A ‘Wonderful Helper’
0 CommentsIn case you didn’t see it on the One Blog, I just wanted to highlight a recent post about one of our members, Olu Edegbai, and the way he has been laying down his life to serve local kids at the Emory Grove Resource Center. Thanks for your example, brother!
Hope you enjoy reading the post.
November 17 2009 at 8:07 pm
A Life of Servanthood
14 CommentsA few weeks ago, I gave a message called “The Poor and Needy.” Below is a testimony of how a member in our church is living out this message. We asked Sherly Giglio to share about how her husband, Peter, has given of his time and money to bless others over the years. I hope this story will be both encouraging and provoking.
When I was asked to share about my husband’s generosity and his heart for the lost and needy, it was easy to come up with a life time of examples. For the past 32 years, I have seen Peter give, give, and give even more. He humbly serves without looking for recognition or anything in return. This is seen in many ways, such as: providing rides to people in need, opening our home and giving people a place to live, visiting a wounded soldier, going on mission trips, and giving financially to our church and other ministries, as well as to those in need.
I’d like to share the most recent example of his selfless generosity. It is something that was close to his heart:
Back in August of this year, Peter had the privilege of serving with Drew Garfield to help plan a work day at the Laytonia community, located across the street from Covenant Life. Initially, he gave of his time by attending planning meetings and liaising with the Laytonia Homeowners Association Board to see how we, as a church, could help them. 
This was followed by numerous trips to Home Depot and time spent organizing materials. Finally, the big work day came. Volunteers from Covenant Life and Gracia Soberana labored alongside people from the Laytonia community. What a joy it was to see multiple races, rich and poor, Christian and non-Christian working side by side each other. Most importantly, the work day provided an open door to share the gospel!
Another way Peter demonstrates his heart for the needy is that his main focus in business is to provide excellent service and be able to give even more money and time to further God’s kingdom. Peter recently did a commercial advertising our company. In the commercial, he let people know that a portion of the sales would be given to Give Uganda Water.
Peter recently returned from a trip to Fabens, Tex., where a team led by Grant Layman built an apartment for Dean Adamek (who runs an orphanage in Mexico that our church has partnered with). This apartment will allow his family and staff to have a place in the U.S. to stay when circumstances make it difficult to cross the border.
I am reminded over and over again, through my husband’s heart and example, of how much he loves the Lord and gives of himself so that the gospel continues to go forward.
October 20 2009 at 10:58 am
Reaching Out to Expectant Mothers
3 CommentsRecently, Covenant Life began an outreach to expectant mothers who are on bed rest at an area hospital because of complications in pregnancy. Below is a report by volunteer Mary Hungerford on her recent visits with some of the moms. If you are interested in serving in this ministry, contact Drew Garfield, or call the church office.
The hospital visits have been amazing! Last week, I asked the Lord to give me opportunities to pray with the women I encountered. The first room I entered had a young girl who was extremely nauseous. I asked if I could pray with her, and she could only nod yes. Even with the nurse clanging noisily around in the room, the Spirit helped me focus and not be disturbed.
The second patient said, “Please, could you pray with me?” She had visited Covenant Life and wanted to know more about the school. I left her my e-mail address so she could get more information after she has her twins.
The third lady was from Ghana. She recently returned to her home country for her father’s funeral and caught malaria. This put her into preterm labor. I asked to pray with her and for the first time during our visit, a big smile lit up her face. I was not expecting to speak about spiritual matters so quickly and so often during my visits with these women, but that just seems to be where the conversations go. God is good!
Earlier this week, I had the most amazing visit yet. A young lady prayed with me to receive Christ! This mother of three was desperate for comfort. Her husband recently left her, and she is planning on giving up her baby for adoption. Initially, she was considering abortion. She actually went to a clinic and paid the money, but by God’s grace, she simply walked out. Remarkably, she had also visited Covenant Life a few times and even attended some of our Starting Point classes. She told me that she does not pray because she does not know how. At the end of our time together, she asked me to come see her again!
One of the greatest blessings of this ministry that I never expected has been its impact on my family. I am able to come home and share stories like the one above with my kids, and they are learning how to minister, submit to God’s plan, and love strangers! What a gift!
September 29 2009 at 4:35 pm
Let’s Pray for OneU
0 CommentsTo inspire you to pray, here’s the OneU video shown in church a few weeks back. OneU is the campus outreach ministry of Covenant Life Church.
In the team’s own words, “OneU aims above all else to spread the fame of Jesus Christ so that students treasure Him and embrace His church. We’re a community of students, theologians, nerds, missionaries, athletes, artists, and engineers who have been radically changed by Jesus Christ and now desire to saturate the college campus with the gospel of Jesus Christ and to raise up disciples who will spread His fame to the ends of the earth.”
August 21 2009 at 11:23 am
Loving Your Neighbor
0 CommentsI received the following letter from Carol Nelson in response to the Love Your Neighbor series. Let’s all be encouraged by her example!
Dear Josh,
Thank you for the series that you led our church through on “loving your neighbor.” These messages really inspired our family, and gave us courage to take additional steps to get to know and love our neighbors.
After your messages, my husband and I talked and prayed. To some degree, we are limited as a family. My husband works long hours, I homeschool, we have a child with special needs, and we try to be involved in care group and church events. So it’s easy to be “practical,” stick with the routine, and shuttle into our homes with our to-do lists in mind and hand.
However, we are grateful for constant reminders to love and consider those around us … and especially those who do not know the Lord. For us, any food event that we attend or host has special challenges because we have to consider not only food, but also food surfaces (since we have had 911 visits when our daughter has touched or been touched by the wrong foods).
So, my husband and I agreed to a ladies tea. Limited food (we provided it) and a group of folks who would be able to understand limitations are a good fit for us. I hand wrote invitations and went door-to-door to invite neighbors … to my surprise, I found that most of the neighbors were touched. Some immediately told me about their schedules (vacations, limitations, or that they hoped to come).
When I had the tea, it was small. Two ladies from Covenant Life came, one of whom I had not met previously. Three other neighbors came … I listened carefully, and I got to know these neighbors better. I hope that I loved them a little better by giving them homemade banana bread and fresh fruit, and of course, tea … It’s a start, and I am praying I will love my neighbors better and better, and that the Lord will help our family work out all the details.
By God’s grace we may have another ladies tea or other event that we can manage. But, it’s not lost on me that this isn’t something I would have done without the gospel. I would have been happy (or at least preoccupied) with my own friends and my own life, and I wouldn’t have been thinking about loving neighbors I don’t know.
Thanks for the messages, and thanks for inspiring us to take action.With sincere appreciation,
Carol Nelson
P.S. Since the tea, two other neighbors have written to thank me for the invitation and say to keep them on the list for the next one!
July 13 2009 at 8:05 pm
Gracia Soberana Family Concert
0 Comments
Iglesia Gracia Soberana de Gaithersburg is having a family concert this Thursday, July 16, at 7 p.m., at the Gaithersburg City Hall Concert Pavilion in Olde Towne Gaithersburg (map here).
There will be balloons, family entertainment and two professional singers performing. The featured musical guest is John Ray, a singer from Puerto Rico and personal friend of Senior Pastor Joselo Mercado.
God has blessed Iglesia Gracia Soberana with a unique opportunity to serve and bless the community this Thursday. Please be praying for this event, and invite any Spanish speakers you know!