Covenant News

Colorado Church Breaks Ground for New Facility

COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (February 25, 2003) - Living Hope Covenant Church celebrated a groundbreaking ceremony last Sunday (February 16) for a 7,500-square-foot facility to be built on land donated by a local homebuilder. The church hopes to begin construction in March and finish construction in August.

A local construction company, Classic Companies, donated the 7.5 acres of land for the church in February 2001. A part owner of the company, Doug Stimple, sent a letter two months earlier stating the company's intent with the understanding that the circumstances "were being orchestrated by divine providence." Stimple and Living Hope Covenant pastor Greg Ralston met during a leadership class and forged a friendship that helped culminate in the generous donation of land.

Ralston recalled the December day when he first viewed the site that eventually will house the new church. "I was driving down Union Boulevard and about a mile and a half from my home there was a site that Classic Construction was working on," the pastor said. "That afternoon, I picked up the phone and called Doug (Stimple) and left a message. Basically, I said, 'Doug, this is your old and bold friend Greg calling. I was wondering if your company would like to make a donation of land at the end of the calendar year to our church . . .' He called me back the next day and said that my timing was incredible . . . he said to me, 'Greg, I may be able to make your year.'"

Classic Companies estimated that gifting the land to Living Hope Covenant would benefit the company as much as developing the land in another fashion. Classic Companies made necessary arrangements with the city planning commission in mid-December 2000 and sent Living Hope Covenant a letter confirming the donation of the property. The letter noted the company's strong Christian foundation and its willingness to be part of Living Hope's vision for ministry, adding ". . . we truly recognize that we are solely caretakers of what has been bestowed upon us through His (God's) unmerited favor. This gift is extended in our role as stewards of these blessings."

Living Hope's ministry vision will be enhanced - literally - by the completion of the facility later this summer. National Covenant Properties approved a loan of $875,000 and more than $200,000 has already been raised to reduce the debt. The facility will seat 230 for worship on a site located in the middle of a forest. Another aesthetically pleasing site, Pikes Peak, a 14,000-foot mountain, is within view. Architect John Nelson of nearby Faith Covenant Church is designing other beautiful amenities for the facility to best take advantage of God's handiwork.

"It's contemporary in style and made of concrete with lots of niceties," said Ralston. "It is designed around a theme of a living room and a family room concept. Our architect, John Nelson, believes families live well both in a living room and family room. We were looking at a low-income cost project and considered this over a steel-frame building because this has a lot more amenities.

"The building is designed for us to live as much outside as inside, with a courtyard for outside weddings and worship services," Ralston continued. "There are two walls of windows, views of Pikes Peak and a glass-block cross in the worship area with changes of color (available)."

Living Hope Covenant Church is currently located in a strip mall and averages around 100 in worship service attendance. Ralston said the congregation's faith gives the congregation the ability to do more than its resources might appear to allow. "We see ourselves as 'The Little Church That Could.' We even have a plaque that reads, 'I Think I Can, I Think I Can.'

"We see this as God's work and there are so many things that make us aware of this," Ralston continued. "We are a congregation of 70 to 80 and we've raised over $200,000 for this project. Also, the man owning the property that abuts against ours gave us a gift of sewer and water hookups and his construction company also brought in thousands of square yards of dirt to level our property. And the fees that we are to pay to the city have also been reduced miraculously and (they) allowed us to use a shorter turn-in lane, which is really unusual."

For more about Living Hope Covenant, call Ralston at 719-531-5101 or visit the church website at www.livinghopecov.com.

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