For a few years I have had the honor of serving Covenant Christian Church as their pastor. From their formational vision to be a church that transcended traditional hierarchies and procedures in the early 1960s to where they are and what they do now, one can see and experience a vibrant and at times visionary faith. Today Covenant prioritizes mission. We share our space with two very different congregations: one a messianic Jewish community of faith (The Ministry of Shofar)  and the other a young and dynamic Burmese community (Chin Christian Church). Partnering with Lutheran Services of Iowa we have turned some of our lawn into food with their Urban Greens program where our land is provided for immigrants and refugees to raise their own gardens. We also have five labyrinths for spiritual exercise and meditation on our land which are always open to the public. We just planted fruit trees for the future and for the community. We have an Imago Dei (image of God) ministry that takes our Open and Affirming status as a welcoming place of worship and faith with the LGBTQIA+ community and challenge ourselves to love all our neighbors as ourselves. We are a Certified Green Chalice congregation working to be mindful and faithful stewards of God’s good creation and our impact upon it. We participate with Children and Family Urban Ministries (CFUM) to help feed the hungry of our community. We pack food for the world with Meals From The Heartland. We commit 10% of our General Budget to the Disciples Mission Fund and various other local and worldwide ministries. We donate our time to adults with intellectual disabilities through the numerous activities with the Special Olympics of Iowa too! Not only are we mission minded, we have a deep love for one another. Constantly we gather together on Sundays following worship for fellowship and lunch, we have monthly breakfasts, we gather for Friday Fellowships at the church or in homes or wherever, and  we have other small groups gathering for all kinds of reasons simply for the joy of nurturing our love for one another. We take communion to the homebound, a number share the responsibility of writing weekly devotions to be posted online, we study and read and banter and honor the uniqueness of each and everyone who shares life in this community. Most of all, we celebrate at the Lord’s Table every Sunday where the message is made clear: all are welcome and loved by God. From there we challenge ourselves to love as God loves. We laugh. We cry. We debate. We strive. We seek to be what God calls us to be. We take great joy in a banner we often hang on the outside of or building: Journey Not Judgement. That about sums up what you will find at Covenant Christian Church.