When I was a little boy I was afraid of the dark. We had a scary basement with only a single light bulb hanging over the washer and dryer, leaving everything else in shadows. […]
Magazine
Expressions: The Crown of Christmas
Rough lines outline a humble stable scene where the birth of Christ is celebrated by lowly oxen and sheep. […]
Big Q: When did you first feel at home in the church?
I was four years old and went to the evening service (remember those?) with my mom and dad. In those days they had time for testimonies during the service, and as testimony time came to a close, the pastor asked if anyone else would like to share. […]
Freedom to Ask
Jia Jiang walked into a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop seeking rejection. With video cameras rolling, he approached the counter and asked for Olympic doughnuts—five interlinked doughnuts decorated like the Olympic rings symbol. […]
Five Minutes with Abby Conger (Open Door Immigration Services)
Open Door Immigration Services is a new nonprofit ministry of Highrock Northshore, a Covenant congregation in Salem, Massachusetts. With a grant from Love Mercy Do Justice, the 501(c)3 held its grand opening in September. We asked executive director Abby Conger about their work. […]
When Two Sides Are One Too Many
In progressive Portland, the idea that anyone could be so enamored by the cultural traditions of the Old South that they could overlook the horrors of American slavery is, well, laughable. It’s funny because it’s ridiculous—and also because it’s true. […]
Fleeing to Bethlehem
For many, the season of Advent represents a journey that culminates in the joyful celebration of Jesus’s birth, full of spiritual meaning and significance but also bolstered by the excitement of impending family gatherings, the promise of gifts given and received, and the idealistic hope of peace on earth for at least one day of the year. […]
A Forgotten history
A new $23 million bicycle bridge is being built in our church’s neighborhood of Bronzeville in Chicago two blocks from an elementary school. […]
Grace in a time of bloodshed
Mathew Jock Moses was born in 1976 in Sudan, a country that has been at war with itself throughout his lifetime. Members of his extended family have been among the victims of all-too-common atrocities committed by every people group. […]
Exactly. Especially. Now.
It’s late fall over here on the West Coast. The angle of the light is changing, days are shorter, breezes are brisker. Soon we will begin making plans for Thanksgiving, hoping against hope that there will be more to be thankful for at that end of the month than there is right now. […]
Why We Published That Interview
In the latest issue of the Covenant Companion, we feature an interview with pastors Peter Ahn and Alex Gee on the need for Covenanters to speak more honestly with each other about race relations in our churches. The article has generated a considerable amount of buzz—both positive and critical.
Breaking the Silence
After the 2016 election, many pastors resigned themselves to never talking about race from the pulpit, lest they disturb the fault lines in their congregations. […]