By Stan Friedman

CHICAGO, IL (July 13, 2012) – Many Covenanters routinely share links to social media articles and videos with one another that Covenant News Service believes may be of interest to others. Following is a sample of those submissions – their inclusion does not represent an endorsement of any views expressed.

Learning from (Dis)Ability – The author of the new book Amazing Gifts: Stories of Faith, Disability and Inclusion tells about what she learned while gathering stories from people with disabilities about their experiences with the church. She was asked to write the book precisely because she previously had little interaction with people who have disabilities. The things she learned: “Like, it’s okay to feel uncomfortable when first encountering people with disabilities; you’ll get over it, and they’ll understand. It’s also okay if you don’t know what to say at first; you’ll get over that, too.” To learn more about what the Covenant is doing to better integrate this often-neglected population, click here.

Redeeming Race Relations Between Asian and African Americans – Relevant Magazine published this article by Evangelical Covenant Church minister Peter Chin, who discusses a Pew Research Group study about the tension that often exists between the two communities. I always find him interesting and thoughtful.

Religion & Ethics: Religion and Lilly Endowment – Without a Lilly Endowment, there would be no Sustaining Pastoral Excellence program in the Covenant. R&E broadcast a feature on Craig Dykstra, who has been in charge of the religion grants division for Lilly and who is retiring this summer.

Pastor Not Going to Church for Three Months – A pastor who has never missed two consecutive weeks of Sunday worship in his life is taking a sabbatical from church and hopes to gain a better perspective of why people don’t attend. Some commenters have been vociferous in their opposition. The comments also indicate the pastor may be on to something.

Should We Marry Our Church? – This writer says we should bring the same commitment to our church as we do our marriages. We don’t leave just because the church is sometimes dull or we don’t feel like we’re growing.

Editor’s note: If you have a link you would like considered for publication, please email Covenant Communications.