Home
Two Congregations Mark 50 Years of Ministry
SEATTLE, WA (May 27, 2004) - Two Covenant congregations within a few miles of
each other celebrated 50 years of ministry last weekend.
Interbay Evangelical Covenant Church celebrated its 50th anniversary as
more than 200 attended a special morning worship service and luncheon on
Sunday.
North Pacific Conference Supt. Mark Novak was a special guest at the
Sunday worship service, sharing memories of his time as youth pastor for
the church while he was a college student.
About 200 attended a Saturday evening open house, said pastor Ray
Bartel. A PowerPoint presentation with pictures from the past was part
of the open house. A praise service, including special music from a
former group called The Interbay Singers (a seven-member ensemble) and
the reminiscence from former pastors was part of the celebration.
"The event far exceeded our expectations," said Bartel, who has been
full-time senior pastor for three years.
Interbay Covenant has an average worship attendance of about 100, Bartel
said. The church has made recent connections with young adults in the
area and the congregation has cooperated with another Covenant church,
Quest, as they engage in a ministry to those in the twenty-something age
group. A renovated warehouse owned by Interbay is used during the week
as a café and community center and Quest uses the warehouse for Sunday
worship. The two churches are located within 100 yards of each other -
Interbay hosts worship at 10 a.m. on Sundays while Quest has its Sunday
worship in the afternoon.
Nine miles from Interbay Covenant, Shoreline Covenant Church celebrated
50 years of ministry on May 22-23. Current pastor, Miguel Guerrero, has
been at the church for nearly 27 years.
Shoreline Covenant, once known as North Seattle Covenant Church, is
located in a city of 53,000 about 15 miles north of downtown Seattle. It
has an average of about 300 people worshiping on Sunday mornings and has
had integral ministries to children and junior high and high school
students. A nearby independently operated preschool - Shoreline Covenant
Preschool - has made inroads into the community and was started as a
ministry of the church in 1973 under a different name.
Copyright © 2008 The Evangelical Covenant Church. |
