Behind the Scalpel: Covenant Presbyterian Church

When one considers the word covenant from a purely secular perspective, it connotes the idea of contract, agreement, undertaking, commitment, guarantee, warrant, pledge, promise, or bond.  But looking at the word Biblically adds interpersonal richness to the meaning; it reflects God’s enduring, long-suffering nature towards His people and His tenacious pursuit of a relationship with them for their ultimate good and His ultimate glory.  How appropriately named, therefore, is Covenant Presbyterian Church where the Coles worshipped for the year they lived in Seattle during Peter’s orthopedic traumatology fellowship there at Harborview Hospital.  Covenant was one of the first churches to embrace our humble ministry vision back in the late 90’s when it was merely a conceptual entity, and they’ve never ceased encouraging us through prayerful & financial means since.  Their outreach has consisted of adding us to their monthly mission’s budget, requesting regular updates on means of praying with specificity for our ministry, welcoming presentations to share Scalpel during services whenever we are in town, dispatching team members from the church to partner  with us on the ground in Peru, and sending love gifts as tokens of affection for the impact we are trying to make globally.  One cannot measure how meaningful these gestures have been throughout the years of Scalpel’s development from vision to infancy to early childhood.

 

Pastor Eric Irwin shares his sentiments, as such, “I still marvel and thank God for what He’s done through Peter and Nancy and Scalpel at the Cross.  Through them the Lord has taught me a number of things: first, not to underestimate the power of starting small, pulling together a few key people and having a conversation; second, turn ideas into prayers —it’s God who makes the impossible possible; third, in a day of pragmatism, to believe God when He says He is able to do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine.”  Someday I would love to know what Peter and Nancy have learned!  In the meantime, I thank God for Scalpel at the Cross.”

 

Well, Pastor Irwin and our Covenant Presbyterian family, if we have learned anything across time it is exactly as you suggest…we worship a God of the impossible.  As we have faced afflictions and trials that simply didn’t seem to have a way through, God has made it evident that ONLY HE can provide sufficient rescue by means of “parting the sea” and or “moving the mountain.”  We are still in process, but learning ever so clearly that less of us, and more of Him, is certainly the only worthy approach through our ministry”wilderness wanderings.”  Thank you, Covenant Church, for loving us so well, and in so doing, showing us true covenant!