Session 7: Whether you are new to the Covenant family or have been here from its origins, our adoption of a new logo seeks to portray a community of faith on mission.  Rich relationships continue to build, new members are welcomed, and like those earliest Christian fellowships, leaders emerge pointing us outward to address vital concerns having real impacts upon not only our own lives, but those of our neighbors and friends in an ever-enlarging community. Our mission focused fellowship emphasizes inclusion, welcoming the stranger, sharing freely from an abundance of privilege to address homelessness, loneliness, illness, and creation care.  As part of the United Methodist Church, we have thousands of partners through which our missions multiply to address worldwide needs, both urgent and ongoing.

 This week’s Adult Ed session will trace the history of Christianity’s outward focus from its origins. “Wherever Christians have gone, they’ve taken their faith with them and shared the good news about Jesus.” We will learn that evangelism in the early church was far more than amassing statistics of converts from other religions or no religion.  The enthusiasm of the early church grew out of life-changing encounters with each other and the Holy One in their midst, as they lived and breathed in an atmosphere where Jesus remained alive and present to them through the promised Spirit. Their understanding of Jesus’s life, teaching, ministries, and supremely his death and resurrection increasingly shaped how they lived their own lives.

 As our authors note “The mission of the church and the gospel of Jesus Christ are more complex than we realize. . . . When we take a closer look, we discover there is richness and complexity that undergird these core elements of the New Testament church and our lives as followers of Christ. So let’s pop the hood and take a closer look!”

 Please remember that due to copyright issues we are unable to record and post these sessions.  Grab your favorite coffee and join us for this session after worship today.