Evangelical
Covenant Church
600 E. Grant
P.O. Box 164
Wausa, NE 68786
Office Phone:
402-586-2582
E-mail: [email protected]
Website:
Wausacovenant.org
Find us on Facebook
Office Hours:
Tuesday- Friday
8:00 a.m. – Noon
Summer Worship Schedule:
No Sunday School
Worship 9:30 a.m.
~~~~~
Matthew D. Norlen
Pastor
Matt Johnson
Youth Pastor
July
The Lamplighter
Evangelical Covenant Church
July 2017 Newsletter
From the Pastor's Desk:
Very rarely is the sequel
better than the original. That’s
universally true when we
experience something for the
second time. There are exceptions
to this rule of course, but it’s rare!
Therefore I was curious what my
experience in Israel would be like the second go round.
The previous trip in 2015 was overwhelming, but not in a
bad way. I found myself inundated with information to the point
of overload. It was difficult to process all of it and I wasn’t sure
how I felt about many of the things I heard. Immy’s
experiencing a little of that right now herself.
The 2017 Israel/Palestine experience was much different
in many ways for me. It was a privilege to lead the Midwest
Conference contingent and join with thirty-nine other pilgrims
from across the United States and Canada. Initially I had
reservations about how a group this size would function and yet
this particular group was awesome. They really enjoyed each
other evidenced by the time they spent in fellowship after hours
visiting and storytelling. Several new friendships blossomed as a
result of this shared experience. Immy and I really connected
with a couple named Jerry & Kim who own a deli in Clackamas,
Oregon. Immy now has a new source of tasty recipes!
It was great to return to many of the Holy Sites that we
read about in the scriptures. For sure I have a much better handle
of the significance of these ancient places from an archeological
and cultural standpoint. Many of which I’ll unpack in upcoming
sermons. Yet it was the people that I enjoyed the most on this
return to the Holy Land. At the end of the day it was fun to
wander around the old city of Jerusalem exploring shops in the
Jewish quarter with Immy, Anthony, and Mariah. Visiting with
the shopkeepers and dining at Jacob’s Pizza in the Christian
quarter really stood out.
Ultimately my multiple experiences in Israel are tinged
with a profound sense of sadness that the Holy Land is a very
unholy place. The Israeli/Palestinian conflict overshadows
everything. It’s complicated and not as black and white as the
mainstream media would have us believe. There is great
injustice occurring toward a group of people that is rarely
From The Pastor's Desk: (Continued from front page)
reported. Don’t take my word for it, but come experience for yourself. Listen and get to know the people
of the land.
Like David, who exhorts us, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem…” (Psalm 122:6). Pray for Jerusalem
and all the people of the land of Israel in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Consider being a part of the Israel/Palestine 2019 Trip,
Pastor Matt
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Camp News
Summer Camps are underway. The camp
schedules are as follows:
Glad Tidings:
June 26- July 1 Upper Elementary & Jr. High Grades 5 - 9
July 10- 15
Middle Elementary - Grades 3 - 5
July 16-23
Wilderness Camp - Grades 7-12
Covenant Cedars:
June 25-30
July 2-7
July 9-14
August 2-4
Explorer - Grades 5-6
Jr. High - Grades 7-8
Sr. High - Grades 9-12
Last Chance Camp - Grades 9-12
Parents are responsible for getting their children
to and from camp.
Please pray for our camps, campers, staff,
speakers, and all involved, that Christ will be
glorified through it all and many will grow in
their faith and relationship with Jesus.
Church Camp Out
A Church Camp Out is planned for July 27-30 at
Willow Creek Recreation Area near Pierce. Cost for
three nights is $67. Please contact Pastor Matt by
July 9 if you are interested in camping or the campout
will be cancelled for this year.
Youth Events
Ten young people plus 3 adults enjoyed a day
at Worlds of Fun on Sunday, June 25. That
evening they had exclusive access to Coconut
Cove for swimming, slides and featuring
Christian DJ music. They returned Monday.
Check upcoming bulletins for special events in
July.
CHIC Fundraiser
The CHIC Texas BBQ was a big success!
Many came out to the park to enjoy delicious
Texas style beef brisket and sausage along with
side dishes. There were also rattle snake
demonstrations before and after the meals. A
good time was had by all.
A total of $2,083.25 was taken in to go toward
expenses for CHIC 2018. Thanks to all who
helped with the event and to all who came out to
enjoy the evening.
There were no Church Board or Christian
Education Committee meetings in June.
Love in a Box
A little Peruvian girl named Paola received a
shoebox gift from Samaritan's Purse last Christmas.
She said she felt God's presence when she opened the
box. And when she heard about the children's Bible
study, "The Greatest Journey," she eagerly enrolled .
Her favorite story was about the little boy whose
lunch Jesus used to feed a hungry crowd. "That story
taught me how to share with others," she explained.
Soon she began sharing about Jesus with her
cousins and rejoiced when six of them invited Him
into their lives. When she graduated at the end of the
"Journey", and received her own New Testament and
certificate, she said, "I will keep the certificate... in my
shoebox. I will read my Bible every day."
Praise for the many who make the Shoebox
ministry possible; for Paola, her cousins, and
thousands of other children who have put their faith in
Christ because of the generosity of God's people.
This fall, we will have the opportunity to provide gift
shoeboxes, like Paola received, through Operation
Christmas Child, a ministry of Samaritan's Purse.
Help make a difference in a child's life.
2017 Israel/Palestine Experience
experience. We thank you for all of your prayers
and support throughout the duration of the trip.
We grew in our faith by walking the land that
By Immy Norlen
When Betty Banks emailed me asking
whether I could write something about my trip to
Israel I thought to myself I don’t know where to
begin. I was overwhelmed with all the
information I heard during the trip and how to put
it together in my head and heart. Despite the
political tension between Israel and Palestine,
God is still at work through His faithful servants.
I was touched by their stories.
Hearing the local people’s stories,
walking in places where Jesus walked, sweating
in the heat, strolling up and down ancient rocky
mountains, wading in water inside Hezekiah’s
Tunnel, experiencing varieties of ethnic food,
praying and putting my hands on the Western
Wall of Jerusalem were all highlights. What an
incredible experience! Words can’t express what
this experience was like.
During our stay in the Sea of Galilee I
watched the sunrise and sunset. By nature I’m not
a morning person but I managed to get up early
before our tour began and enjoyed watching
God’s amazing creation, sitting back with a cup
of coffee facing the Sea of Galilee. Listening to
the sound of the waves in the evening took me
back to the Gospel of Matthew 14:22-33. I can
only imagine how the disciples felt when they
saw Jesus walking on the sea. As I looked over
the horizon at the Sea of Galilee, I prayed “Thank
you God for giving me the privilege of
experiencing this very moment.” God’s unfailing
love and presence was evident in the midst of this
experience. This trip has been very tiring
experience physically and emotionally but
through it I’ll read the Scriptures very differently.
I can now put His Words into perspective from a
geographical standpoint. Friends, if you have the
opportunity to go to the Holy Land, you won’t
regret it!
By Anthony & Mariah Arroyos
Hello! Anthony and I enjoyed our pilgrimage to
Israel, and it was a very eye opening
Christ once walked. Anthony and I confirmed
our faith in Christ by being re baptized in the
Jordan River. It was great to meet new people
and learn more about the Covenant Church. It
feels great to be back in Nebraska and to be with
our families again.
- Anthony and Mariah Arroyos
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Congratulations to :
- to Chuck and Helyn Wakeley on their 70th Wedding
Anniversary on June 11th. They celebrated with
family the following weekend.
- to Arlis Koehler on the birth of her new greatgrandson, Andrew Joel, born to Colby & Annie Folck
on June 14th. He weighed 8 # 10 oz. Grandparents are
Doyle & Peggy Folck.
- to Mariah Arroyos on being named to the Dean's List
at Northeast Community College for the Spring
Semester.
Notes of Thanks
Thank you to the Covenant Women for the beautiful
birthday card and the monetary gift. I appreciate your
love and thoughtfulness.
Love,
Immy Norlen
Thanks to all who helped to make VBS a success this
year! To committee members Jamie Kimmons and
Mary Lou Olson and all other helpers and leaders!
Over 100 children attended the Maker Fun Factory
during the week and heard about God creating them
for a purpose.
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Be sure to check out the Denominational Annual
Meeting Report in the latest copy of the Covenant
Companion. There are several copies available on
the table in the church narthex.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Midwest Conference Announces
New Staff Members
Rev. Fil Nesta – Director of Hispanic MinistriesBegins half time in September 2017 and will transition
to full time and relocate to the Midwest in June 2018.
As director of Hispanic Ministries, Fil will provide
strategic ministry leadership and oversight for
growing, vitalizing, and sustaining healthy missional
Hispanic Covenant congregations and developing
viable new Hispanic Covenant church plants.
Rev. Fil grew up in Southern California for the
early part of his life. He moved to Northern California
to attend UC Berkeley where he received a BA and
met his beautiful bride, Juana. It was during this time
that he gave his life in service to Jesus. He began to
serve the church and planted three Hispanic churches.
In 2014, he graduated from Fuller theological
Seminary with a Master of Arts in Theology. He also
completed work with CHET (the ECC’s Hispanic
Seminary) and was Ordained to Word and Sacrament
in the ECC in 2015. He has served the Hispanic
community in the Pacific Southwest Conference as a
church planter and a staff leader of the Hispanic
ministries. He is currently bringing leadership to the
ECC Hispanic Assessment Center for church planters,
and participating in writing revisions to the training
materials. He has invested in mentoring and
development of new Hispanic leaders and is serving
as a member of the association for Hispanic pastors.
He has been serving and leading within the ECC for
more than 10 years.
He and his wife have 3 beautiful daughters. They
will relocate with the MWC in June 2018.
Rev. Patty Thompson – Director of Prayer and
Leadership Mobilization – Begins in Sept. 2017
As Director of Prayer and Leadership Mobilization,
Patty will provide strategic ministry leadership and
oversight to developing female pastors, growing a
prayer movement, and empowering the local church to
make and deepen disciples.
Rev. Patty holds a master’s degree in Christian
Formation from Nazarene Theological Seminary, as
well as Spiritual Direction Certification from
Creighton University. Patty was ordained in the ECC
in 2011. She has served churches in Colorado, Kansas,
and Nebraska in the areas of pastoral ministry and
Christian formation, and served most recently as
Pastor of Connections at First Covenant Church in
Salina, Kansas. Patty serves the Conference as a
Spiritual Director and Retreat Leader. She has served
as the MWC Spiritual Director Network Leader and
Committee on Ministerial Standing Chair. She
currently serves as Vice President for the Association
of Covenant Spiritual Directors. She has provided
workshop and retreat experiences for churches in the
MWC and has mentored many pastors in the pursuit
of credentialing or simply in need of wise counsel.
She and her husband Brent live in Salina, KS. They
have been married for 37 years and love serving
together in ministry. They have 5 grown sons, 4
daughters in law and 8 grandchildren.
Rev. David Williams – Adjunct Director of
Connection and Development – Began June 1, 2017
As Adjunct Director of Connection and
Development, Rev Williams will provide strategic
ministry leadership in church planting, church health
and missional leadership development.
Rev. Williams is the current and founding pastor of
Abyssinian Christian Church in Fort Collins, CO. He
completed his undergraduate study in Religion and
Pre-Theology at the University of Evansville and
theological study at United Theological Seminary in
Dayton, OH. He was ordained in the Christian
Methodist Episcopal Church and has served under a
Ministry License in the ECC since 2010. David has
served on numerous community boards, civic
committees and service organizations and currently
serves as a board member for Community Equity
Initiative and Clergy for a Safe and Just Community
in Fort Collins. He also serves as chaplain for the Fort
Collins Police Department, Poudre Valley Hospital,
and as Director of Black Campus Ministry at CSU. He
and his wife, Debbie, served for two years in DR
Congo as church development and special assistants to
the President of ECC in Congo. Currently he serves
on the ECC’s Citizens Action Committee and
Covenant Kids Congo.
He and his wife, Debbie live in Loveland, CO.
They have 2 daughters and 7 grandchildren.
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July Birthdays
5 – Kaitlyn Knox;
6 – Hanna Knox
7 – Alexa Wamberg
11 – Arlis Koehler
13 – Diane Wakeley
14 – Lois Bloomquist
16 - LaNell Kumm
18 – Bryan Young
20 – Dawson Wamberg
22 – Melissa Olson Wach; Shelly Story
24 – Betty Banks; Nathan Wamberg; 29-Joe Johnson
July Anniversaries
4 - David & Rebecca Meisenheimer
20 – Ron & Donna Nelson
28 – Pastor Matt & Immy Norlen
31 – Marty & Kristal Thorell
Austin & Martha Donner