By Stan Friedman

CHICAGO, IL (January 30, 2014) — The residents of Covenant Shores Retirement Community in Mercer Island, Washington, challenged the residents of Covenant Village of Colorado in Westminster to a friendly wager over Sunday’s Super Bowl, in which the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos will duel for NFL supremacy.

On January 20, the Covenant Shores residence council faxed a letter to their counterparts in Colorado that read in part, “While we wish your team well, we can’t help but speculate on the outcome of the contests. In fact, so confident are we that our talented and valiant lads will prevail in this test of strength and cunning that we are willing to wager an assortment of the finest Washington apples in sufficient number to assure that each resident of Covenant Village of Colorado is able to share in the sweet taste of an unlikely Bronco victory.”

Then came the nudge: “We trust that the residents of Covenant Village share a commensurate level of confidence in their local talent in response.”

In less than 24 hours, the Colorado Village residents took up the challenge.

In their reply, the residents wrote of their team that, “Their endurance and incredible strength, not only physically but mentally, will help ensure the Denver Broncos victory over the Seattle Seahawks.”

Still, they wrote, “Should the unthinkable happen, and your beloved team wins, we should like to offer you some of Colorado’s finest teas from Celestial Seasonings in Boulder, Colorado.

Colorado residents couldn’t resist doing a little trash-talking in their response: “When you wrote of talent, we couldn’t help wonder if you were writing about our wonderful players in orange!”

Executives of each retirement community assured the other the wager was not inappropriate for faith-based communities.  “Rest assured that we have the full and fervent support of our local clergy in this endeavor,” the Covenant Shores council wrote.

Covenant Village added, that they, too, had received clerical approval. “Of course our wonderful Pastor and Spiritual Life Committee, and the residents of Covenant Village of Colorado support this worthy endeavor.”

Chaplains of each retirement community donned their teams’ respective jerseys at the Midwinter Pastors Conference earlier this week.

Their enthusiasm is matched by the rest of the residents. No Seahawks jerseys have been spotted at Covenant Village, and none representing the Broncos have been worn at Covenant Shores.

Kay Sorvik, chaplain at Covenant Village, said she was making an accommodation for the game. The 5:30 p.m. Sunday service has been rescheduled to 2 p.m. Greg Asimakoupoulos, chaplain at Covenant Shores, says he sometimes must alter his visitation times based upon when the Seahawks games are being broadcast.

Covenant Retirement Communities is a ministry of the Evangelical Covenant Church.