Day Trip to Vail

Great fun, food, and fellowship were the adjectives for the WM Vail Getaway.  Three cars loaded with advenurous women headed to Vail on Thursday, July 12th.  First stop, the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater.  The free family concert was spectacular, not only because of the program but sitting outdoors surrounded by the Rocky Mountains.  The assortment of finger foods shared at our picnic lunch had an unbelievable variety.  We shared family stories under a covered venue.  The best was saved for last with a guided tour of the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens.  We celebrated the beauty and diversity of alpine flora.  Truly a garden of God's approval.  It was an incredible day.  Everyone returned home safely and with a warm feeling of shared fellowship.

Our fearless organizer at the concert:

Getting ready for the concert!

 Touring the gardens:

Great time in Vail!

Performing Arts Tour

11 women joined a tour of the Performing Arts Center featuring the back stage areas where we could witness the production of costumes, stage backdrops, props, etc.  We were amazed to learn that the theater complex is the second largest in the US, second only to the Kennedy Center in DC.  Our guide explained that there are 10 performing spaces capable of hosting 10,000 guests.  We were able to stand on the stage of the Buell Theatre and "perform".  It was a fascinating look at the top fine arts center in our city.  The icing on the cake was lunch at "The Corner Office", a trendy restaurant just across the street which features a unique menu including sweet potato fries.  Debbie tried the Downward Dogs.  There were some interesting statues outside the complex so we took pictures there.  What a great time to connect with other women!

Upcoming Opportunity - Missions Breakfast

Mission Women’s Breakfast Featuring Margie Swenson

Saturday February 5th 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 am.

Applewood Community Church

Our featured speaker is Reverend Margie Swenson, C0-Director of Missionary Personnel for Covenant World Mission, based in Chicago. Margie is a dynamic speaker with a wealth of experience serving in the field as a missionary. She has wonderful stories to share and to inspire you in your walk with the Lord whether serving locally or in a faraway place!

The breakfast is also a unique opportunity to meet new Christian sisters – our sisters at Applewood Community Church in Golden. They are working hard to serve us a delicious breakfast and to decorate their Worship Center for our enjoyment. There’ll be amusing ice-breakers games!

We have gift certificates to give away as door prizes – just for fun! Our very own Debbie Hardy will lead us in music.

Please sign the bulletin tear-off or stop by our registration table in the Family Life Center! There is no charge to attend. Please bring family members and friends. If you have any questions, contact Ceil Higgins at 303-359-3682.

Race For Freedom

Last weekend 14 people from our church joined together for the Race for Freedom!  It was a gorgeous fall day at Aurora Reservoir:

 Nearly our entire group of racers:

This race raised over $4500 for the Pearl Alliance.  This organization is partnering with In His Steps International (a Christian organization) to build a safe house in Cambodia. 

Their website (http://pearlalliance.org/2010/07/the-safehouse-project/) describes the project:

There is a DESPERATE need for a safe house within the community of Saang, Cambodia. Sadly it’s NOT only the orphans in this area that are at risk…the very children of the community have no safe place to escape the parents who’d put them in harm’s way. Some are sold to pay off gambling debts. Others are sold to feed addictions. If there is a SAFE place within the village where children are loved, educated and nurtured, it declares that an individual child’s safety is a GOD GIVEN human right! The need was so urgent we’ve agreed to fully fund this project, but we need your help.

In partnership with In His Steps International, Pearl Alliance is constructing a 6 bedroom, 2 bathroom concrete safe house in the Saang province of Cambodia. Once completed, the house will shelter 12 boys and girls at risk of being trafficked. Children who live in the safe house will have access to education at the local government school, mentoring, and job skills training when appropriate. Most importantly, they will be raised in an environment where they are valued and loved.

The construction of the safe house began in May, and the house will be completed by the end of this month, July 31st. The total cost of constructing this safe haven for children is $50,000. So far, Pearl Alliance has received just over $20,000 of the $50,000, so just shy of $30,000 is needed to completely fund this project!!

The race for freedom was able to help fund 1/10 of this project!  It was a great day to be active for a good cause!  Be sure to check out the Pearl Alliance and In His Steps International websites!

http://pearlalliance.org/

http://www.ihsionline.org/blog/category/safehouse



Race for Freedom

As many of you know, we have been focusing on Human Trafficking as the cause for Women Ministries.  Last spring we had the Break the Chains event that raised awareness about Human Trafficking as well as over $1000 for the cause.  At our last Advent Brunch you generously donated over $300 for Human Trafficking.  We would like to continue with raising awareness, funds, and spending time in prayer about this awful crime that goes on across the world through participation in a 5/10 K race.  You can run or walk and bring the entire family (guys welcomed too)!  Watch the promotional DVD and check out more details for the race at http://www.strategicendurance.com/5K_10KRace.html. The women in charge of this race are fellow Christian women fighting for this cause!  What a great way to support them in their efforts!

Race Details

5K Run/Walk and 10K Run

Quincy Reservoir, 5800 South Powhaton Road, Aurora, CO

Saturday, October 30, 2010

10K Run begins @ 9:00 a.m.; 5K Run/Walk begins at @ 9:15 a.m.

Food and awards to follow the race.

5K Registration: $35 by October 22, 2010
10K Registration: $40 by October 22, 2010
No Race Day Registration

This years race will include a "Super Hero" costume theme for those interested. Dress as your favorite "Super Hero" for the cause of stopping human trafficking.

The mission of the 2010 Race for Freedom 5K/10K is to raise awareness of the horrific realities of the human trafficking industry while raising money through race entry fees to be donated to Pearl Alliance, an organization committed to aligning with on site organizations throughout the world that work to combat the trafficking of women and children. Your race entry fee will be donated to Pearl Alliance.

If you are interested contact Carolyn (docholiday4224@yahoo.com) or Kinsey (kringenberg@gmail.com) from our church!  We would like you to register for the race yourself at http://www.strategicendurance.com/5K_10KRace.html. 
Then let us know that you plan to be there by email so we can meet at the starting line (or carpool from ACC) on race day!

We hope to see you there! 

Dessert

We had a wonderful evening with our guest, Noriko, who is visiting from Japan.  Noriko is in the States to spend time with churches in the Midwest Conference before going to the women's conference, Triennial, in Washington, DC.  Noriko shared her testimony with us.  While she doesn't feel her English is adequate, we were all able to understand her perfectly.  It takes a lot of courage to come to a new place and share the most important story in your life in your second language!  We are amazed at what God has been doing in her life and the life of the church in Japan!

Noriko shared with us that about 1% of Japanese people claim to be Christians.  She and her husband were called to be pastors at Shonandai Christ Church in Japan several years ago.  Their church was recently able to move from their current location and buy a piece of land in a nearby community with no church presence.  Before Noriko left Japan they moved our of their current parsonage and into a rented apartment.  Their new church will be built over the next few months!  We are so happy that Noriko will be here for a few weeks and hope that she will be able to replenish during her time here. 

Raise the Flag is a part of the mission of the National Covenant Women's Ministries to bring women from around the world to their national conference, Triennial, that occurs every 3 years.  Midwest Conference has been raising money to pay for Noriko's trip and conference cost. We have such generous hearts in our congregation.  We were thrilled to raise $200 for Raise the Flag.  The proceeds will go directly towards the cost of Noriko's trip.  We appreciated the almost 20 women who were able to participate in this informal dessert!  Thank you! 

Dessert with Noriko.

We have an upcoming event where we have the opportunity to talk with Noriko Kawamura of Japan!  She is the women our Midwest Conference is sponsoring to go to Triennial as a part of the "Raise the Flag" campaign.  "Raise the Flag" is a campaign, as stated by CWM's executive minister Ruth Hill, in which the objective is to bring international guests from the Covenant's countries of missionary service to Triennial XIII, July 22 - 25, 2010 in Washington DC. Along with attending Triennial, they will also travel within their sponsoring conference or church region, sharing about themselves and their mission work.

With financial assistance from the women of the Midwest Conference Noriko Kawamura of Japan will arrive in Denver on July 7th.  ACC is hosting a dessert for her while she is here.  See the left side of the blog for details! 

Noriko is a licensed pastor and serves at Shonandai Christ Church in Japan. Before that she was a missionary for 16 years working with Japanese churches in England and Germany. Noriko and her husband have grown children and a grandson.

As of June 15th our conference has raised a total of $150.00 towards the total estimated cost of $3,800.00 to bring Noriko to the United States, attend Triennial XIII and be available to visit churches or groups within our conference.  You will have an opportunity to donate to this cause at our event if you are able. 

We are excited about this opportunity to host a gathering for Noriko and hope you will be able to attend!

Craft Night

Last weekend we had a great time with women of all ages making these beautiful flower pins!  Jessica and Momma J as well as Jessica's two daughters directed this craft nights.  They do a great job organizing the crafting events and we are really thankful for them!!  Look at our beautiful creations!

  

  

  

It was a great time!! 

Get to Know You

Hi Ladies!  Don't forget about the Craft Night tomorrow!  See the left column for details!

Get to Know Linda!

Describe your family:

My husband and I will celebrate our 35th anniversary this year. We have two adult children: Ashley & Ryan and a wonderful daughter-in-law, Lauren and great son-in-law, Jeremy

What are your passions?

My passion is to spend time with family and friends. I enjoy watching many sporting events and enjoy playing tennis, racquetball, hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing.

When do you become a Christian?

I grew up going to church and learning about the love of God since I was little, but really drew closer to God when I went to college.

Where is your favorite place that you have traveled?

I love to travel but don't really have a favorite place. Each place has it's own unique characteristics that have captured my interest. Some places that stand out are Bermuda, Stockholm, London and some of the Caribbean Islands.

What are your hobbies?

I enjoy reading and making cards in my spare time.

How long have you been attending Arvada Covenant and are you involved (or would like to be involved) in any ministries?

I've attended ACC for about 14 years and have been involved in Youth Ministry as well as Women Ministries (currently)

Name one way God has given you your heart's desire.

My kids (never take that for granted)!

If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

I'm a native and love Colorado. If I moved anywhere else, it would be to a more temperate climate year round.

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Grow up??

When was the last time you laughed and why?

I laughed at my cat last night because the things they get themselves into are soooo funny. Let's just say that she was somewhere that she was not supposed to be.

Thanks for sharing with us, Linda!!

Craft Night

Just wanted to give you an idea of what we will be doing at the craft night!!  Here's two exaples of the flowers we will be making.  Hope you can be there and bring a daughter, mother, sister, friend, family member, or anyone you can think of that would enjoy this!  Look forward to seeing you there.  See the top of the left hand column of the blog for more details!

See you May 16th!

"This is What Church Should Look Like"

If you are like me, the subject of human trafficking is not an appealing concept to dwell on or discuss. It is much easier to pretend the atrocity does not exist, especially in a suburban area like Arvada. It's easy to think of it as a problem that only occurs in other parts of the world ~ not here.

I think it's easy as a church to ignore this topic because the subject matter can be so controversial and uncomfortable. In order to truly discuss this topic it involves talking about pimps and exploitation of young women, men and even children, and all the language that surrounds it. Not exactly what you would deem "church talk." Sometimes it seems we are more willing to talk about the pretty parts of our faith; like redemption, grace, mercy and love but forget that there are very ugly things in our world that are the very reason we need redemption, grace, mercy and love. Sometimes it requires us to talk about the ugly in order to give hope through the pretty. It seems so foreign to us to think of having a relationship with someone in human trafficking when Jesus spent a lot of time with them; the woman at the well, Mary Magdalene, and others that were the exploiters of his day, like tax collectors. He didn’t just spend time with them, he developed a relationship with them.

So, when I came to the event I was not sure what to expect. Barb and her team had tried many different methods of publicity including public service announcements on radio and television stations, fire stations, and police stations. They were hoping that this would reach out to the community and make this event about our community and this topic is not just a ‘Christian’ thing to do but an issue among all of us in Arvada. We were hoping to be a very relevant church. I came in the front door of the church and all the displays were set up and a nice refreshment table awaited the attendees who wanted to visit after the event. So I got in my mode... i.e. make sure you helped welcome people and made them feel at home. Barb, the chief organizer of the event, and her team have all the details in place so I can just relax, welcome people, and take in the event. We had great displays for people to learn more about the topic.

 As I was walking around looking at the displays before the event started, I see a woman come into the church hesitantly. She seemed a little out of her element. So, I figure I better grab her and "rope" her in while I had the chance. I go to greet her and find out that she had taken a bus from Denver to get to this event. I found it amazing that she was that dedicated to hearing the message that she would find a bus route to this event. I introduced her to several people so she would feel at home. Debbie even offered to give her a ride home! Several more unfamiliar faces came through the door as well as several members from the church, including all our pastors; Pastor John, Pastor Nathan and Pastor Bill!

We welcomed Dr. Annjanette Alejano-Steele (or AJ as she likes to be called) as a guest speaker. AJ is a professor at Metro State College and she works extensively in several capacities to fight human trafficking. One way she brings awareness to this cause is through an organization she co-founded called Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT). AJ was a compelling and captivating speaker even though the subject matter was very difficult. She instructed us on the definition of human trafficking, local and national statistics, and how it relates to us here in Colorado. The most shocking information of the night was that there were no laws in Colorado regarding Human Trafficking until 2006!!! That is very recent.

Barb Introduces our Speaker:

Dr. Annjanette Alejano-Steele:

AJ with her interns, Debra and Courtney

Kinsey, Cheryl, Barb, AJ, Courtney and Debra

Barb and her team of volunteers did such a wonderful job at organizing this event. Our Women Ministries team was overwhelmed by the response to this event to raise awareness about such a difficult issue. Ninety-Five men and women were able to attend and several hundred dollars were raised for the Laboratory to Combat Human Trafficking (LCHT) and a New Day for Children (The focus of our National Women Ministries for 2010)! Look at the bottom left side of the blog for links to these organizations.

After the event, the woman that had come by bus told me that she had never felt so welcomed in a church and felt that "this is what church should look like." She was impressed that our church would promote awareness to this cause when so many people choose to pretend it doesn't exist.

Not only was I excited about the turnout and overwhelming response to this event, but I was touched by the heart of our friend from afar.

I was also moved by the information shared at this event. It is heart breaking to see children exploited in such evil ways. Our Women Ministries team is praying about ways that God may continue to use the women of our church to further show love and support to victims of human trafficking. What are your thoughts? If you came to “Break the Chains,” do you have any ideas or thoughts on what we should do? And, How do we do it?

~Kinsey~


Thoughts from Cheryl:
The easy part of the evening was donating money. It was safe. It kept me distant. I lead the women ministries so of course I will support this cause ~ Right!!

In my safe little world of Arvada I encountered TRUTH. The truth is that within 3 miles of our church is a truck stop, a big truck stop. With an ‘adult’ store across the street, and across the other street is a bar with a pole centered on a stage for nightly entertainment. This is a truck stop that most certainly has women and girls (to hit home - children); being pimped. Human trafficking is alive and well, and it shames me to know how long I have turned an eye away from those right next door, my neighbors. What struck me most was to realize what personal judgment I had passed on the women that I used to call Prostitutes and now realize they are Sex Slaves. Language is a powerful thing, I can give support, add comfort or condemn the very people I am called to love by labeling. And in labeling, I become a deliverer or a judge.

I don’t know what plan specifically God would have me do to love a wounded and hurting slave, and it scares me to death to think about that path. I do know I will not continue to judge but will embrace the poor, enslaved and needy women that I intersect. I also know that I will do what God puts in my hand to do, I will stare need and hurt in the face and I will attempt to be a deliverer.

~Cheryl~

Chrismons Event

A week ago Covenant Women did a craft night where we made Chrismons. Chrismons are symbols that represent Christ. We had so many women who made this event possible. Thanks to Jan and Jenna Krankota, and Jessica Branaugh for the idea and vision for this event. Thanks to the Women Ministries team for organizing and setting up for the event. We had over 50 women (from every age group) at this event! It was great to see grandmothers, mothers, and daughters working together at this event! We hope to find ways to incorporate more mother/daughter events in the future. Enjoy some of the pictures from the evening!!

This may be the first of many Christmas craft events to come!!