Official response of the Evangelical Covenant Church

[The official response by the Evangelical Covenant Church, our denomination, in response to the Chicago Tribune articles about Jesus People USA: This letter on Evangelical Covenant Church letterhead was sent to the Chicago Tribune April 3, two days after the second article about Jesus People USA Covenant Church appeared in the Tribune, but was not printed.]

To the Editor of the Chicago Tribune

Dear Editor,

We regret your treatment of our Church, Jesus People U.S.A. in the Sunday April 1st and Monday April 2nd article, "Commune's iron grip tests faith of converts." Our experience of Jesus People is that of an integrative group of Christians who do transformative inner city and international ministry. We appreciate your acknowledgement of their fine ministries to the homeless, outcast and dispossessed of Chicago's Uptown area and we strongly support these ministries. We hope your readers were able to come to some level of discernment that this is a group attempting to carry out Christ's mandate to care for the poor and needy at a level and scope that deserves our thanks and appreciation. They do so at significant personal sacrifice.

The leadership of this church has made many positive changes from early practices, not all of which your article acknowledged. We do not claim that nay of our member churches have no need of assessment, and we wish to be open to all appropriate questions about procedures and operations.

In our opinion Ms. Scharnberg's article has made any honest evaluation by your readers of the life and ministry of Jesus People U.S.A. very difficult. As a denomination we are committed to diligent evaluation of any practice that may threaten harm within our member churches.

We are grateful to God to name Jesus People U.S.A. as a member church of the Evangelical Covenant Church and the Central Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church. They are a people and leadership that receive our support and deep appreciation. Our prayer is that the people of Chicago will not make judgements of this wonderful church and ministry based on Ms. Scharnberg's article.

[signature]
Rev. Glenn R. Palmberg
President, Evangelical Covenant Church

[signature]
Rev. Herbert Freedholm
Superintendent, Central Conference,
Evangelical Covenant Church

[signature]
Rev. Donn N. Engebretson
Executive Director of the Ministry

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