The church's addition is primarily a multipurpose facility - about 5,000 square feet - and part of the project entails remodeling the present building. It is hoped that the addition will be finished later in the fall.

Zion Covenant is a congregation that has been in existence since 1890. It is located in the county seat of Pierce County in a town of 3,000, about 40 miles from the Twin Cities. The church moved to its present location in 1960 from just outside of town. Worship attendance is about 130. Youth ministries and servant evangelism projects have given the church added visibility in the St. Paul area bedroom community.

"Our hope is that the addition will enhance existing ministries and allow us to do new ministry," said Eaton. "On Wednesday nights, we have over 100 people in our youth ministries, with Awana for the children and youth ministry programs for junior high and high school. But we haven't had room for other ministries (on Wednesday nights) and hopefully that will be in the mix, too.

"We've established ourselves in the community as an active presence in caring for youth and children," Eaton continued. "We've got a dedicated group of volunteers - a lot of people give a lot of time - and we have active senior adult ministries and Bible study groups throughout the week. It's a good place to be."

Numerous other projects are also under way, with the following updates (grouped by conference or region) gleaned from the more than 200 newsletters received each month by the Department of Communication.

EAST COAST

• East Greenwich, Rhode Island: Christ Church is altering its building plans, according to a recent newsletter to parishioners that reads, "The Building Task Force has been advised by its consultants that putting the proposed detached building into the flood plain (located near the existing structure) would not be approved by the Department of Environmental Management . . . this has caused the Building Task Force to turn its attention to the other options for building more space for the church's programs. The Building Task Force is now examining the church's options and respective costs . . ."

ECCAK

• Wasilla, Alaska: On March 30, Mat-Su Covenant Church celebrated the groundbreaking of a building addition that includes several phases. Phase one will focus on the first floor of the two-floor structure. Building committee chair Nick Swindells stated that work on the foundation will begin in the coming weeks. It includes a Christian education wing with a youth room, classrooms and office space. The congregation has benefited from volunteer help, which has reduced expenses for a project that was expected to cost around $500,000. A mild winter is also allowing the building project to proceed more quickly.

GREAT LAKES

• Jamestown, New York: Zion Covenant Church has selected an architect is it pursues a new narthex for the church. Cost for the narthex is estimated at $500,000, said pastor Brad Bergfalk. The congregation recently raised around $400,000 in a capital campaign drive. The church hopes to begin construction this fall.

MIDWEST

• Shawnee, Kansas: Community Evangelical Covenant Church completed a capital campaign with a banquet on March 9 that raised more than $2.1 million in pledges (over three years). The church hopes to raise $3 million to build a new facility on 12.2 acres of land located four miles from its current site. The building, which is about 60,000 square feet, is estimated to cost about $7.6 million. The total project cost is about $10 million. The church of 600 hopes to begin building at the end of summer and finish the project in two years, says pastor Tom Anderson.
• Stromsburg, Nebraska: Midwest Covenant Home (MCH) had 10 existing units and converted and added 10 more, according to administrator Pat McElhose. MCH is working on converting other portions of the older facility, including the dining room, to make new units. Total occupancy when construction is finished will be 30 residents. The goal is to finish construction work by June 30 - landscaping bids have been accepted. The total project cost is $1.7 million. About $1.1 million came from Nebraska State grant funds. For more information, call McElhose at 402-764-2711.

NORTH PACIFIC

• Sherwood, Oregon: Countryside Covenant Church is en route to completing a $3.6 million, 21,000-squ are-foot building in August. The facility includes a multipurpose room (sanctuary and gymnasium), classroom and administrative space. Countryside Covenant has been meeting at a local high school since 1998 after beginning its ministry in January 1993. Paul Duppenthaler is the original pastor of the congregation.
• Bellingham, Washington: According to the North Pacific Conference's March/April newsletter, Bellingham Covenant Church's 30,000-square-foot, one-floor building is expected to be finished in August. As noted in the church's April newsletter, "Our building project continues to move along at a fast pace. The roof is now complete and the windows are being installed. Our siding contractor is wrapping the building with Typar and installing the siding. The plumbers, electricians, sprinkler system installers and heating system folks continue to make good progress." Groundbreaking for the new $4.2 million facility - which includes a sanctuary seating 400 and a gymnasium - occurred last August. The new building gives the congregation of 200 many possibilities as it envisions future ministry. Pastor Dan Boyce expressed his gratefulness on the progress of the project, stating, "We're excited about this project and it's been neat to see how God has answered prayers along the way."
• Selah, Washington: A local school district has accepted a bid on a 7.8-acre piece of property given by Selah Covenant Church, which is looking to build a new facility. Pastor Marc Strobel stated that the congregation gave its approval to proceed with the project at a recent meeting. Preliminary designs are being prepared and the church has received feedback on what aspects of the facility are important to the congregation. The church hopes to have a groundbreaking ceremony this fall. The church continues to move forward following an August 2001 fire that destroyed the church's annex building next to the sanctuary. Because the fire destroyed the church's education facilities, the congregation decided to move to an area school in order to have both worship and Christian education classes at the same site. The congregation has re-settled back into its sanctuary. It conducts three worship services during the week for 270 in combined attendance.

NORTHWEST

• Dawson, Minnesota: Dawson Covenant Church has set the date for its building dedication - July 20 - as the project moves toward completion. Siding is done on three sides and the sanctuary platform is completed, along with the narthex, stated the church's latest newsletter update. Bricklaying on the front of the building, painting of various rooms and other interior details remain to be finished.
• Duluth, Minnesota: Lakeview Covenant Church is fundraising for a building project and is $81,866 short of its goal of $450,000. The church hopes to apply for a mortgage this summer and will receive assistance from National Covenant Properties in order to proceed with plans.
• Worthington, Minnesota: First Covenant Church is nearing the end of a construction project for a 5,000-square-foot, $690,000 addition to its building with hopes of being able to move into its new offices in May. The addition includes new Sunday school classroom space and space for its preschool.
• Sioux Fall, South Dakota: Prairie Hills Covenant Church is in the midst of a capital fund drive that hopes to raise $450,000 by the end of 2004, said pastor Dawn Burnett. The church is still finalizing a construction loan for a facility that is 18,600 square feet on a 12-acre plot of land. A site dedication has already occurred and preliminary foundation work is finished. Roofing and wall construction is being worked on, thanks to mild winter. The new facility has an estimated cost of $1.9 million and includes classroom space and a sanctuary that can be divided for a fellowship hall.
• Poplar, Wisconsin: Mission Covenant Church recently finished the "Expanding the Vision" campaign drive to fund the final stage of a building project that began almost a decade earlier. Stage three includes a multi-ministry center, bathrooms, classrooms, storage space and a kitchen. The church initially received $300,000 in pledges over a three-year period. The third stage is expected to cost $1.2 million. Stages one and two have already been paid for, said Sue Peterson, the church's administrative assistant. The church moved to its current location in February 1996, according to a brochure promoting the current building expansion.

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST

• Granite Bay, California: Bayside Covenant Church's enormous building project is going better than expected, according to those leading the project. Frank Calton and Kerry Shearer, the liaisons from the Building Team and Community Outreach Team, expressed as much on the church's website, stating, "While the overall lack of rain this season has not been good for Northern California's water situation, it has resulted in minimal interruptions in the building project. Based on current progress, the buildings should be ready for at lease partion occupancy around the end of 2003." Among other things, the roof truss is now on the multipurpose building and the wall for the "clear height" portion is complete. The multipurpose building will function as a worship center, gym and banquet hall when it's ready for occupancy.) For the rest of the building surrounding the clear height portion, the two-story masonry wall is going up fast. Concrete roof tile is being placed on the youth/meeting building, and accent ledge stone will complete the building exterior in a few weeks. Steel wall studs for interior walls are complete and sheetrocking is underway, as well as soffit construction to shield the heating and air conditioning system. The children's building is on a schedule that lags about two to three weeks behind the progress of the youth building, but it is also coming along nicely. Landscaping is being planted around the property. Bayside's building project includes a 94,500-square-foot building that includes a 42,500-square-foot multipurpose room and youth and children's meeting rooms that are 22,000 and 30,000 square feet respectively. There will also be 883 added spaces for parking. Volunteer work has aided the project as the church's volunteer team has amassed 8,000 hours of pledges from 175 volunteers.
• Kerman, California: Kerman Covenant Church is in the midst of a multi-phase construction project affiliated with a local Christian school that both entities will use for classroom space and other needs. The church and community recently raised more than $100,000 for the facility. It is hoped that the project will finish in July.
• Pleasant Hill, California: Hope Center Covenant Church is attempting to expand on its facility by 1,650 square feet, but litigation regarding the expansion has slowed progress. The church, city of Pleasant Hill, and other tenants in a strip mall by the church are working on the contractual details.
• San Andreas, California: San Andreas Community Covenant Church recently embarked on a capital campaign drive and the pledges (to be paid over three years) totaled more than $217,000, said pastor Rob Satterberg. The monies will be used for a church expansion project.

SOUTHEAST

• St. Petersburg, Florida: Faith Covenant Church pastor Jeff Burton said that the church is working on redesigning its site plans after getting feedback from the local community. The church hopes to resubmit a site plan to the city in the summer for its multiphase building project. The congregation of 300 has raised $850,000 in pledges from a capital campaign effort in 2002 and has acquired some area homes in order to add to its facility. Phase one of the building project is a Christian education wing addition of about 7,000 square feet, along with the addition of 50 parking spaces to the church facility. Phase two would comprise a sanctuary that seats 650 to 800 and a foyer and nursery, added Burton.