Covenant News
Many Church Building Projects Continue through the Summer
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO (May 29, 2004) - A new Covenant church's building project in Colorado is highlighted among more than a dozen projects throughout the Central, East Coast, Great Lakes, Midwest and Northwest conferences of the Evangelical Covenant Church.Relevant Word Ministries is nearing the end of its construction of a new church, having begun the project in January. It is hoped the building would be completed in July. The project is estimated at $1 million, including land acquisition costs.
Founded in 1995, Relevant Word Ministries became a Covenant congregation two years ago. The senior pastor of the church is Promise Lee.
A listing of other building projects is denoted by conference and region.
CENTRAL
- Chicago, Illinois: North Park Covenant Church has begun a $1.6 million building project and will host a groundbreaking service June 20. The church has demolished two buildings and ground has been dug and footings put in for the addition of youth room, conference room and handicap accessible elevator, among other things. An enclosed garden, columbarium area and playground are also part of the addition, said the church's administrative manager and project manager Walt Schiller. It is hoped the project can be completed by November. National Covenant Properties is helping with financing, according to a recent church newsletter report.
EAST COAST
- Berlin, Connecticut: Bethany Covenant Church is in the midst of a building project with hopes of occupying a new space in September, said a church representative. The new building is nearly enclosed and roofing is complete on a facility that would include a 450-seat sanctuary. A dedication is set for November 7 as Glenn R. Palmberg, president of the Evangelical Covenant Church, will attend and give the morning message. Cost for the project is around $2.6 million and the church has received financial assistance from National Covenant Properties. Philip Brockett is the pastor of the congregation, which averages 400 combined for two worship services in a suburb of Hartford.
- East Greenwich, Rhode Island: Christ Church recently finished a stewardship campaign, raising $1.6 million in pledges over a three-year period, and is assessing how to design a building, said pastor Lyle Mook. The church had received clearance from the city's planning and zoning boards for the first phase of the project, which the church hopes could double existing space. Christ Church has more than 750 in average worship attendance and has three Sunday worship services, as well as a Sunday night alternative service.
GREAT LAKES
- Fountain, Michigan: Bachelor Evangelical Covenant Church hosted a dedication service on April 4 after construction measures totaling more than $200,000, said pastor Norman Letsinger. More than 260 were at the dedication in a sanctuary that seats 195 (double the sanctuary seating size before construction). Church attendance is around 100 on an average Sunday. Along with additional sanctuary space, the church added three Sunday-school rooms, two offices and handicap accessible bathrooms and a nursery and entry area. National Covenant Properties helped the church with financing.
- Grand Rapids, Michigan: The 105-unit independent living facility for Covenant Village of the Great Lakes was finished last November and a grand opening for the community is set for June 5, said campus administrator Steve Karnes. The Village is adding a skilled nursing facility, which should finish August 1. The cost of that project is $1.2 million. An assisted living facility was completed in 2000. In the future, the Village hopes to build an 85-unit addition to the independent living facility.
- Dublin, Ohio: Sawmill Covenant Church is waiting for negotiations to finish as it considers a new building. The church has raised over $300,000 on a project that is estimated at $1.8 million, said pastor John Atkinson. A Kingdom Builders/Frontier Friends grant will help offset costs. It is hoped that the project could be finished in the winter of 2005.
MIDWEST
- Broomfield, Colorado: NorthPoint Church, a congregation of 700 located in a Denver suburb, is still in negotiations with the city of Westminster as it considers a building project. A capital campaign raised $2.1 million over three years, said a church staffer. An auditorium/sanctuary and a wing for the church's "KidsPoint" program, along with a student ministries wing, are key features of the 35,000 square foot facility. National Covenant Properties is helping the five-year-old congregation with financing.
- Loveland, Colorado: Crossroads Covenant Church is more than halfway through a 47,000 square foot facility construction project after hold its groundbreaking last June, said associate pastor Scott Oas. The proposed building is expected to hold 1,200 in its worship space. This is phase one of a multi-phase plan that will receive help from National Covenant Properties. Two capital campaigns have raised about $2.5 million in pledges. Crossroads Church was organized in January 1996 under current senior pastor John Smith. Worship attendance is now about 2,300 per weekend at the church, which meets in a local high school about 45 minutes north of Denver.
- Windsor, Colorado: Covenant Bible College (CBC)-Midwest is finishing a new classroom and chapel building that was financed almost entirely by an anonymous donor. Another donor had helped finance the construction of a new dormitory. A third phase, including a multipurpose building, is also on the horizon. A $3 million capital campaign was launched publicly during the school's commencement in May. The completion of the project would mean that CBC-Midwest could house as many as 88 students.
- Lenexa, Kansas: Community Covenant Church, a congregation of 600, is in the midst of construction after having a groundbreaking ceremony last November for a new building project. The facility includes 49,000 square feet with the possibility of adding a 5,000 square foot gym if funding comes in. The property is on 12.2 acres of land, said pastor Tom Anderson. More than $2 million has been pledged (over three years) for the overall facility and $400,000 has been earmarked for a gym. It is hoped that the sale of the church's current facility will help in the financing process. Anderson hopes that the estimated $10 million project would be finished by the fall of 2005.
NORTHWEST
- Baudette, Minnesota: Pastor Scott Christensen of the Evangelical Covenant Church of Baudette said that the church's building project is nearly ready for the formal construction project. The church is located in a town of 1,200 located near the U.S./Canada border. The congregation of 60 had a groundbreaking ceremony last September for a project that includes a sanctuary seating about 150. The new building will total more than 8,000 square feet (145 feet by 60 feet), said Christensen. The church hopes to sell its current building this fall. And the congregation already has well over $200,000 in its building fund.
- Biwabik, Minnesota: The Evangelical Covenant Church of Biwabik has been working on its new kitchen with hopes of winterizing one section of the church this summer, said pastor Jeffrey Jones. A Covenant church in Little Falls, Minnesota, will help the church's construction project in July. An arson fire had destroyed the previous church nearly six years ago and the congregation has slowly been constructing the new facility. The church has spent $310,000 and Jones said that the church would need another $100,000 to completely finish the building.
- Duluth, Minnesota: A building project at Lakeview Covenant Church is on schedule and the congregation is hopeful that its 40,000 square foot building project can be completed in the fall, said a church representative. The church hosted a groundbreaking ceremony last September. The project includes an addition to its current sanctuary, along with expansion of a Christian Education wing and office space. National Covenant Properties is helping with financing and the church ha raised a significant amount of money as well.
- Long Prairie, Minnesota: Lake Beauty Covenant Bible Camp is embarking on two projects totaling $115,000, including air conditioning the camp's multipurpose building and constructing a cabin for year-round use. In the future, Lake Beauty hopes to replace all of its existing cabins with year-round buildings, said a recent camp update sent to conference churches.
- New London, Minnesota: The Evangelical Covenant Church of New London is about finished with its building project, with work on a youth room being in the basement being the lone portion of the project remaining, said a church representative. Sound system upgrades and work on the sanctuary is also part of the overall scheme but the church has moved into new offices and parishioners are using a new gathering area, library, nursery and remodeled kitchen less than a year after hosting a groundbreaking last August.
- Fargo, North Dakota: Knollbrook Covenant Church is nearing completion of a project that included education space, fellowship space, a foyer and the means to make the building handicap accessible. The cost was around $800,000 said pastor Greg Fullerton. National Covenant Properties helped with financing.
- Ellsworth, Wisconsin: Bethel Covenant Church finished one phase of its building project - the main floor area - and a basement area is yet to be completed, said pastor Rick Klawitter. Offices are completed, although the church hasn't moved into that area yet. Landscaping is ongoing and the church hopes to pave an existing parking lot in the future. The building project has cost $850,000 and a local loan has aided the church in its financing.
- Ellsworth, Wisconsin: Zion Covenant Church's 6,000 square foot building project is nearly complete and the congregation is refurbishing the interior of the building. The project includes a multipurpose building, along with remodeling of bathrooms and kitchen.
- Poplar, Wisconsin: Mission Covenant Church is set to hold a ground breaking either in June or July after the congregation assesses construction bids, said a church representative. The estimated cost of the project is $1.2 million and would include a multi-ministry center, bathrooms, classrooms, storage space and a kitchen. Currently, the church has been working on adding more parking spaces surrounding the facility.
SOUTHEAST
- St. Petersburg, Florida: Faith Covenant Church is re-entering its building on a full-time basis, with Sunday school and church worship events being held on site after three weeks away from the current building - worship services had been held at local schools. Phase one of the new addition includes a remodeling of the interior of the entire church, new windows and doors and other things. A new nursery, foyer and administrative area will be operational in mid-June, said pastor Jeff Burton. Many exterior renovations are in process and should be ready in July. The total cost of the current project phase (including the purchase of land) is estimated at around $1.4 million. A new sanctuary and atrium are part of phase two of the project - no date has been set on that phase.
ELSEWHERE
- LaMerced, Ecuador: CBC-Ecuador hosted a groundbreaking on April 2 for a new dorm and classroom buildings to be completed in the fall. Completion of the project, financed with help from National Covenant Properties, would allow the campus to house 72 students.
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