Covenant News

San Diego Church Celebrates 50 Years

SAN DIEGO, CA (November 11, 2002) - Glenn R. Palmberg, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church, was the guest preacher at morning worship service for College Center Covenant Church yesterday as the congregation continued celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The church had a dinner on November 2 and Gary Walter, executive minister for the Department of Church Growth and Evangelism, spoke at the worship service the following morning.

College Center Covenant was officially organized and incorporated as an independent church November 11, 1952, with 102 charter members. Its initial worship service was held exactly one year earlier in the basement of the church (stage one of a multi-phase building project). A sanctuary was built for $80,000 with help from a Frontier Friends campaign and the congregation held its first worship service there in May 1956.

First Covenant Church of San Diego had purchased a building lot in East San Diego in August 1950 for the facility and Frank Poole was called to pastor the new church plant four months later. Two charter members, Virginia Carlson and Sara Wittman, are still active in the church's ministries. Sara's son, Dale, has served as the choir director for many years. Virginia's son, Kenneth, is now superintendent of the Midwest Conference while another son, Russell, is pastor of Forest Park Covenant Church in Muskegon, Michigan.

Marc Bellaart has been pastor at College Center Covenant during the past 10 years. Among other things, College Center Covenant has assisted the transition of numerous Sudanese refugees into East San Diego and into the congregation.

For more information about the church and its ministries, call Bellaart or Betty Thoner at 619-582-0226.

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