First Covenant Church

05/30/2026

A Blessing in Disguise
By: Shalise Sands

Since 2017, my artwork was represented by a gallery on Waikiki Beach in Honolulu, Hawaii, on the island of Oahu. In 2022, the owners had another gallery in Lahaina, on the island of Maui, and they emailed me to ask if I would create another body of work for the Lahaina gallery. They were going to fly me out to Hawaii (I’d never been there), put me up in a hotel, and pay for a sunset cruise with high-end clients, whale-watching, food, and who knows what else. I was very excited about this possibility and the opportunities it would afford me!

Unfortunately, as I started working on the art, I realized I had too much on my plate (with the other gallery, plus commissions and inventory for shows I needed to complete), and I wouldn’t have time to create enough high-quality pieces. I emailed the manager and apologized, but bowed out of the opportunity. She thanked me for giving her a good amount of notice and for my honesty. After I mourned the loss of that dream working vacation for a while, I prayed and gave it up to the Lord. Then, I forgot about it.

The next year, on August 8, 2023, the deadliest U.S. wildfire in over a century tore through Lahaina, killing at least 100 people and destroying over 2,000 buildings. One of those buildings was the gallery in which my work would have been shown. It was burned to the ground. I realized that if my art had been there, all of it – at least eight pieces - would have been destroyed. That would have been at least half a year’s worth of work. I was thankful that my art was spared, and maybe someday I’ll get to Hawaii another way!

🙏🏼Thank You, Lord, for sparing us from things that would be more than we could
handle. Thank you for walking with us through troubles when they do come.
Grant us Your perfect peace, whatever our circumstances. -- Amen.

05/26/2026

Planting
By: Sonya Peterson

A few years ago, I read an article in a Christian periodical about the Christian Orphans’ Home of Nebraska, where children came to live if they were homeless and destitute. It piqued my interest because my maternal grandmother lived there from ages 2 to 16. Her mother had died, and her father had abandoned her.

I did more research and found that the home was incorporated in 1889, and that Grandma Mabel arrived around 1890. Their primary objective was to surround the children with Christian influence. The children were regularly brought to a church just minutes away for Sunday School. The home reported to its donors that “many children gave their hearts to God, and it was so great to hear their testimonies when they said they will live for Jesus and obey Him. The seeds planted in children’s minds may soon be forgotten, and we may not see the long-awaited harvest as soon as we would like, but the seeds will sooner or later bear fruit. When we have sown and watered, we have done our part; God makes it grow.”

Even though little Mabel had a path of life that was not easy, God blessed her with faith through the orphanage and the church. Eventually, she grew up and married my grandpa, and together they raised eight children in a Christian home. My mother was the oldest, and all of them continued to follow the Lord and raised their children to do the same.

I knew my grandma and saw the fruit of the Spirit in her quiet gratitude, contentment, and tender heart. Those seeds sown in one parentless little girl long ago went on to be the “long-awaited harvest” of her children and then their families. We have all been the recipients of God’s blessings through her.

🙏Thank You, heavenly Father, for the people You send into our lives to show us Your love and grace, and to call us to follow You. Help us to be those people in the lives of others. -- Amen.

05/24/2026

What a great morning celebrating our 2 graduate guys, and diving into our final message in the BLESS series: "SHARE your STORY!"

The world is waiting for you graduates, and for the rest of us, to tell the STORY of Jesus and how he has made us new. Go into the world and SHARE YOUR STORY!

05/21/2026

What a beautiful celebration we had on Sunday morning as we not only recognized our Confirmands and were blessed by their testimonies, but we also rejoiced with baptisms and affirmations of baptism! The sanctuary was filled with joy and praise! Thank you God!

05/14/2026

And that’s a wrap!! Our Wednesday Night Families celebrated a year of growth and learning together tonight at Miller Park! We POTLUCKED, we PICKED-UP, and we PLAYED!!

We had so much to celebrate this year:
🫶🏼 29 true Bible stories learned
🫶🏼 7 Big Picture Questions memorized
🫶🏼 29 Wednesday Workouts completed per family (family application questions)
🫶🏼 290 multiple choice questions given per family with the Mid-Week Match-Ups (our at home weekly devotional guide/questions)
🫶🏼 226 sermon notes submitted
🫶🏼 32 set a part weeks for parents and their children to GROW together to GO together!!!

05/10/2026

End of a Season
By: Kari Stadem

Every autumn for 30 years, my father had been ready to get out of the cold and down to Phoenix. For many years, he and my stepmother (“Mama Dee”) left Minnesota in October and returned in May or even June if he could manage it. Mama Dee always wanted to be around here more often to watch the grandchildren in programs, games, concerts, and plays, but Dad would say, “You don't have to come, but I'm leaving for Arizona on October 15th.” The last couple of years, his health hasn’t been the greatest, so they waited until after Christmas to head down south. But as soon as the temperatures dipped below freezing, he would ask, “Why aren’t we in Arizona yet? When are we leaving?”

As Dad’s dementia has grown worse, we kids decided that it was too risky for them to be in Arizona, and we gave up the lease on their apartment. This fall, we’ve been wondering how the transition would go. Yesterday, my parents were over for weekly supper with the family, and Mama Dee told me that the other day, Dad looked out the window and said, “What a beautiful snowfall.” She couldn't believe it. He hasn't mentioned the word Arizona once, despite the cold and the snow. Either he doesn’t remember Arizona, or he has reconciled himself to staying in Minnesota.

It reminded me of a story my mom told about when I was 18 and headed off to college. Our family performed musical programs at churches throughout Minnesota, averaging more than 25 programs per year for at least 8 years. My parents decided they couldn't continue without me (our family of five needed every member to contribute). They would feel bad saying no to all the requests that would pour in. However, after they made the decision, my mom only had to turn down two requests. There was no Facebook, social media, or websites to announce their decision. We sang at churches from all different denominations, so it wasn't necessarily word of mouth. God confirmed to my parents that they were right — our family singing season was over.

Regarding my dad, God confirmed to Mama Dee and his children that the right decision had been made. The Arizona season is over, and my dad is accepting it contentedly.

🙏🏼Thank you, Lord, for the seasons of our lives and for the way they can end peacefully.
Help us to enjoy each season and to embrace its endings with joy and contentment. Amen.

05/02/2026

Another Work Day in the books!!
There is something wonderful about showing up together to serve. From raking and repairs to cleaning and prepping spaces, every task, big or small, helps create a place where kids and families will experience the love of Jesus in a place set apart just for them!!
💚Bring on the camping season!!💚

04/28/2026

We had the honor of hosting the 2026 Northwest Conference Celebration this past weekend! Check out the full story, pictures, and videos!

The 2026 Northwest Conference Celebration—the Annual Meeting for both the Ministerial Association and church delegates—took…

04/24/2026

How God Brought Me to FCC
By: Laura Hendrickson

When my parents divorced, the court awarded custody of my two brothers to our father and our grandparents. The five girls (of which I was the youngest) were placed in foster care. One sister stayed with our mother, and one was in a juvenile detention center. One of my sisters was placed in a nearby town with a psychiatrist and his family; another ended up on a chicken farm near me, and I drew the dairy farm card, and eventually I moved to a hog farm.

On the farm, there were always chores and jobs to do: One of my first jobs was walking down the stanchion line and dumping feed in front of each cow when they came into the milking parlor to be milked. It was amazing to me how each cow knew which stanchion they needed to be in and in what order they were milked. A cow not taking her turn could cause an uproar throughout the herd, and I was terrified of these huge animals. I took to naming them all as it made them less scary for me! The dozens of cats and kittens would sit nearby at milking time, waiting beside their pan for us to dump warm milk into it for their breakfast or supper. They, of course, were named as well. Then, calves needed to be fed and their pens cleaned, milk cans washed, the bulk tank scrubbed, the feed room refilled, and fresh straw bales dragged from one end of the barn to the other. The hay bales were too heavy for me to move.

The cows were milked twice a day, early in the morning and late in the afternoon. Schoolwork had to be done, as well as helping with supper preparations and washing and drying the dirty dishes. When school was done for the summer, gardening, mowing, baling hay, and canning replaced schoolwork.

When I was 11, I heard of a wonderful opportunity. A nearby farmer was looking for kids to “walk beans.” The best part was that I could do this after milking was done. The bonus? We were actually paid. . . Cold! Hard! Cash! I begin dreaming of the wardrobe I could buy to go back to school in, come Fall! The excitement was enormous — how much would I save up making 50 cents per hour? At the end of bean walking that summer, with Fall looming near, I was told to hand over my earnings, as I needed to start paying for my “keep.” To add to the misery, the first day of school,our teacher asked us to turn in an essay entitled “What Do I Want to Be When I Grow Up!” I simply wrote NOT A BEAN WALKER! I walked beans for many more years. I was thankful . . . At least I wasn’t getting pecked to death every day by chickens like my dear sister, who lived with the chicken farmers.

I did some talking with God that summer and asked Him to please direct me to what He wanted me to do when I grew up. God and I made a deal: If I would listen to Him and follow His urging and direction, He would bless me.

The summer after high school graduation, I broke the promise. He directed me to work at an orphanage in Haiti. "What?" I could work all summer and earn $1.25 per hour waiting tables, plus great tips. I would be way ahead financially! AND there were no cows or hogs or bean fields. I actually worked three jobs that summer instead of going to Haiti. It just didn’t make sense to me. Why would God send me to some third-world country? Surely this isn’t God I’m hearing from! The summer did not go at all as I had planned.

I can tell you, every time I have not listened to His voice, I was driven to my knees in repentance. I’ve learned over the years not to question why God would have me: In a tailor shop; cleaning teeth in a dental office, as a church secretary; as a CNA in a nursing home; as a marketing director at a credit union; at a Hospital ER admission desk; at a chiropractic office; spending 7 summers of my life in Ukraine; in a care center's activities department; in a mailing department; at a newspaper; framing in an art gallery; traveling for a book distributor all over the USA.

So, the essay assigned to me today by Kari Stadem was an easy one to write: “How God Brought Me to FCC.” I was relaxing at home 9 years ago, enjoying my free time, and pondering if I should make retirement a permanent step in my life. I flipped open my phone to Facebook to catch up with some family members. Instead, a job description notice popped up for First Covenant Church. The voice I heard was distinct, and I think I heard laughter. Ready. Set. Go!

🙏Thank you for a life filled with blessings, Lord. Thank you for the lessons all along the way. Thank you for your never-ending care and faithfulness. Thank you for the wonderful family of bosses, co-workers, colleagues, and friends who journey with us in this life. Thank you for wages (over $1.25), cows, hogs, and even bean walking. Amen

04/23/2026

Intergenerational experiences build belonging, strengthen faith, and remind us that we need each other.

Last night, our Wednesday night families sang songs and played Bingo with residents at Bethesda - including some of our own FCC family.

In a world that separates generations, moments like this matter. This is the Church……one family, all ages.