In June, we had a team of students and adults who returned to the Dominican Republic to provide medical assistance and children’s ministry, while helping to move our facilities in the DR forward. During the first part of July, Covenant Student Ministries also had two student teams reach out to the Appalachian community of Milligan, Tennessee, by restoring the outside of a home while allowing God to deepen their relationship with Him. And during the second part of July, the adult and student servants of Covenant Children’s Ministries joined together to provide a Vacation Bible School that convinced children that God’s word is true, surprising, and comforting.

When it’s all said and done, many of our summer memories will fade like the t-shirts we bought at the beach. But what doesn’t fade is the shift that happens in the kingdom of God when people lean in and reach out to others. It’s during those times when God reveals a side of His nature to us in a way that never fades or is forgotten.

In the book of James, God reminds us how temporal summer vacation is in a culture that constantly keeps saying, “man these years sure do go by fast.”

“How do you know what your life will be like tomorrow? Your life is like the morning fog—it’s here a little while, then it’s gone.” James 4:14 NLT

If you feel like life is going by too fast and you have little to show for it, watch for the next opportunity where you can lean in and reach out to someone through an outreach ministry at Covenant. If you do, God may give you something that will not fade, can’t be vacuumed up, or refuses to be thrown out.

Joe Cox
Director of Next Generation Ministries
Executive Director of Ministry

The way airlines charge for extra weight these days, there is a fifty pound limit, so you have to pack wisely. That means all clothes, toiletries, snacks, mosquito netting, and bedding for the whole trip has to fit in that one suitcase. So far, she is five for five! When each student has arrived at the airport, their bags have all been less than fifty pounds.

It is amazing to me to watch these high schoolers boldly going to other continents to serve Jesus and tell others about what He has done for them. When I was their age, I was playing baseball, going to the beach, and working in the tobacco field all summer. Maybe the opportunities were there to go, but I don’t believe that I would ever have dreamed of leaving home to serve as a missionary. Frankly, I was scared that Jesus MIGHT call me to go and I really didn’t want to. These young people will all tell you they believe they were called to go!

God seems to be developing a culture of going here at Covenant these days. It is no longer enough to support missions; now the Holy Spirit is calling us to go out into the entire world.

We’ve had over 30 people go to the Dominican Republic this summer, and we’ve got another large group going in August. We sent people from Covenant to Europe, Africa, South America, Asia, and other parts of North America this year, plus there are hundreds of people now serving at what has become known as the Redemption Zone in West Greenville.

Personally, I am excited about this new “Culture of Go.” I believe we are becoming the kind of church Jesus can really be proud of as we mirror His commission in the Book of Acts:

Acts 1:8 (NLT) “But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

How about you? Will you be the next to GO?

I wonder, if you have been going recently, would you offer some encouragement to others who are thinking about it? Leave your comments below.

See you this weekend.
Branson

What a great first experience! A team of twenty-six just returned from launching an international medical missions ministry, serving Jesus in our partnership neighborhood of Barrio George, in La Romana, Dominican Republic. The stories of how God moved in and through this team are still unfolding. Check out the “GO” blog to read about the team’s experiences.

As this team begins to debrief by asking themselves the questions, “Now what?” and “What are my next steps of faith?”, I am beginning to process and pray about questions of my own: How’d it all happen? How in the world did this team ‘pull off’ such a successful start-up ministry?

Here is some of what I’m learning:

1. It starts with vision and leadership teams. These teams unrelentingly remind us that Covenant Church has been given a clear mandate by the Lord to intentionally follow Jesus. Jesus has led us to focus the majority of our international mission work in Barrio George. Branson, the staff, Seedcasters and Mission Advisory teams have all been relentlessly driving this focused vision.

2. It’s okay to dream. Back in February of 2009, someone asked, “What would it look like if the medical community from Covenant mobilized in a unified effort in the DR?” That dream must have been aligned with God’s will, because several people felt led to get behind it, and a leadership team was effortlessly birthed.

3. Prudence, prayer, planning and preparation pay off. I had the privilege to be a part of the scouting team that traveled to the DR back in November of 2009 to check out the logistics of this start-up medical ministry. This small group of medical professionals, together with local ministry leaders, prayed for the Spirit’s direction. Once they received affirmation, the planning and preparation began. The ministry leaders began to plan and prepare for this initial trip seven months in advance. A ministry this complicated and intentional cannot be rushed. I am reminded of Matt 10:16, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”

4. Unashamedly invite others into ministry based on gifts, abilities and passions. The question the leadership team was asking the most was, “Who will go?” Then, they went out and intentionally invited people based on gifting, passion and experience. Twenty six people enthusiastically responded!

5. Equipping and team building are paramount. As a ministry, we’ve been learning more and more about the balance between equipping, training and team-building. I believe we’ve found the “sweet spot”. The last few teams that have traveled to the DR have gone as amazingly cohesive units – the body of Christ in action – with Christ as the head, of course.

6. “Going” is the easy part. I confess that I used to be a ‘missions snob.’ You would hear me say things like “Just go!” or “Why does it have to be so involved?” I am praising God for teaching me that intentionally following Jesus doesn’t always mean, “just go.” It’s more about following the ministry model that Jesus exemplifies. Jesus NEVER asks us to be reckless.

So, now what? I am anxiously anticipating where Jesus asks Covenant to “go” next. I am thankful for His clarity of vision for Covenant Church. I appreciate the leadership of this church, who partner with the Lord to drive His vision. I value the joy that comes as a result of following not only Jesus’ message, but His method as well.

Learning from the King,
Walter Strathy, Director of Outreach

Did you miss one of the flights? Please stand by for rebooking instructions!

To recap: CovenantAIR took off at each of the three weekend services and landed in a 40-acre neighborhood in West Greenville. In so doing, we got a close-up look at our emerging ministry to our Greenville neighbors just 3.5 miles from our Main Campus. Walter Strathy, Director of Outreach, shared about the lives that have been changed as a result—both ours and the neighbors we have been meeting. Valerie’s testimony combined with video clips from inner city missionaries was also a powerful witness to what happens when we live out Jesus’ call to care (Matthew 25).

On Saturday night, more than 700 of you came out for a special event we called Family Fiesta including 1200 tacos, several piñatas, a Caribbean band and mission-focused crafts. What a great way to celebrate in the DR!

With this first story told, a video helped us imagine another flight to the Dominican Republic and to our South Campus in La Romana. We sang some worship songs, learned more about this great country and saw a montage of ministry pictures from past Covenant trips. What a joy it was for all of us to see and hear Mark Lykins share stories about his ministry’s progress in meeting the physical needs and taking the Gospel to a Dominican neighborhood as well as to a handful of Haitian batays. As expected, Mark powerfully challenged each of us to consider how we might “Go” into Christ’s world and make disciples.

Our regular worship times ended in the DR, and folks were invited to come back Sunday night for the “return flight” back to Greenville and Covenant’s 40-acre campus. It proved to be a great night of worship along with a word from Branson. He laid out a very clear, three-step challenge if we are to join God’s mission to our neighbors both near and far. Lots of folks were present Sunday night, but some were not and didn’t hear his timely message.

Obviously, it was a unique and purposeful weekend: to clarify for our church community why we exist and where we are going.

If you missed all or a portion of the weekend, you can still catch the flights on our special travel site, connect2covenant.com/air. If you flew with us on Saturday night or Sunday morning, but you missed Sunday evening, we’re sorry you’re still stuck in the DR. Your return flight is waiting for you, which includes the special flight plans Branson delivered for our own hub called Covenant Church. If you missed the whole weekend, plan to book a getaway soon, and spend some time traveling with us, discovering where God is summoning Covenant to “go” on His behalf.

Please take the time to catch these video flights on connect2covenant.com/air if you missed them live. In so doing, you will fully understand Covenant’s mission and vision. What an honor it is to serve a congregation that takes Jesus’ words seriously and seeks to follow them intentionally!

I hope you will join me in worship this weekend as Branson begins a new series titled, PREPARE: Getting Ready for Easter. And, together, let’s continue to learn what it means to be “All In.”

Only Through Grace,
Charlie