I was team teaching second-grade Sunday school. Another teacher asked the class, “Does anyone know what Lent is?” A quiet boy who rarely participated raised his hand excitedly. “Lent is the stuff you find in your belly button!”
Features
The Returning Ones
The book called out to me. That’s all I can say. I’d heard about it in passing, then one day I saw it on my colleague’s desk. Perhaps it was the phrase “I’m perfect” that was scribbled out and re-written “The Imperfect Pastor,” that struck me. But I still didn’t read it. Several years later, it sat languishing on my nightstand until I finally had enough wisdom (or desperation) to pick it up.
Home from the Hospital
Where do you go when you’re sick and homeless? Often the ER is the best option for chronically homeless individuals with medical issues. Across the country emergency department staff find themselves greeting the same faces again and again. Without the safety and stability of permanent housing, homeless people are vulnerable to illnesses, accidents, and violent crime necessitating medical attention.
Nobody Requests a Shipwreck
Have you ever heard the song “The Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze”? It says, “He’d fly through the air with the greatest of ease, that daring young man on the flying trapeze.”
The Word on the Street
Phil and Rici Skei did not set out to plant a church. Twelve years ago Phil was working for Intervarsity Christian Fellowship as the executive director of their Fresno Institute for Urban Leadership.
Can “Evangelical” Be Saved?
More than a century ago, a small group of Swedish immigrants and children of immigrants in my hometown of Attleboro, Massachusetts, decided to build a church. They wanted a place to worship together. And they want to sing the songs they knew, in a language they understood, among people they could love and trust. So they built a home where their little family of God’s friends could flourish.
Barred Justice
Dominique Gilliard is the director of racial righteousness and reconciliation for the Covenant, and author of Rethinking Incarceration: Advocating for Justice That Restores (IVP Books, 2018), which has received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. We asked him what the church can do to address mass incarceration and how we need to rethink our legal system.
Addiction & the Church
As an alcoholic in recovery, I occasionally have to deal with painful reminders of my past. It’s part of the deal. You go into recovery, and it’s really hard, and sometimes you have to pay your dues.
Faithful Farewell
This summer Gary Walter will retire from his role as the ninth president of the Evangelical Covenant Church. Recently the Companion’s Ed Gilbreath asked him about his time in office and what he sees ahead for the denomination.
Five Minutes with Ed Delgado: Educating Latino Students Far and Near
In 1989 CHET was started with an endowment from First Covenant Church of Los Angeles. We continue to be supported by that endowment, as well as donations, legacy gifts, and student tuition. Today we offer programs ranging from pre-ministerial classes to a bachelor’s degree in Christian ministry. Our students come from seventeen countries, and in the past thirty years we have graduated more than 10,000 students from our programs!
When the Cup of Endurance Runs Over
I stepped out onto the tiny porch of my sister’s second floor apartment and settled into a chair nestled among a handful of potted plants. Palm branches flanked the porch, creating a tiny urban sanctuary in the South L.A. neighborhood where she lived. […]
The Camp Factor
I loved going to camp when I was young. Heading up to Covenant Pines Bible Camp in McGregor, Minnesota, every year was a great adventure into a land where games and candy mixed with worship and messages. […]