From the Interim Executive,

Christ is Risen! Christ is Risen Indeed!

I pray that you had an amazing celebration of the Resurrection on Sunday. The Resurrection is the fulcrum of our faith—proof that God has conquered death and sin when Jesus Christ rose from the grave by the power of the Holy Spirit. The resurrection is the best reminder that God is continually and consistently doing a new thing among us.

One of the ministry focus areas for the Synod this year also springs from the newness that Jesus initiates all around us: innovation in ministry. We recently hosted a conversation on innovation and one concrete idea that emerged was to offer the chance to learn from others who are innovating.

A first opportunity to do this will be part of our Synod Assembly on May 3, when we will learn from

  • Dolly Dong (Muskingum Valley Presbytery), Leader of a New Worshiping Community engaging the immigrant community
  • Paula Larson (Mackinac Presbytery), Ruling Elder leading her congregation to engage its neighbors and community more creatively
  • Bethany Peerbolte (Detroit Presbytery), Teaching Elder with almost 300,000 followers on TikTok

The Assembly begins at 4:30 and I suspect the panel will begin a little before 5:00 pm. To attend, register here (and you’re welcome to stay as long as you’d like): https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsd-mvrD4iGNJnCyN13ebsELQiO6k4pIi1

May the Resurrected Savior continue to give new life to our ministries and churches!

Your partner in ministry,

Rev. Charles B Hardwick, PhD
Interim Executive
chip@synodofthecovenant.org