What we do:  The churches of the Midwest Conference have a strong history of working together to start new congregations.  Planting healthy, missional churches is one of our most effective tools for connecting new people and generations with Jesus.  We are aggressive about starting churches because we are passionate about making disciples!  Our churches are located in rural, suburban, and urban settings.  The strongest new churches are often “parented” or “partnered” by established congregations that are healthy and missional.
How 4Cs Partners:   We donate toward ECC church plants in the Front Range of Colorado and connect with church planters for encouragement and support.

What we do:  Hope House Colorado empowers parenting teenage moms to strive for personal and economic self-sufficiency and to understand their significance in God’s sight, resulting in a healthy future for them, and for their children.  

Our Programs:  Hope House is metro-Denver’s only resource providing free self-sufficiency programs to teen moms, including Residential, GED, and College & Career programs. Additional supportive services include parenting, healthy relationship classes, and certified counseling, all designed to prepare them for long-term independence.

What we do: Mission: We are here to serve and bring good news of salvation and hope to the Spanish-speaking community.  Our vision is to orient lives in love towards salvation, integration and service.

How 4Cs Partners: We share our space for Oasis to worship and office. We support this church plant financially and with encouragement and prayer.

What we do:  To connect people to Jesus, drawing them one step closer to God, one prayer, one caring act, one conversation at a time.  The ministry operates in three spheres: previously (and newly) established relationships, neighborhood, and public spaces.  AVAILABILITY and TIME are key.  Whatever it takes to meet with people to fit their needs and schedules.  The Oasis is geared to be relentlessly available to the unchurched/dechurched, the uninformed moralist, and those not currently being discipled, making the most of every opportunity to draw people into relationship with Jesus.  This is the kind of love that speaks volumes to those forgotten, neglected, snubbed, overlooked, and unappreciated.  The Oasis exists to give people the time they need to talk, process, and be cared for.  Because we are laser focused on connecting people to Jesus, a majority of time is devoted to conversations and activities that focus on God’s loving presence.  The message: “You matter.  God loves you.  Because of Jesus, I’m here for you.  Take all the time you need.”  There is a strong resolve to be connected to, and help, the poor who are financially vulnerable (homeless, near-homeless, and those living month to month), and those living in assisted living facilities for the poor.  I would categorize our ministry as discipleship with an outreach emphasis.

How 4Cs Partners: We share our space for Oasis to worship and office. We support this church plant financially and with encouragement and prayer.

What we do:  We are Marc and Angela Lantz, and we are thrilled to be called to serve with Covenant Youth of Alaska
(CYAK), serving youth and young adults across the largest US state. After meeting at a youth ministry internship, we have
spent the last 11 years serving in youth ministry together, we were asked to direct the Acts29 school of discipleship that
was hosted by the Covenant churches of Alaska, as well as to stay and serve with CYAK.  We said ‘yes’ to both, and moved
to Palmer in April 2019.  Marc serves on CYAK’s Leadership Team as program director, overseeing all (4-6) regional and
statewide youth/young adult events.  He also directs Covenant Bible Camp in Unalakleet for 5 weeks in May/June.  He
works closely with volunteers, interns, and veteran staff as they team up to serve youth/young adults together.  Angela
serves on CYAK’s Team Care Initiative, as a care coordinator.  She helps provide mentorship and care to CYAK staff and
volunteers, promoting healthy leadership.  We really appreciate the work CYAK does across the state and the partners
they share across the rest of the continent.  Though we are based in Palmer, CYAK’s ministry is statewide and includes lots
of travel to events and various other forms of communication.  Our heart is to encourage and assist the discipleship and
growth of young Alaskans.  We want to help more Alaskans lead like Jesus both at home as well as in a world that needs the hope of Christ. If we had to categorize our ministry in a word or phrase, it would it be to Develop Leaders.

Sharing Jesus with Alaskan Teens:  Covenant Youth of Alaska—James & Rachel Ventress

What we do: Pastor James (Associate Pastor of Youth Ministries) wife Rachel and their children have made Alaska their home for the last 11 years.  In 2014, he became the Associate Pastor of Youth Ministries for Nome Covenant Church. He is also the director of Checkpoint Youth Center, the church’s outreach drop-in center open to any and all jr. and sr. high school students in the community.  James and Rachel have big hearts for youth, especially those who are hurting or vulnerable.  The vision for their ministry at Checkpoint began in their 900 sq. ft. house in 2012, when Rachel’s students from the junior high school began stopping by to visit and eat dinner.  James and Rachel began a weekly “Bible Club” in their home where students came to eat dinner, play games, and listen to a Bible presentation about the gospel. The ministry grew to where the entry way was filled with shoes as students sat on any open space, including lining the spiral staircase, to hear about Jesus, his love for them and His plan for their lives.  In 2014, the ministry moved to Checkpoint where there was more room to accommodate the growing number of Nome youth seeking the Kingdom of God and His love.  He is often found serving youth in the Norton Sound Region at Covenant Bible Camp and Fall Blast, as well as in his living room, at Checkpoint, at the bike repair shop across the street from the church, and at community events in Nome.  They would describe their ministry as apologetics and evangelism for third culture youth in rural Alaska.

What we do:  Cru is a caring community passionate about connecting people to Jesus Christ. Cru is a campus ministry that is about two things: Jesus and Community.  We think that Jesus is the greatest person to ever live and that our relationship with him is the most fulfilling thing on earth.  We believe this so much that we want everyone at UVA to have the opportunity to know him too.  In fact Jesus is really
the whole reason we exist and he is the focus of our mission:  Cru is a community where the gospel captures hearts, transforms lives and launches men and women into a lifelong adventure with Jesus.  We want to experience Christ, embrace the gospel, be on mission and extend God’s love.  The second thing we are about is community.  Nobody likes to be alone and so we make it a priority to have an incredible community.  While the Large Group meetings may not give you a chance to meet everyone well, there are many interconnected groups of close-knit friends. We want our community to grow, which is where our love for Jesus and our natural desire for community come together.

What we do:  We are told that it takes a village to raise a child.  However, when a child has been abused and wounded, it takes more than just one village—it takes many.  NAOMI is one small village, working with many others to help hurt children recover from child abuse.  The reason NAOMI exists, is to share the healing love of Jesus Christ, with hurting children that desperately need His healing touch.  NAOMI was established as a non-profit home for abused and neglected Native American children and we moved into our present home in January of 1995.  We strive to maintain an atmosphere that not only looks like home but also feels like home.  We are a family.  For the sake of the children, we avoid all appearances of institution and endeavor to be as culturally appropriate as possible.  Meeting the diverse and complicated needs of sexually abused children as soon as they have been hurt enables them to heal and come to terms with their abuse.  We aspire to help end child molestation one child at a time, by removing wounded children from the vicious cycle that led to their abuse. N.A.O.M.I. is a non-denominational Christian Ministry.  We minister primarily to Native American Children and their families.  Our main thrust of ministry is the Children’s Home we operate in Joseph City, Arizona.

How 4Cs Partners: We send annual short-term groups to encourage and support the kids and staff at NAOMI House.

What I do:  I serve with Agape International Missions in Svay Pak, Cambodia. Agape International Missions (AIM) is a anti-trafficking organization that fights the issue of sex trafficking with a holistic approach with programs to rescue, restore, prevent, and reintegrate.  I work in one of our prevention programs – AIM School.  The mission of AIM School is to provide academic and spiritual excellence in education while protecting children from sex trafficking and abuse.  Bible lessons and biblical principles are interwoven throughout the Cambodian elementary curriculum of literacy, math, life skills as well as in community English classes that educate students from 8 years old to adults.  I serve as the English Academy principal at AIM School, overseeing the Cambodian teaching staff, all training and curriculum, class structure/growth, as well as social work with our students and their families.

How 4Cs Partners:  We financially support the AIM school.  We keep in touch with Sophie, who grew up in our church family.
We have held “pop shops” to sell AIM products to further empower women and girls in Cambodia.

What we do:  Anthony, Nikki, and their four kids, affectionately known as the Testa tribe, is a crazy-for-Jesus, worshiping, mountain climbing, disciple making family serving Italians, Europeans and the nations.  They believe that God wants to call everyone “Into the Wilderness” to encounter Father’s love and become activated into the Kingdom!  They have helped found two churches in Italy, founded a house church network in Piemonte, Italy, and founded and entrusted the Into the Wilderness (ITW) program to Italian nationals.  ITW is designed to bring people into experiential encounters with the Creator, equip disciples, and form multiplying discipleship families
in the wilderness through camping, rock climbing, mountaineering, rafting, trekking, and other mountain adventures.

What I do:  The ministry I have been involved in is with reaching out to unbelievers in my own neighborhood and other places.  I also walk alongside the churches to strengthen them in the area of worship and the Word as I often preach and teach.  I help to facilitate a Covenant intercessory group.  I also often will participate with the social ministries several times during the year as well as looking for resources and opportunities for them to be sustainable.  I work with Women Ministries both local and national.  When work teams come I help to translate and work with them.  My administrative work is as the treasurer for our ECC Serve Globally team here and all of us work in communication. I would categorize my ministry as Evangelism and Outreach, Community Development, and Strengthening Churches.

Mentoring Kingdom Builders in Colombia: Gary & Mary Lou Sander, ECC Global Personnel

We are working in the area of leadership training, facilitating the strengthening and development of mentoring relationships with the present pastoral and ministry leadership of the local Covenant churches, with the Social Justice and Community Outreach Ministries, and with the new leadership found among the young adults.  We share life experiences and Biblical insight and truths with one another.  Such strengthening and development of these mentoring relationships will facilitate unity and have a positive impact among the current and future Covenant leadership in Colombia, as the participants are encouraged and equipped to mentor others.  Together, with the
Colombia Covenant leadership, we are addressing the past and present realities of social injustice and racial prejudice.  As we are moved by the Holy Spirit to be a prophetic voice we share, teach, preach, mentor, encourage and advocate for the reconciliation of God’s creation as we live out our identity in Christ.  Goals Achieved:  We successfully facilitated the development of the new partnership between the Hands with Hope Foundation, CWR and Opportunity International through mentoring, calls, emails, translating updates and providing spiritual input, as 24 Saving Groups were formed in the Medellin area with 350 people involved.  Mary Lou collaborated with the Colombian Women Ministries Board as they dealt with a difficult leadership situation, applying Biblical truths and AVA Principles. Mary Lou mentored and preached from the Sonship Course in a variety of teaching opportunities, yet a formal study group was not formed.  Gary has worked with the leadership of the South Coast Regional Conference.

The Evangelical Covenant Church has a longstanding relationship with the Congo.  While the Democratic Republic of Congo has a vibrant ECC church body, we continue to share our resources to help kids have clean water and opportunity.  The ECC has a unique partnership with World Vision, wherein we utilize the proven operations of World Vision to power our ongoing relationship to help kids in Congo thrive.  This is called “Covenant Kids Congo.”  Part of our congregation’s giving goes toward this effort.  World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission is to follow our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human
transformation, seek justice, and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God.  We pursue this mission through integrated, holistic commitment to Transformational development that is community-based and sustainable, focused especially on the needs of children; Emergency relief that assists people afflicted by conflict or disaster. Promotion of justice that seeks to change unjust structures affecting the poor among whom we work; Partnerships with churches to contribute to spiritual and social transformation;  Public awareness that leads to informed understanding, giving, involvement, and prayer; Witness to Jesus Christ by life, deed, word, and sign that encourages people to respond to the Gospel.  4Cs Partners with World Vision and Covenant Kids Congo in a few ways: A portion of our regular giving goes to Covenant Kids Congo.  Some of us sponsor CKC children.  Some of us participate in the Global 6K for Water and Team World Vision 1/2 Marathon to raise money for clean water

What we do: Tricia and I have been missionaries serving in Slovakia from 1994 to 2013.  Now we live in Vienna and work as Area Leaders for Pioneers in South Central Europe and in Iberia.  As Area Leaders we assist our Pioneers families so they can better equip and empower the local churches as they start more churches.  We serve and encourage our teams and support them in development, refining their strategy, and implementing the plans they have from the Lord.  Our local ministry in Vienna revolves around our church, The International Chapel of Vienna, which works hard to share Christ with the English-speaking international community.  Doug serves on the deacon board and Tricia is helping our church’s teens.  Together we host a young adults Bible study in our home on Fridays.  If we had to categorize our ministry in a word or phrase, it would be providing oversight for church planters.

COVENANT WORLD RELIEF DEVELOPS PARTNERSHIPS IN THREE WAYS:
1)  We partner with God in God’s transforming mission.

2)  We join God in loving, serving, and working together with the poor, the powerless, and the marginalized.

3)  We partner with local Covenant-connected organizations and churches around the world who are experts in their communities.

These local partners initiate projects and run programs to transform and bring hope to their communities.  CWR partners provide regular reports to CWR for evaluation about the progress of projects.  CWR partners with Covenant churches and individual donors who support these programs around the world.  Your gifts make a difference.

How 4Cs Partners:  A portion of our general budget includes giving to the ECC national body, which is funds CWR in addition to individual donors.