CHILDREN

Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:50:19 -0700

Sunday Schedule 9:15am - Noon Nursery available Our two nurseries are staffed to receive children infants thru 35 months.  9:30am - Worship service begins Children 3 years thru 5th grade will begin in the worship service with their parents.  9:50am- Children's Worship (optional) Children 3 years through 5th grade will be led from the service for their own time of worship and then to age-appropriate activity rooms.  10:45am - Worship service dismissed Children will remain in the activity rooms and then guided to their Christian Education rooms. Children not staying for Christian Education must be picked up in their activity rooms.   11:00am - 12:00pm Christian Education groups Parents pick up their children at the appropriate classrooms  Are you interested in speaking to your children about communion? Bellingham Covenant Church supports parents in explaining and determining if a child is ready to participate in communion during our worship services...[read more]

bcc|youth

Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:58:19 -0700

For Teenagers Wednesday Nights The evening typically includes some games, snacks, worship time, a devotional lesson and small group discussion.
Sunday Mornings Our education hour for students is divided into 3 groups:   1. 6th grade meets in room 3  2. 7th/8th Grade Confirmation in room 6  3. Sr. High Sunday School in the Youth Room
Click here for the youth blog!
Click here for the volunteer blog
Click here for Nicaragua information

ADULTS

Wed, 18 Aug 2010 12:58:37 -0700

At BCC, our Adult Christian Formation takes on a specific name called ‘Life Together.’ Life Together encompasses small groups, Christian formation classes, ministry teams, leadership training and intentional relationships which all take place outside of our Sunday morning worship service. Many of our classes take place on Sunday right after our worship service and there are many things happening in and out of the church building throughout the week.

Phase one and Phase Two:
We like to say that we prefer to put a comma after each Sunday worship service rather than a period. This simply means we don’t expect you to rush off right after our service ends. Instead, we hope that you would join us and experience all aspects of our community life. Each phase is intended to simply give you an opportunity to connect with God and our broader church community in a variety of settings; Classrooms, Service Projects, or even our Bakerview Cafe...use the hour as you see fit! Life Together happens each Sunday from 11-Noon. For more information on Life Together, click here or contact Associate Pastor Dan Boehlje

Here’s a list of various adult opportunities each week:
Sunday Morning Life Together 11:00 am – Noon:
• Adult Christian Formation Classes
• Quarterly Newcomer lunches with the lead pastor
• Breakout sessions with Sunday morning speaker

Small Groups
• Small groups offer a chance for us to share life together. We believe that God can shape us for the good through intentional friendships of depth and vulnerability where ‘iron can sharpen iron’ (Prov. 27:17). It’s our desire to promote spiritual friendships of mutual encouragement and support in order to emphasize the connectedness we experience as we follow Jesus together.
• We have a number of groups meeting throughout different times of the week and taking on various types and sizes. For example, we have groups for men only and for women only and others that include couples and singles of all ages. Some of our groups meet in the morning at the church, others in homes during a weekday evening.
• If you would like more information about any adult group, contact Dan Boehlje. Click here for a more detailed listing of Small Group options. 

CAREGIVING

Tue, 17 Aug 2010 12:58:51 -0700

Stephen Ministers and Caregivers are trained to provide:
• A Listening Ear
• Prayer
• Encouragement
• Visits
• Phone Calls
• Support

Stephen Ministers
Prepared for Long Term Help
Stephen Ministers understand that sometimes life’s challenges present the need for an extended period of compassion. A loss of a loved one, unemployment, ill-health or other circumstances can create a situation where additional support is needed. A Stephen Minister can come alongside providing a listening ear and prayerful encouragement. Because these are ongoing situations, the caring relationship usually lasts from one to two years.
Stephen Ministers receive 50 hours of training in confidential one-on-one Christian care giving. They apply for the position of Stephen Minister and participate in supervision groups with Stephen Ministry Leaders. A background check is required and they are approved and commissioned by Bellingham Covenant Church. Please follow this link to learn more about Stephen Ministry from their national website.

Care Givers
Prepared for Short Term Help
Caregivers have the same desire to help as Stephen Ministers. They may walk alongside someone for a few months or even up to a year. Perhaps their Care Receiver is sending off their only child to college, facing a life transition, or going through a shorter term health challenge.
Caregivers participate in 25 hours of selected Stephen Ministry classes. This training helps prepare Caregivers for the types of needs common in a congregation.
Caregivers apply for this position, and participate in supervision groups with Stephen Ministry Leaders. A background check is required and they are approved and commissioned by Bellingham Covenant Church.
Christians are not immune from the difficulties of life, although we sometimes have a hard time admitting those difficulties because we’re afraid they might reflect badly on our spiritual life. The thinking goes something like this:

Care Receivers
“If I were a better Christian, I wouldn’t be experiencing this pain. If I admit this pain to other Christians, they might think less of me.”
The truth is, God accepts and loves you just as you are and so does Bellingham Covenant Church. We understand that sometimes it takes extended time and encouragement to get through life’s challenges. We are here to fulfill our role as the Body of Christ by supporting one another through these difficulties. That’s why we offer both Stephen Ministry and Caregiver training and assistance.

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.  Those given the gift of compassion are waiting for God to bring them someone with whom they can minister. We are created to love God, love one another and bear each other’s burdens.
For more information, please contact one of the following Stephen Ministry Leaders:
Pastor Paul Petersen
360-733-5920 or
petestreet@comcast.net

Colleen Miller
360-384-2822 or
colleenconfidential@comcast.net

Kathy Lovdahl
360-733-7132
kelovdahl@comcast.net

COMPASSION

Mon, 16 Aug 2010 12:59:22 -0700

Compassion and Justice
• Covenant World Missions
• Covenant World Relief
• Love INC - Love in the Name of Christ
• Interfaith Coalition 
Covenant World Missions Covenant World Mission has more than one hundred twenty-five long-term, project and short-term missionaries working in a wide variety of vocations in twenty-three countries around the globe. We have an additional fifteen partnership with sister churches and international ministries. The department currently is partnering with:
• churches and international ministries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America;
• hundreds of Covenant churches throughout the U.S. and Canada working together to proclaim the gospel internationally and in their local communities;
• local churches connecting mission teams with projects around the world; and
• Covenant people from around the world joining together to pray, celebrate, and work together in response to the movement of God.  For complete information on Covenant Missions, please visit the World Missions website here  
Covenant World Relief Covenant World Relief is the humanitarian aid ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church. We participate in God’s transforming mission in the world through disaster relief and community development among the most vulnerable. We work with Covenanters and other partners around the world to respond to the needs of the most vulnerable who suffer from extreme poverty, hunger, disease, and injustice. Our mission is to love, serve, and work together with the poor, the powerless, and the marginalized.
Relief is immediate assistance in times of natural or human-made disaster by providing water, shelter, and food.
Transformational Development is working with communities and families as they help themselves through micro-enterprise, micro-finance, sustainable water development, community health initiatives, agriculture, and sustainable food programs.  For complete information, please visit the World Relief website here
LOVE INC. ('Love in the Name of Christ') Love In the Name of Christ (Love INC) is a national ministry with more than 120 affiliates, representing a partnership of over 7,000 churches and 6,000 community-based organizations.  Love INC provides a model churches can use to work together, across denominational lines, to help people in need in their communities.   Here's how the Love Inc. model works: 1. Asking for help A person in need is either referred to Love INC by a church within the network or by a local agency, or the individual makes direct contact.  2. Qualifying for help Specially trained Love INC interviewers assess the request, determining the caller's commitment toward self-help and discovering any larger issues fueling the crisis.  3. Providing help The request is referred to the most appropriate Love INC church, partnering faith-based organization, or community agency, so that volunteers, material resources, and outreach programs can be matched to the corresponding need.  4. Following up The outcome is reviewed. Was the immediate need met? Is there a core issue that requires attention?  At this stage, the person in need also has the opportunity to meet with a pastor or become connected to a church if he or she desires. This is often the stage where real hope and long-term relationships emerge.   For local assistance, contact: Whatcom County LOVE Inc  P.O. Box 1602 Bellingham, WA. 98227 360.671.6201   website: Love INC. email: office@whatcomloveinc.org  Interfaith Coalition Interfaith Coalition is a partnership of nearly 50 congregations in Whatcom County working to provide basic necessities to local people in need.   Interfaith Community Health Center provides quality medical, dental and mental-health care to low-income people in the community. Interfaith Coalition also operates six units of family housing, training volunteer teams to support homeless families as they work toward self-sufficiency.   Interfaith Coalition also coordinates an annual countywide winter coat drive, distributing coats through local food banks to children and adults in need, and a holiday program that matches homeless families with congregational sponsors who provide these families with gifts.   For more information, contact: Bellingham Interfaith Coalition 2401 Cornwall Ave. Bellingham, WA 98225 (360) 734-3983
website: InterFaith Coalition email: info@interfaith-coalition.org

PRESCHOOL

Sun, 15 Aug 2010 12:59:41 -0700

PRESCHOOL FACTS
• Classes begin the first week in October and continues through the last week of May, keeping the vacation schedule of the Bellingham Public School District.
• Class size is limited to 12 children with two teachers per class.
• Registration fee--$50 (non refundable.)
• Children must have their 3rd or 4th birthday by August 31, of the year of enrollment.
• 4 Year old classes are Monday/Wednesday; 9:00-11:30 OR 12:30-3:00 Monday/Wednesday tuition is $95 due the first week of each month.  **Optional 3rd day on Friday Mornings
**Monday/Wednesday/Friday tuition is $130 due the first week of each month.
• 3 Year old classes are Tuesday/Thursday; 9:00 –11:30. (limit of 10 children)
Tuition is $95 due the first week of each month.

For more information, contact Rosalie Carlson  360.671.2115