Covenant News

RECAP: Building Projects Under Way, Dedications Set

(August 20, 2001) - Numerous congregations in the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) are building or refurbishing buildings, with dedication services scheduled for this fall. Other church-related projects are also well under way.

Following are updates on activities west of the Mississippi River.

McPherson, Kansas

Countryside Covenant Church will dedicate its new $2.6 million worship center September 2. Midwest Conference Supt. Kenneth P. Carlson will attend the morning worship service. An afternoon carnival event will serve as an open house to the community. The facility will seat 700 and contains approximately 20,000 square feet of space.

Countryside Covenant, pastored by Rob Bloss, has an average worship attendance of 711, about twice as many as four years ago. A previous building project completed two decades earlier served as a catalyst for growth. Contemporary and traditional worship service options and a Saturday night service have made the church more accessible to the community.

Shawnee, Kansas

Harvest Ridge Covenant Church's 13,000-square-foot building is nearly completed and a dedication service for the facility is set for September 16. ECC President Glenn R. Palmberg will participate in an afternoon ceremony. The church broke ground for the new facility one year ago. The congregation (with an average worship attendance of 150) had been meeting at two different schools during the past four years. A loan from National Covenant Properties was instrumental in the building project, said pastor Eric Sparrman.

Turlock, California Cornerstone Covenant Church is nearing the end of its $2.2 million building project and a dedication service is scheduled for October 7, said pastor Brad Boydston. The 14,000-square-foot facility will serve multiple purposes. It is phase one of a three-stage project. Cornerstone Covenant, which turns seven years old October 7, is scheduled to begin using the facility in mid-September.

Cornerstone Covenant is a daughter congregation of nearby Turlock Covenant Church. The church has an average worship attendance of 165. Boydston said that a pre-building survey of the neighborhood helped the congregation make decisions on design. A bolstered youth ministry program under Dan Whitmarsh during the past year has been another plus for the church, said Boydston. National Covenant Properties and Don Fensterman of the ECC Department of Church Growth and Evangelism were integral to the building process.

El Dorado Hills, California Lakehills Covenant Church has raised $1.3 million in commitments in order to build on new property. The Northern California church currently worships at a local middle school.

Santa Barbara, California Community Covenant's worship center expansion is nearing completion. Framing is complete and electrical, gas and plumbing services are being installed. The upgraded worship center will seat around 550 and is expected to be in use in September.

Montecito Covenant's building committee is meeting with the County of Santa Barbara to begin building a new sanctuary and renovate existing facilities. The project is expected to cost $3 million. A congregational meeting to approve a building campaign will be held later this fall.

Phoenix, Arizona Paradise Valley Community Church is beginning a church building project that will expand the present sanctuary. Groundbreaking for the expansion is set for September. About $750,000 has been pledged in gifts and cash for the project. The church hopes the expansion will be complete by next Easter.

Chandler, Arizona Hope Covenant Church is undergoing a building project that is scheduled to begin this fall. Groundbreaking is set for October.

Salina, Kansas First Covenant Church is set to begin an extensive relocation to accommodate the more than 700 in average worship attendance. Groundbreaking is scheduled for next spring on the $7 million facility, which will include a sanctuary, multipurpose room and Christian education wing. About $4 million has been pledged for the project.

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma Westmoore Community Covenant Church, with Paul Cunningham as senior pastor, is in process of finishing a 21,000-square-foot sanctuary that will seat 800 people. Most of the outside work is finished, except for landscaping. Carpeting will be installed by September and a nationally rated sound system is also planned. The sound system is vital to worship in a church that is known as "the flock that rocks," said ministry operations director Rodney Beavers. It received national attention from ProSound, a trade newsletter.

Westmoore Community Covenant Church has regularly increased attendance during its seven-year history and now has an average worship attendance of 500, said Beavers The $2 million project, which includes 10 acres of land, received assistance from National Covenant Properties, which helped finance the loan to launch the 18-month building process. The new facility is located adjacent to a large high school, which will complement its youth ministry program.

"Our vision is to reach people that have been turned off or indifferent to the church," said Beavers, who has been on staff at Westmoore Community Covenant for three years. "There are other churches like us, but not in this general area."

Sammamish, Washington Pine Lake Covenant Church is planning a building project to construct a Family Life Center next year. The addition is about 15,000 square feet and the estimated cost is $3.7 million. The process has been delayed and groundbreaking has been moved from the fall to the winter, according to a church staff member. The county and city permit process has progressed more slowly than anticipated, due in part to Sammamish's status as a new city in King County. Pine Lake Covenant Church has averaged around 600 in worship attendance during the school year.

Olympia, Washington River Ridge Covenant Church has received early support for a building project as members approved the venture with better than a 70 percent consensus. About $265,000 has been raised in a "Stepping Up...Reaching Out" building campaign, according to a recent church newsletter report. Construction value of the next phase of the building project is $1.3 million. This phase includes construction of an administrative wing, new classrooms and additional paved parking spaces.

Salem, Oregon Trinity Covenant Church is in the midst of a "Finish and Furnish" financial campaign that has helped the congregation raise $250,000. Overall, the church has raised nearly $2 million for its new church building. Roofing is being completed and interior "finishing touches" are expected in the fall, according to recent church newsletter reports.

Portland, Oregon Irvington Village, a Covenant Retirement Community in the North Pacific Conference, is scheduled to open this fall. The facility is adjacent to Irvington Covenant Church, which is pastored by Henry Greenidge. There are more than 100 units in Irvington Village, which began construction in January.

Fairbanks, Alaska One regional construction project helped one family rebuild their lives. Builder Dave Peterson and a dozen other volunteers raised the walls on a 1,750-square-foot home for Kathy Irvine and her four children. Kathy's late husband, Don, was a longtime pilot for Missionary Aviation and Repair Center, an organization that worked closely with the Evangelical Covenant Church of Alaska (ECCAK). Irvine flew passengers and supplies to remote villages in the state. He died in a plane crash June 30, 2000.

Information for this update report came from church newsletters regularly sent to the Department of Communication or from the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism. For more information about building projects, call the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism at 773-907-3347.

Printable version of this page.