Rev. Rose Lee-Norman is Associate Pastor of Family Ministry at Sanctuary Covenant Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota and has served there for eight years. She is pursuing a Doctor of Ministry in Transformational Leadership at Boston University’s School of Theology. She lives in North Minneapolis with her husband Ryan. They have been married eleven years and have two daughters, Esme and Isla. A few years ago I attended Legacy, the pre-Midwinter Children and Family Ministry conference. During the conference my colleagues and I enjoyed connection, enrichment, and prayer in a conference room in Loui ..read more

Susan Cosio is an ordained Covenant pastor, spiritual director and board-certified chaplain. She serves on the Pacific Southwest Conference (PSWC) Executive Board and is the creator and facilitator of a contemplative retreat for women in ministry called, “Echo: Women Who Hear and Respond to God’s Call. On my commute home from the hospital recently, I heard an interview on NPR that gave me some words for my thoughts about women in ministry. Stacey Abrams is a politician, lawyer and businesswoman running for governor in the 2018 gubernatorial election. She is hoping to be the ..read more

An important movement of the previous twelve months has been the #metoo campaign. As overwhelming as the stories have been to hear told, there is something very important about the flood of truth telling that has emerged from so many voices. Here is an article posted this month on Missio Alliance’s website entitled “The Silence Breakers: A Kairos Moment for the Church” by Carolyn Custis James. I find the words of the article incomplete but I do think the author’s point is true. I wonder what invitation the Spirit of God is inviting us as those who serve as pastors and ministers in the church ..read more

Pastor Devyn Chambers Johnson’s “Four More Commitment” Facebook Challenge has gone viral in the past week. If you haven’t heard it yet, here is a link to the Facebook video.  If you would like to respond, sign up here. The challenge’s transcript is below… My name is Devyn Chambers Johnson, co-pastor at Community Covenant Church in Springfield VA. I am forever grateful for the Evangelical Covenant Church for affirming the calling of the daughter of a Southern Baptist preacher. Long before I could admit my calling to preach and proclaim God’s word, others saw it in me and encouraged me ..read more

Jeff Ondrey is the Director of Nursing Home Operations for Heritage Ministries and is a member of First Covenant Church in Jamestown NY. He recently completed his tenure of service as a lay member of the CBGE. Gilbert Bilezikian, Beyond Sex Roles: What the Bible Says About a Woman’s Place in Church and Family. Baker Books, 1985. Bilezikian’s thesis is that God created men and women as equals. Although woman came from man, man is born of woman. Any inequalities or hierarchical relationship between men and women is the result of the fall. Any biblical interpretation with contrary conclusions is ..read more

Jeff Ondrey is the Director of Nursing Home Operations for Heritage Ministries and is a member of First Covenant Church in Jamestown, New York. He recently completed his tenure of service as a lay member of the Commission of Biblical Gender equality. I was asked to serve on this commission back in 2011 presumably because at the time I was finishing up as a board member for Camp Mission Meadows in western New York on beautiful Lake Chautauqua. This was also presumably because of the fact that my daughters and my wife had served or were serving the Covenant Church through employment or serv ..read more

Debra Auger was called out, by a mentor, as being in “the middle of life” when attending seminary, which is, now, nearly twenty years ago! Even though a “late bloomer” she has had the opportunity to serve in a variety of roles from her current one at NPTS as the Dean of Students and Community Life for over a decade and before that, for six years, as a faculty member and Director of Ministry Arts at Covenant Bible College in Ecuador. She earned a doctor of ministry in spiritual formation and direction at Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary and is an associate professor of ministry. Her mos ..read more

Mary Peterson serves as Pastor of Children, Youth and Family Ministry at Highland Covenant Church in Bellevue, Washington. She is also President of Advocates for Covenant Clergy Women and sits on the Commission of Biblical Gender Equality. My almost nine year old son has a common problem… huge teeth and a little mouth. So we have ventured into the world of orthodontics early in his life. He was the first second grader to get braces at his school. Thankfully, this was a seriously cool moment in the life of my sanguine boy. The orthodontist explained the importance of making room early in his ..read more

Devyn Chambers Johnson serves as co-pastor of Community Covenant Church in Springfield, Virginia. Devyn, and her husband Ryan, are proud parents to two active young daughters. In addition to serving as co-pastor Devyn is pursuing her Doctorate in Ministry with an emphasis in leadership and ministry development.  My husband and I are raising two amazing girls who I know will change the world. Our oldest is a natural performer who loves life, exudes joy and turns any social situation into a party. Our youngest, a mere 15 months old, is more reserved but determined, thoughtful and independen ..read more

Brian Wiele has served since 2006 as the Lead Pastor of River Ridge Covenant Church in Olympia, Washington.  Brian and Linda have been married for 36 years, and have two children and two grandchildren.  He is an avid reader, and wishes he could play golf more frequently. At Gather ’17 – the annual meeting of the Evangelical Covenant Church held in late June – something was formally renewed, a resounding “yes” from the delegates to work done so far and work still to be addressed. As that “yes” was affirmed, there was a silent accompanying “good-bye” said from afar by one person – a f ..read more