Covenant News

Oregon Church to Break Ground August 18

SHERWOOD, OR (August 7, 2002) - Countryside Community Church in Sherwood will conduct a groundbreaking service August 18 for a new $3 million facility, according to Executive Pastor Malcolm Miura.

The facility will include a multipurpose room, classroom space, office space and a kitchen, among other things, said Senior Pastor Paul Duppenthaler. The multipurpose room will hold worship services with seating for more than 500 people. Plans call for the congregation to begin using the facility for worship in the fall of 2003. The church currently meets in the local high school and conducts two worship services.

Countryside Community Church is located in a city of 12,000 southwest of Portland. The church was organized as a Covenant church in 1993 and averages about 600 in worship attendance. Duppenthaler said the strengths of the church - worship and youth ministries - have helped the congregation find a special niche in the community.

"It's been a lot longer than we thought it would take, but we've never lost hope in the sense that we've run into dead ends - they were just hurdles along the way," Duppenthaler said. "But we're just trusting that God knows what His timing is and not ours."

"From the beginning we've had good worship and music leaders and our youth programs have been solid," Duppenthaler continued. "I think God has placed us in the right place at the right time. Sherwood is the fastest growing city in the state - it's gone from 3,000 to 12,000 in the 1990s and there hasn't been a new church built here in 32 years. There are a lot of new families moving here and we've able to reach the people who have been moving in."

For more information about the church and its building project, call Duppenthaler or Miura at 503-625-3690.

Printable version of this page.