Inviting all to grow in Christ and serve together in God s love. From the Desk of Pastor Jill Craig

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1 Covenant Courier Inviting all to grow in Christ and serve together in God s love. From the Desk of Pastor Jill Craig It was good to be together with our fellow Midwest Conference Churches for the Midwest Annual Celebration (MAC). It was good to see the intentional movement in the Conference towards Racial Reconciliation, the inclusion of Ethnic or Multi-Ethnic churches in our conference, as well as the intentional affirmation of women in ministry, not only through theological conversation, but the practical placement of female leadership in our conference. I left the Midwest Annual Celebration encouraged by the forward thinking of our conference leaders. During the Ministerium meeting that met before the MAC kicked off, the pastors were asked to make a commitment for our Churches for the next year in the three areas that the conference hopes to move towards growth in. These three areas are part of a 10-year goal that the conference set last year. They include: 8000 disciples in 140 churches 25% of our churches Multi-Ethnic or Ethnic (At least, as Tammy would say) 30% Female Pastors or 15% female co-/lead pastors May, June, July 2018 It is my prayer and commitment, as we move towards 8000 disciples in 140 churches in the Midwest Conference, that Wakefield Covenant Church becomes intentional in our planning and in our praying to reach 10 adults with the Good News of Jesus Christ. Our goal as a church will be to invite 10 adults into a relationship with Jesus. How will we do that? By being a BLESSing. How are you doing at being a being a blessing? Are you still praying for, Listening to, Eating with, Serving with love, and Sharing your story with a friend, neighbor or co-worker who might not have a relationship with Jesus? Second, our denomination has a rich history of being an immigrant church. For decades we welcomed our Swedish Lutheran immigrant brothers and sisters with open arms. The Covenant is continuing to live into this rich history of being an immigrant church by continuing to welcome, with open arms, immigrant brothers and sisters from many different nations. It is my prayer that Wakefield Covenant will join the denomination in welcoming our ethnic brothers and sisters in two ways. First, by sharing the pulpit with a preacher that is non-anglo. Second, by partnering with an ethnic specific church. The reality is that God has already moved WakeCov in this direction by bringing Pastor Ruben to our church. We know that Pastor Ruben is a faithful man of God who is passionate about living into the gospel and sharing the love of Jesus with everyone he meets. I am so excited to see what God is doing through Ruben and Iglesia Evangelica Casa De Oracion and how we can partner with him on this journey. (continued on page 2) Covenant Church 802 Winter Wakefield, NE Church Phone Pastor s Phone Office hours Mon. Thurs. church@wakecov.org pastorjill@wakecov.org prayer@wakecov.org Website Facebook Pastor Jill Craig Office Manager Dawn Reimers Worship Leader Tiffany Lamprecht Custodian Lynnett Hansen

2 Our Mission: Inviting all to grow in Christ and serve together in God's love. Our Vision: In cooperation with God s Spirit, we hope to see: An environment centered on God s redeeming love where people of all ages, races, and walks of life feel they belong and can grow in their faith A culture of continual growth in our dependence on God where we are honest about our imperfections and support one another through life s ups and downs Disciples engaging with God s Word and living it daily A church that encourages people to get involved and equips them to serve with the abilities God has given them Mission-minded servants sent out to make a difference in our community and our world with the compassion and generosity of Jesus Christ Giving Report Year to date Giving: $51, Percent of Budget: 30.3% February April Giving: $36, February - April Expenses: $35, Sunday Average Attendance February: 104 March: 103 April: 112 No Payments towards pledges have been made at this time. Find us on Visit youtube.com and search wakefield covenant church to find our page. We also try to share our videos on our Facebook page once they are posted (facebook.com/wakecov). Congratulations to... Kami & Matt Murphy on the birth of Halle Jean on March 23rd Henry Lehn Garrard baptized on March 25th, son of Miles and Emily Garrard New Members received on Sunday April 29th: Edi Billiar, Dillon Borg, Rachel Borg, Couy Johnson, Katie VanderVeen, Ruben Vega Jr., Ruben Vega Sr. Edie Billiar Baptized on April 15th Wakefield Covenant Centennial Scholarship recipients receiving $500 each: Megan Borg, Annette Chase, Noah Lamprecht Emmalee Pommer Prayer To be added to the prayer list, subscribe at (Pastor s Desk continued from front page) The final goal set by the conference is 30% female pastors in our pulpit. Done. WakeCov is already a forward-thinking church when it comes to affirming women in their call to serving God in leadership positions. Let us continue to encourage women, of all ages, to live into the call that God has placed on their lives. One way that the conference is helping women discern their call is by offering an Exploring Call Retreat in Oct. Are there women in our church who would benefit from attending this retreat? Yes, yes there are! If you see God s call on a young or not so young lady s life, encourage them to attend this retreat. In closing, I want to say that I am encouraged, not only by the commitment of our Conference to live into the beautiful mosaic that is the Kingdom of God, but I am ecstatic that the Evangelical Covenant Church of Wakefield NE, population 1389, has the opportunity to worship like scripture prophecies we will in Revelation 7:9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. May we always be a church whose hearts are attuned to listening to where the Holy Spirit is working, and a church who is willing to join Him there.

3 You can still sign up for camp as spots are available. Go to cedars.org to register online or print of a registration form. Then let the camp committee know who is going to camp and when. CAMP GRADE DATE (2018) Pathfinder 1st-2nd June Sr. High 9th-12th June Jr. High 7th-8th June Explorer 5th-6th July 1-6 Trailblazer 3rd-4th July 8-11 Last Chance 3rd-12th Aug 6-8 Camp Committee would like to thank everyone for there support with all the camp fundraisers these past few month. There are currently 40 youth signed up for camp from our church that we are able to cover some of the cost for because of your generosity. Camp Committee - Madison McAfee, Anita Muller, Sue VanderVeen High School Bible Study Every Wednesday 6:30-8:00PM At Parsonage Community Vacation Bible School At Salem June 3-7 From 6:30-8:30 PM For all Pre-K to 5th grade Registration at church or register online at wakecov.org 2018 College/Post Graduates Jason Jensen On May 12th, Jason will graduate with a degree in Plumbing Technology from Northeast Community College in Norfolk. Jason has accepted an apprenticeship at Midwestern Mechanical in Sioux City. Becky Gothier On December 15, 2017 Becky Gothier graduated from Wayne State College with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration/Office Administration, 23 years to the day after receiving an Associates Degree in Accounting from Lincoln School of Commerce. Many people had a hand in getting me through the seven long years at WSC. I'd like to thank the scholarship committee for their financial assistance of my last semester, Wakefield Schools for allowing me to take time away from work to attend my last few classes, and my family, especially my husband Paul, for listening to my complaints about homework and pushing me to finish. Joshua Dolph Graduating from Briar Cliff University Sioux City, Iowa - May 12 th Bachelor of Science Degree Kinesiology and Human Performance. Currently I m finishing up a 5 month Internship at the University of Texas with the Strength and Conditioning coaches for the football program and will be getting married in June with plans to find job in the Omaha area. I want to thank my church family for all your support and prayers the last 4 years of college. Daniel Muller Graduating May 5th from South Dakota State University. I plan to help on the farm and look for a job.

4 Wakefield Highschool Benjamin Chase I will be attending UNL to be in the pre-veterinarian program. Emmalee Pommer (right) will be attending University of Minnesota and majoring in theatre and astrophysics Julio Sanchez "I plan on attending Wayne State College in the fall. I will be majoring in secondary education." Linea Virik (left) will be returning to Noteroy Norway May 22 to finish final year of school. Francesco Guala (on right) Francesco will return home to Italy and finish his last year of high school. His interests of now are in the business field. Joyce Sherer "I will be attending Northeast College then UNMC for nursing. Noah Lamprecht I am planning to attend Briar Cliff University in the fall. I will be majoring in education. I would like to thank all my church family for all your support so far in my journey Honoring Graduates May 13, 2018 During 10:00am Worship

5 Top left to right: Coralynn Risehmueller Dazjah Tinsley Destiny Helzer Aishah Valenzuela 2nd Row: Kaden Kratke Two years ago these 8 young men and women began their faith journey of Confirmation. They have study both the New and Old Testaments, mapped out timelines of important events and influential persons in the Bible, memorized scriptures and examined their personal faith questions. It has not always been easy but each of them committed themselves to the process and we are honored as a congregation to confirm them in the Evangelical Covenant Church. Confirmation Sunday May 6th, 10:00 a.m. I learned that Jesus is an important piece of my life and he will always be there Kaden that bring God into your life is an easy thing to do. Aisha...is that God does not punish us. He sacrificed his only son so we could be saved. Why would he do that if only to punish us? He did because he loves us. For all the horrible things someone may think they have done, God will always be there for them. Your friends and even family will let you down, but God never will. Dazjah I learned that God uses us when we may not know, but He always has a reason. Destiny by letting me get to know more about God than what I knew about him. Confirmation gave me confidence to get Baptized Coralynn It has taught me to pray more. Gabriel...by reassuring me that I am part of the grand design. Ruben Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:12 Olivia Donner Gabriel Lamprecht Ruben Vega

6 May Meetings Deacon Board No May Meeting Trustee Board No May Meeting Executive Board No May Meeting C.E. Board No May Meeting May Trustees Jason Jensen Cody McAfee May Ushers Denny Carlson Ellen Carlson Bob VanderVeen Denny Fredrickson Dates to Remember Wednesday May 2 Confirmation Dinner for families of 2018 Confirmands Sunday May 6th Confirmation Sunday Sunday May 13th Honor Graduates Mother s Day WHCC Worship at 1:15 Monday May 28th Memorial Day Office Closed Every Sunday Morning Worship 10:00 AM Iglesia Evangelica Casa De Oracion 3:00 PM led by Ruben Vega Adult Bible Study 5:00 PM 1 Becky Gothier 2 -- Cael Johnson 2 Barb Preston 2 Noah Lamprecht 4 -- Boston Brown 11 Mike Muller 12 Rose Gothier 14 Katie VanderVeen 15 Elmer Carlson 17 Breanna Chase Evan Donnor 18 Jean Fischer 19 Hilda Pearson 20 Pam Vander Veen 21 Ella Reimers 23 Kristyna Muller 24 Blake Craig Matthew Ladely 25 Jaxon Benscotter 27 Megan Barge 28 Sue VanderVeen Anniversaries 18 Cody & Madison McAfee April 15, 2018 Quarterly Meeting Highlights Motion approved to allow confirmation students to be eligible for membership until they graduate high school. After such time they will be required to take the membership class Covenant Denomination Annual Meeting will be June in Minneapolis, MN. Debra Billiar Building Committee is working to finish office for Ruben Vega., new lights were installed. Accepted new members. List on page 2 Courier is being tried as a quarterly mailing. Will be reviewed at next quarterly meeting. Database setup is nearing completion. Sunday Service & Hospitality May 6th May 13th May 20th May 27th Greeter Confirmation Youth Rex & Jean Paul & Janelle TBD Fellowship Host No Fellowship Rex & Jean Merlin & Delores Iglesia Casa de Oracion Scripture Reader Confirmation Noah Lamprecht Denny Carlson Ellen Carlson Nursery Attendant Edie Billiar Yesenia V. Anita Muller Jason Simpson S.B. Sound Mark Borg Mark Borg Jim Stout Jim Stout S.B. Computer Breanna Chase Breanna Chase Elizabeth Carlson Elizabeth Carlson S.B. Video Dillon Borg Dillon Borg Rex Hansen Rex Hansen

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8 June Meetings Executive Board June 3 at 5:00 PM C.E. Board June 3 after Worship Deacon Board June 17 at 5:00 PM Trustee Board June 24 after worship June Trustees Jason Jensen Christy Roberts June Ushers Mike Muller Cody McAfee Lee Brudigum Mark Johnson Dates to Remember Sunday June 17 Father s Day Pastor Dave Rusk speaking June Covenant Annual Meeting In Minneapolis, MN Covenant Cedars Camp See Page 3 Every Sunday Morning Worship 10:00 AM Iglesia Evangelica Casa De Oracion 3:00 PM led by Ruben Vega Adult Bible Study 5:00 PM Pastor Jill will be on vacation June 14-17th. Pastor Jill will be attending the Covenant Annual Meeting June 21-23rd. Please contact office for assistance on those dates. Sunday Service & Hospitality 1 Jean Simpson 1 Rachel Borg 3 Ruby DenHerder 4 Delores Felt 4 Janelle Eaton 4 Mark Borg 5 Callaway McAfee 9 Jason Jensen 11 Kim Barge 12 Katie Borg 16 Denise Simpson 18 Oren Johnston 20 Vicki Foote 21 Lisa Johnson 21 Jamie Barge 22 Dwight VanderVeen 23 Ruben Vega Jr. 24 Debbie Borg 24 Aishah Valenzuela 25 Beverly Rusk 26 Jeremiah Reimers 26 Mark Johnson 29 Colt Johnson Anniversaries 6 Pam & Dwight VanderVeen 28 Doug & Elizabeth Carlson 30 Dan & Kelly Brown June 3rd June 10th June 17th June 24th Greeter Denny & Ellen Deb & Edie TBD TBD Fellowship Host Paul & Janelle Deb & Edie TBD TBD Scripture Reader Tracey Anderson Annette Chase Dan Loof Ellen Carlson Nursery Attendant Sue Vanderveen Edie Billiar Annette Chase Kami Murphy S.B. Sound Terry Borg Terry Borg Ben Donner Ben Donner S.B. Computer Debbie Borg Debbie Borg Cody McAfee Cody McAfee S.B. Video Hunter Borg Hunter Borg

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10 July Meetings Executive Board July 1 at 5:00 PM C.E. Board July 1 after Worship Deacon Board July 15 at 5:00 PM Trustee Board July 22 after worship Quarterly Congregational Meeting July 8th after Worship July Trustees Joey Borg Joel McAfee July Ushers Barb Preston Anita Muller Rex Hansen Jean Hansen Dates to Remember Covenant Cedars Camp See Page 3 CHIC July 14th-21st (see back page) Worship in the Park July 1st Every Sunday Morning Worship 10:00 AM Iglesia Evangelica Casa De Oracion 3:00 PM led by Ruben Vega Adult Bible Study 5:00 PM 1 Jane Dolph 1 Gary Preston 3 Jaydon Thomas 3 Jordan Valenzuela 5 Mason Lamprecht 6 Linnea Ek 7 Dennis Carlson 9 Peggy Gustafson 15 Cole Lundahl 18 Hunter Borg 18 Dan Brown 21 Janis Myers 28 Darrel Magnuson 29 Maddie Mogus 29 Arielle Hernandez 31 Caleb Chase Anniversaries 1 Terry & Debbie Borg 21 Randall & Kim Barge 28 Lyle & Karen Borg Pastor Jill and Office Manager Dawn Reimers will be away at CHIC youth conference July 14th-21st. Please Contact Merlin Felt (Church Chair) at or Paul Eaton (Deacon Chair) at for assistance that week. Sunday Service & Hospitality July 1st July 8th July 15th July 22nd July 29th Greeter TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD Fellowship Host TBD TBD TBD TBD TBD Scripture Reader Sue VanderVeen Elizabeth Carlson Ryan Anderson Mike Mogas Delores Felt Nursery Attendant Ellen Carlson Yesenia V Anite Muller Jason Simpson Edie Billiar S.B. Sound Mark Borg Mark Borg Jim Stout Jim Stout Terry Borg S.B. Computer Breanna Chase Breanna Chase Elizabeth Carlson Elizabeth Carlson Debbie Borg S.B. Video Dillon Borg Dillon Borg Rex Hansen Rex Hansen Hunter Borg

11 Quarterly Meeting After Worship

12 Thank you to everyone who has helped to support the youth going to the CHIC youth conference this summer. Not only have you helped up raise the money to attend but we know many of you have been praying for the youth, sponsors and the CHIC conference planning team. Youth attending: Lindsey Al-Khafaji, Dillon Borg, Hunter Borg, Jessica Borg, Rachel Borg, Devaney Brown, Blake Brown, Breanna Chase, Jeremiah Chase, Jamie Dolph, Couy Johnson, Kayla Ladely, Maddie Mogus, Garrett Miller, Kaylen Miller, Kenzie Munsell, Julio Sanchez, Olivia Scott, Garret VanderVeen, Katie VanderVeen, Ruben Vega, Rylan Weaver. Sponsors: Blake & Jill Craig, Mark & Dawn Reimers Special Thank You to Jane Dolph for coordinating fundraising! Iglesia Evangelica Casa De Oracion Worship Sundays at 3:00 PM Bible Study Tuesdays at 7:00 PM Led by Pastor Ruben Vega (services led in Spanish) Evangelical Covenant Church Non Profit Org. 802 Winter Street U.S. Postage PAID Wakefield, NE Permit No 34 Phone (402) Wakefield, NE wakecov.org Website: CHANGE SEVICE REQUESTED