We’re excited to launch a new, occasional feature on our blog: reviews of books in the New Covenant Fellowship library. Today, our “resident librarian,” Carolyn Vance, reviews the book “Sleeping with Bread: Holding What Gives you Life” by Dennis Linn, Sheila Farbricant Linn and Matthew Linn. (Paulist Press, 1995) It looks like a children’s book. But
Read MoreWhat do you know to be true? Eastern Mennonite University asked, and one of the teenagers in our fellowship, Theophilus Jackson, responded. Before he leaves to join the EMU freshmen class, Theo shares his thoughts with us. -Renée * * * * * What I know is true is that there are way
Read MoreNew Covenant Fellowship has a long tradition of memory-making retreats—one that we’re reviving this August 25-26 at a new (for us) location: East Bay Camp on Lake Bloomington. We’re looking forward to sharing 24 hours of laid back, intergenerational fun and fellowship in a beautiful spot. The timing makes it a good opportunity to pause
Read More“But wisdom is proved right by all her children.” (Luke 7:35) As a member, and now pastor, of such a gifted faith community, I am grateful for the many and diverse sources of wisdom among us. Today’s blog post is by Paige Weston, who has been an ambassador of listening and peace-making within NCF for
Read MoreIn late September, after yet another string of shootings of black men by police in the United States, our New Covenant Fellowship sister Gail was on her knees in desperate prayer. She was mourning the persistence of racial bias in America and fearing for the safety of Black people, including her husband (one of New
Read MoreWhat are we especially grateful for when it comes to our New Covenant Fellowship community? That was the question posed to those of us who gathered to worship together at our annual Lake of the Woods service this past Sunday. After circling our chairs into groups of six, we each took time to contemplate and write down
Read MoreStories are powerful. During Summer Small Groups this year and last we’ve shared stories that span the ages of our lives and bridge the spaces between us. Hearing a new story from an old friend, or a familiar story from a new acquaintance, we bond, and we feel a lot less of that “no one
Read MoreAs I have been mentioning in the previous posts in this series, the meanings of the cross in the New Testament writings are many. They form a prism with all of the facets focusing on what God is doing through Jesus for the world. I believe that there are many meanings of the cross beyond
Read MoreIn the first four posts in this series, I discussed various understandings of the cross and its meanings—as 1) an ugly symbol of power and oppression, 2) a moment of Jesus’ extreme faithfulness and the unleashing God’s love for him, 3) an act of “chesed” (stubborn, committed love) for the world, and 4) as God’s victory over the abyss
Read MoreTo give you a refresher on the first few blogs in the series, before starting on part four, here’s what I emphasized: 1 – The cross was a very ugly symbol of power, oppression, and torture much like a lynching noose, an electric chair, a water board, or a gas chamber. We do not do justice
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