Welcoming New Leaders, Celebrating TDK, Standing in Solidarity
Welcoming New Leaders, Celebrating TDK, Standing in Solidarity
CovNET Connect | February 2017
Building a Truly Inclusive Church
New Board Members, Co-Moderator
Clockwise from top left: Mieke Vandersall, Vince Patton, Daniel Vigilante and Tony Aja
New Leaders Bring Experience, Wisdom to the CovNet Board
Three experienced leaders in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) have joined the board of the Covenant Network of Presbyterians, helping lead it into a new season of advocacy, education and theological leadership. The Rev. Tony Aja is a pastor in Santa Fe and chairs the National Hispanic/Latinx Presbyterian Caucus. Ruling Elder Vince Patton is a human resources professional in Louisville who served on the national staff of the PCUSA for 24 years. The Rev. Mieke Vandersall is a pastor and consultant in New York City who founded Parity, formerly Presbyterian Welcome, And long-time board member the Rev. Daniel Vigilante, a pastor in Minneapolis, has become the board’s Co-Moderator. Read more about the board's new leadership.
Covenant Network Stands in Solidarity with Advocacy Groups,
Urges Church to 'Hear the Voices of Peoples Long Silenced'
Many commissions, task forces and boards in the Presbyterian Church (USA) are considering ways to move forward with efficiency and wisdom. As these groups address changing realities in church and society, the Covenant Network of Presbyterians recalls the PCUSA’s longstanding commitment to "hearing the voices of peoples long silenced." It is our hope that evolving organizations—including our own—are intentionally increasing their diversity, recognizing their privilege and committing to listen to groups that have sometimes been excluded from their life and leadership.
Recently, the Governance Task Force of the Presbyterian Mission Agency Board recommended changes to the board's composition that have raised serious concerns. As an expression of our own ongoing work for inclusion and justice, the Covenant Network stands in solidarity with the Advocacy Committee for Women’s Concerns and Advocacy Committee for Racial Ethnic Concerns and urges attention to their letter, which can be found here.

Celebrating Tricia Dykers Koenig’s

16 Years of Ministry as National Organizer

The Covenant Network of Presbyterians is celebrating the ministry of its national organizer, the Rev. Tricia Dykers Koenig. Tricia will leave the organization’s staff this month after 16 years of service that included strategy, advocacy and education on behalf of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).
At a dinner in Tricia’s honor at a meeting of the Board of Directors last week, members gave the stalwart organizer much of the credit for major changes in church policy over the past decade. Church leaders have admired Tricia’s effectiveness and praised Tricia’s tenacity for years—even when they were themselves in a position not to take sides.
“I experienced Tricia’s good work from both sides,” said Cliff Kirkpatrick, who was stated clerk of the General Assembly for eight years of Tricia’s tenure. He is now a member of the Covenant Network Board. “And I think it’s fair to say there is no single person who has had more impact in changing General Assembly policy on the role of LGBTQ people in the church.”
Tricia, who worked from her home office in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, remains an active teaching elder member of the Presbytery of Western Reserve and is open to other ministry possibilities. But she will be profoundly missed in this role by her colleagues at the Covenant Network and across the country.
Save the Date:
2017 Covenant Conference
November 8-10, Baltimore
We are excited to announce that the national Covenant Conference will be held November 8-10, 2017, at First and Franklin Presbyterian Church in Baltimore!
Many details, including theme, keynote speakers, worship leaders, and precise conference schedule, will be announced in the next few weeks. The conference will focus on empowering church and society to affirm our shared humanity and work for a more just and inclusive world. The conference will include pre-conference workshops on racism and privilege as well as exposure to effective ministry underway in Baltimore churches.
The 2017 Covenant Conference will be a "can't miss" event, so mark your calendars now!
To learn about sponsorship opportunities for speakers or other parts of the conference, contact Brian Ellison at 816.605.1031 or brian@covnetpres.org.
Thank you for making our work possible.
Your prayers, your volunteering and your financial support are how the Covenant Network can continue to work for a more just and generous church and society. This month, your gifts are helping maintain gains made for LGBTQ people and helping congregations and presbyteries live into them. Your support is paying for resource development and distribution and other educational efforts to equip Presbyterians for conversation.
Additionally, the Covenant Network has deepened its commitment, in the spirit of the Confession of Belhar, to working for the church’s witness to the full inclusion and equality of people of color and any others who are excluded from the life and leadership of church and society. Upcoming work in this area will partner with other groups in the church and focus on program development, educational conferences and materials, anti-racism training and activation of the network to work for changes.
To make a financial contribution, click here or contact us at the address or phone number below. Gifts may be made to honor or remember someone, and all donations are tax-deductible. For more information, or to speak with Brian Ellison, executive director, call 816.605.1031 or email brian@covnetpres.org.
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