.
On the 6th, 7th, 8th of January we had a Christmas program in villages Omelianiv, Bogdanivka, Skibin and Kalinovka. During all the trips we had lots of snow and a good frost but God has blessed us with a wonderful transportation, where 7 people could fit plus gifts, literature and a musical instrument—accordion. It helped us to greet people from these villages right in their homes as we went caroling. Some people we have visited are invalids and can’t move by themselves. Our team worked hard during those three days and everybody was so happy, even though they felt a little bit tired as the third day was coming to the end. But it was fatigue of joy and satisfaction and happiness as we could all together serve the Lord.
God has blessed us with gifts and we could organize a special Christmas performance with the help of Word of Life students. There were more than 200 kids and adults in the village club who came to this Christmas performance and heard the good news about Jesus. Also we had a puppet performance in Kalinovka kindergarten for the children there. There were adults as well. Our last Christmas meeting was in Bogdanivka where more than 100 students heard the gospel presentation.
Now we are so happy as we realize that God gave us this privilege to serve Him. Thank you again for enabling us to do such a great ministry God entrusted us to do. Automobile is a big blessing for us. I am very very thankful for your generosity and thank God for that.
In Him, Pastor Igor |
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Sunday's Message
September 5
Patient Endurance
Scripture: Revelation 3:7-13
Pastor Peter Dibley |
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