Building Project Roundup: Wind Topples Second Floor of Alaska Church

"It was quite an interesting day," said Patty Hawk, the church's secretary. "The wind was blowing around and some plywood was flying. I heard this sound and went to the kitchen to check the parking lot. While I was in the kitchen area I got a phone call and when I answered it someone asked me if I was all right. I looked out the window and all of the framing had come down."

Hawk had just moved her car out of the parking lot before the second floor went flying. "No car was hit and no one got hurt. That was a real blessing," she said.

Since the accident, the framing has been redone on the second floor and the project is back on track. The building addition will include a Christian education wing with a youth room and classrooms and office space. It is hoped the church can move into the building addition - a separate building - in the fall. Eventually, the church would try to connect the two buildings.

Youth pastor Scott Sagle said that the financial costs for redoing the work that was destroyed by the wind is covered by insurance. Although the project is behind schedule, all of the completed work has been paid for, he added. National Covenant Properties has helped with financing and the church had already completed a several fundraising drives.

Mat-Su Covenant is located in a town of 35,000 located about 40 miles north of Anchorage. The church has an average attendance of more than 100 under the pastor Tom Luchsinger.

Here are a dozen other updates from other Covenant church building projects west of the Rockies. They are divided up by conference or region.

ECCAK

• Anchorage: First Evangelical Covenant Church is in the midst of a $1 million construction project that includes a new addition to its present facility. The 5,800 square foot addition should be completed later in the spring, said Bill Oudal, the church building committee chair.
• Kalskag: Kalskag Bible Chapel is working on plans for a second phase of its current building, which includes classrooms, restrooms, and an office. The first phase of the building is finished and paid for, said Pastor Macarlo Christiansen. The church recently celebrated a dedication ceremony for the work, with ECCAK regional director Rodney Sawyer and his wife, Nancy, attending. More about the work in Kalskag can be found on the ECCAK website, www.home.gci.net/~eccak.

NORTH PACIFIC

• Eugene, Oregon: Valley Covenant Church is considering a building project and will hold a congregational meeting in February to discuss preliminary plans, said Pastor Stephen Bilynskyj. Classroom space and youth space are two primary concerns for the church, which is reworking its master plan.
• Lakebay, Washington: Lakebay Community Church is working on obtaining permits after purchasing 7.8 acres of land. The proposed multi-phase project would include a sanctuary, a 6,000 square foot youth center, office space, and classrooms. The church recently received $80,000 from the North Pacific Conference. The congregation is in the third year of a matching fund drive to add up to $100,000 of additional funding. Chuck Wahlstrom has been the pastor of the congregation of 140 since it became a Covenant church in 1994. The church is located on the Puget Sound in a rural area that is part of Pierce County.
• Pasco, Washington: Desert Springs Covenant Church purchased 6.5 acres of land in west Pasco recently and is considering a capital campaign in order to build a new facility, said Pastor Dan Tourangeau. The congregation of 60 has been meeting in a local middle school since 1998.
• Selah, Washington: Selah Covenant Church, a congregation of 270 has purchased 7.8 acres of property from a local school district and are considering the next steps for planning a new facility. A contractor is doing preliminary work and developing a cost estimate. If the church membership agrees to the financing plan, the church hopes to start building in the summer, said Jim Faith, a parishioner working on the project. A sanctuary seating 290 that can function as a multipurpose room is the key part of the project. Classrooms are also included in the first phase of a multi-phase plan. The church continues to move forward following an August 2001 fire that destroyed the church's annex building next door to the sanctuary. The congregation originally moved to a local school in order to have both worship and Christian education classes at the same site, but have since re-settled back into its sanctuary.
• Tacoma, Washington: Trinity Church, a Korean congregation of about 160-170, is planning to build on 2.75 acres of land after receiving assistance in buying property from the North Pacific Conference. Pastor Tae Keun "Timothy" Jung said that the church originally purchased 7.9 acres but will sell much of that portion. The congregation was founded in 2000 and currently hosts a Korean adult service for 100, a youth worship service in English, and youth programs for younger children.

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST

• Davis, California: University Covenant Church is planning a grand opening for March 21 for a $6 million dollar facility. A transition team of 50 people under the direction of Larry Lagerstrom has been readying the church for the move, which occurred early this month, according to the church's website, www.ucov.com. The church's first worship service in the new facility is set for February 22.
• Granite Bay, California: Bayside Covenant Church hopes to dedicate its 94,500 square foot facility in March with a series of events for the community. The facility 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 additional parking spaces.
• Pleasant Hill, California: Hope Center Covenant Church is awaiting city approval to add onto its existing structure. Architectural plans have been submitted, said Pastor Dean Honnette, with more information to be presented to city officials in about a month.
• San Andreas, California: San Andreas Community Covenant Church has had its 10,000 square foot building expansion project stalled for a bit after getting approval from the county recently. Recent wet weather has kept construction from occurring to any great degree, said a church staff member. National Covenant Properties is assisting in the financing. Close to $300,000 has been pledged thus far for the project.
• Santa Barbara, California: Montecito Covenant Church's recent church newsletter stated that rough utilities were installed and rough grading was completed for a new facility. Concrete was poured for all basement footings, basement walls, basement slab and an elevator pit and in the coming months the church offices and sanctuary building footings should be completed and grading will begin for the church offices slab. The church hopes that structural concrete work may be completed by mid April, setting the stage for framing to start. The scheduled projection completion date is February 2005. Montecito Covenant had celebrated the groundbreaking of a proposed $4.25 million worship center/office building project on September 7. As of last fall, more than 75 percent of the $4.25 million needed for the building project has been raised or pledged and more than half of the total has already been deposited in the bank, said Associate Pastor for adult ministries Diana Trautwein.

More information about church building projects will be posted on www.covchurch.org in the spring. To alert Covenant Communications of building project updates, call 773-478-4631 or email newsdesk@covchurch.org.

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