What is the Journey Outward?
It is the response to our Journey Inward. Our Journey Inward prepares our hearts and our lives to live outside ourselves. Therefore, we are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, and to engage that call authentically and joyfully. We seek to love our neighbor not because we have to, but because we want to, out of the deep gratitude we have to God for our life in God. The Journey Outward is utterly dependent on the foundation of our Journey Inward; yet our Journey Inward is incomplete without an authentic Journey Outward.
Covenant has a long history as a servant church. All of our servant-ministries have emerged from a vision of one or more members of the Covenant family. These visions have then been shared with the Covenant family, to discern if the vision becomes a call. There is no specific formula for this discernment. It is as unique as each individual or group of individuals. It might be said that these visions never come from the “top down.” Rather, they come from within. Within a heart, or a small group of hearts, or the entire congregation. Some visions become a call and a ministry, and some do not. All are challenged to seek and to risk and to dream.
Please find below an overview of our current Neighborhood Ministries that define our Journey Outward.
Hygiene Pantry
Like all of our neighborhood ministries, the backbone of our hygiene pantry is servants. Many are from Covenant Church, many are from our neighborhood, the greater Muskegon Heights and Muskegon areas. All serve faithfully, with positive attitudes and energy preparing products for residents from all over Muskegon County. When the doors open at 11:00, we welcome and serve about 50 households, who receive hygiene goods, including shampoo, soap, deodorant, toothpaste, toothbrushes, bathroom tissue, feminine hygiene, hand lotion, and more.