Sunday, August 19, 2001
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Sunday, August 19, 2001 |
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Covenant Presbyterian reaching out at home, abroad
By CAROLYN CARY
Kazakhstan is one of the words a reporter needs to put in the computer dictionary when writing about local churches. The Covenant Presbyterian Church has added supporting a new mission and guess where it is. The church is one of many in the county adding Sunday School rooms and adding new missions to its support list. It is now in a new addition of 16,000 square feet that give it 11 Sunday School rooms, offices and a music room. The 350-member congregation can look back to the late 1970s at its beginning in a store front. Now they worship in a facility nestled in the woods overlooking a lake. The philosophy of ministry here states the Covenant Presbyterian Church is to help people joyfully know Jesus Christ, love him more, and serve him better. A check of countries included in this outreach include Croatia, India, Mexico, Pakistan, Romania, Russia and Jamaica. This summer a combination of adults and youth traveled to Albany, Ga., to conduct a day camp, to Brazil to help in a building program and work with local citizens, and to Cherokee, N.C., to assist in repairing a church on an Indian reservation. Two of its members, Dr. Dale and Nancy Knutson, while nearing retirement, have been spending the last few years training in foreign mission work. They are looking forward to spending retirement in the service of others. This fall, the church will return to meeting in the evenings in small groups, but all studying the same theme. Some will meet in the church and others in homes. The initial theme will be based on the pastor's Sunday morning sermons, "Dealing biblically with each other and getting along." The senior pastor is the Rev. Dr. Dale B. Welden. He has just attained his doctorate based on the thesis "The Impact of a Long Term Pastorate." A new youth director has just been hired, Jason Smith. The Pace Elementary School is back in session and is at the rear of the church building. The church is at 819 Ga. Highway 314, Fayetteville. The worship services are Sunday morning at 10:50, Sunday School is at 9:30 a.m., and Sunday night groups meet at 6, coming together for a brief worship service and then dispersing into small groups.
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