First Evangelical Covenant Church

We enjoyed another wonderful Party @ The Park this fall with our neighbors... in fact our 5th annual block party! Thanks to all who came out and participated, enjoying the beautiful day together! While the morning was a bit dreary, God graciously allowed us to party in the sunshine, and it turned out to be a beautiful day. Enjoy the highlights in this video...

PATP2009

Following Matthew 25:40, "... whatever you did for one of the least of these, you did for me," seventeen junior high students lived out a three-day serving experience at River Bluff Nursing Home, Kids Around the World (Feed My Starving Children), The Carpenter's Place and our own PARK ministry. The experience was modeled after the high school missions trip last summer in Chicago through CSM (Center for Student Missions), a nationwide ministry with sites in major cities.

THE PARK: Summer '09 has come to a close, but not without leaving its mark on joy-filled kids and equally touched staff! Relive some of the fun in the following video:

ThePark-Summer09-WrapUp

Summer is such a wonderful time of year. I enjoy all the seasons of the year, and each season contains aspects that set it apart from the other seasons. My affinity for summer likely stems from growing up in Washington State (did I hear someone say "God's country"?). I remember as a kid waiting all year for summer. This is probably due to the Seattle metro area being cloudy much of the year. In fact, the annual average of cloudy days is 225 and partly cloudy days is 82. Thus the number of clear sunny skies is 58. Most of these days are during the summer months. It is easy to see why as a child I would anticipate summer's advent. (In defense of my beloved home state annual precipitation is less than that of New York, Miami, Atlanta, and Tulsa to name a few. Seattle only gets two more inches a year than Rockford.)

This summer excites me, but for different reasons. It excites me because of the ministries and leadership of this church.

At last the rays of sunshine are more than the flakes of snow here in Rockford... and spring was ushered in by a wonderful holy week, commemorating and celebrating the culmination of Christ's earthly ministry and work of salvation! On Thursday, we shared The Last Supper together, combining elements of a Mediterranean-style meal with a backdrop reminiscent of DaVinci's painting, featuring a glimpse into the thoughts of the apostles, presented in biblically-insightful monologues.

On Good Friday, we asked together, "Who Is This King?"—a question answered powerfully in the Easter cantata featuring the Praise Chorale and live orchestra: He is the Christ!

On Saturday, all ages stepped back in time to the 1st Century, as the sights, sounds, smells and activities filled the church—which was transformed into Jerusalem Marketplace.

And finally, on Sunday, we released the Hallelujahs in the morning worship services, ending our fast and once again letting our rejoicing out that Jesus, the Christ, is risen! Hallelujah! He is risen indeed!