“We Love the Cov!”
Every year at UCC we collect money in cans with a Campbel Soup look-a-like label on it:
This money goes to Covenant World Relief which distributes this money all around the world to various ministries within our denomination – the Evangelical Covenant Church.
Do you ever wonder how that money is spent?
Yesterday we were able to visit three churches that directly benefited from Covenant World Relief. These three churches and their pastors were very inspiring for me.
Two of the three Covenant Churches partners with the Colombian government to run a preschool at the church 8-4 5 days a week. Up to 100 children are nurtured, cared for, taught and fed.
This is all free to the church! The church has to follow strict guidelines, but the Colombian government pays for the teachers, materials and the food. The church opens its doors to the neighborhood with about 60% of the families served not a part of the church family.The third church we visited is pastored by a courageous Colombian named Pastor Munoz or “Pebe,” as he is affectionately called by people in the neighborhood. Pastor Munoz ministers in a very dangerous section of Medellin. He pastors people on what I call “the hill,”
a very steep, densely packed section of homes
on the side of a hill.
A few years ago a woman from the congregation by the name of Martha had a vision to plant a prayer and youth center further up the hill away from the church. She and her husband donated the land(they are not wealthy, but very generous)
and the center was built. Two doors away is a building that is used as a gang headquarters.After visiting these three churches I had a few thoughts:
1. “I love the Cov.” – I love that our denomination places such emphasis on church planting, evangelism and actively participates in ministries of compassion and justice.
2. I was inspired by the generosity of ……... Desiring to build their own home they felt compelled to give land away first so that the church could have a strategic outreach center in the middle of gang territory.
3. Money is a powerful force for the spread of the good news of Jesus. When we give our money to Covenant World Relief, when we support the efforts of churches and congregations like the ones I encountered yesterday, it is used in meaningful ways to educate children, care for the poor, tell people about Jesus and build up the influence of the church.
4. The church – I love the global church. It is wonderful to see the body of Christ – whether in Turkey, Israel, Los Angeles or Medellin – being the hands, feet, eyes and heart of Jesus. “And I will build my church and the gates of death will not overcome it.” (Matthew 16:18) While the gates of death put up a good defense, the power of the risen Jesus, working through ordinary people like you and me, cannot withstand the forward movement of the salt and light of the world. The church, for all our problems, dysfunctions, hypocrisies, weaknesses, phobias and sin, is still and will always be the hope of the world.
May the grace of Jesus, the love of God and the fellowship of the Spirit remain upon you and in you this day.
Jamie
Gang headquarters two doors down from the prayer center(orange building)
Part of "the hill"
