Covenant News

Washington Church Plant Leads List of Newsletter Updates

BURLINGTON, WA (July 27, 2004) - What a difference a year makes – actually, less than a year for Crossroads Covenant Church, a church plant of the North Pacific Conference of the Evangelical Covenant Church.

Just 10 months old, Crossroads now averages 250 in worship attendance, according to pastor Bruce Shellhammer. It is one of many church planting success stories, whose activities are reflected in the following recap gleaned from the more than 250 local church newsletters received each month by Covenant Communications.

The church leases a warehouse, hosting a coffee shop called "Common Grounds Deli" that has been a popular gathering place and focal point for after-work activity. Concerts occur on Saturdays and on Fridays the deli has drama, poetry and other entertainment - as many as 150 have shown up for a weekend event. Conversations with community leaders identified an important need in the community – a place for young people to "hang out." Another priority is the need for space reflecting a family atmosphere.

Crossroads Covenant has begun a service project called "Basics for Babies," which provides help for moms lacking adequate financial resources. People assist mothers by donating everything from diapers to baby food. They have also helped with counseling and have provided safe places for those suffering abuse. In the future, the church wants to provide tutoring for foster families' children, Shellhammer added.

Helped by the support of Bethany Covenant Church in nearby Mt. Vernon, Crossroads Covenant is located in Skagit County with a population of 105,000 people. Burlington is a town of 9,000, but the population quadruples during weekdays because the area is heavily populated with commercial businesses. The church sits adjacent to the Port of Burlington, a main commercial hub in a town that is one hour north of Seattle and one hour south of Vancouver, British Columbia.

"Skagit County is traditionally a farming community, but large cities are a reasonable drive away," said Shellhammer, who had been an associate pastor at Bethany Covenant for 11 years before considering church planting. "We've got a lot of great churches in Skagit County; what we wanted to do is provide an atmosphere for those who are non-churched. We'll let you bring your sodas and lattes into the service and we have casual dress, but at the same time we preach the word of God, we use hymns and we use traditional liturgies. We want to provide a community people can belong to. And it's been a great adventure."

More about the church can be learned by visiting the church website at www.crosscov.net or by calling Shellhammer at 360-424-1319. Crossroads Covenant is one of many church plants in various stages of development throughout the Covenant. Following are updates on some of the others, grouped by conference and region.

CENTRAL

• Bettendorf, Iowa: Riversong Covenant Church, a congregation located in the Quad Cities area under pastor Darin Youngs, has been averaging between 80 and 100 in attendance after beginning weekly worship services in March. The core group now totals 50 and the congregation has considered supporting a mentoring ministry to young mothers. The congregation is exploring ways to better know their neighbors. In May, members mowed lawns for area residents. The church's worship team played music at the city's Fourth of July Parade. "We're trying to put together ministries of compassion," said Youngs. "And we've also had a number of people who want to be involved in youth ministry. But I'm most excited about the fact that we're trying to be a very purposeful church. We've got a number of small groups going, we have a prayer team and some are interested in evangelism efforts." Overall, Covenant church growth in the larger Quad Cities area also is significant, according to a newsletter from Elim Covenant Church in nearby Moline, Illinois. Last year, Elim Covenant and First Covenant of Moline had a combined Easter attendance of 480. This Easter, the two congregations combined for 508 and Riversong had another 100 at worship – a 27 percent increase in attendance for the Quad Cities area.

EAST COAST

• Fort Lee, New Jersey: Metro Community Church, which began weekly worship services on April 4, is averaging around 70 in worship attendance, said pastor Peter Ahn. The church, which is located less than two miles from New York City, has a multiethnic mix and has many people from what is known as the "Gen X" age group. The church is seeking a new facility and is in the process of creating a non-profit organization called MAC (Metro Arts Center), which will minister within the heart of New York City and target at-risk youth and young adults through music, art and drama. For more information, call Ahn at 201-403-5028.
• Queens, New York: Queenswest Covenant Church, which had its first public worship services on April 4, has reached a predominantly Korean-American population, said pastor Peter Sung. The church's average worship attendance is 65. "We have a lot of unbelievers worshiping each Sunday," Sung said. "Many have been cynical of the church. But being a community and providing help for these 'homeless' people spiritually have been positive things. This church has really been a good community, doing things together outside of church." The church is moving into a new building later this month and will formally begin children's ministries later in the summer. The congregation has also been training small group leaders with hopes of starting nearly a dozen small groups in September. For more information about the church, call Sung at 646-369-6232.

GREAT LAKES

• Nashville, Tennessee: Designer's Covenant Church under pastor George Stull is planning a grand opening service on September 12 after averaging 125 people for preview worship services. The congregation is renovating its existing facility, a 7,500-square-foot building that used to house a flooring business. The church wants to use its facility in a studio format, with ministries being created out of the theme of God's creative design. There are studios for worship, prayer, kids ministries, administrative work and one for hospitality (a living room format). "When you walk into the middle of these spaces, there is a coffee bar and tables and chairs," said Stull. "And we have a children's area that creates that creative environment, such as mosaic pieces. It's a creative way in sharing our mission. Our building and the usage of our space represents particular meaning and purpose. We are designing our space to illustrate – in more than words – a place of development for people in faith and life. The simple metaphor is: God is the artist, we are the art and the studio is where we are developed." Designer's Covenant Church has also found a niche with many of the budding musicians in the area, added Stull, who was a student ministries pastor for a non-denominational church in Nashville before becoming a church planter.

MIDWEST

• El Dorado, Kansas: The second preview service at Hope Covenant Church drew 87 on July 11 as the new congregation prepares for weekly worship beginning September 19. Brian Johnson is the church planting pastor. He began his ministry in El Dorado last October. The next preview service is set for August 15.
• Wichita, Kansas: Although it's been around for a decade, The Journey has made a name change and is attempting a "restart" during the past year as it seeks to minister within a city of 400,000 people. The church, originally founded in 1994, averages about 55 people in worship under pastor Brent Thompson while meeting at a local school. The Journey has hired a part-time worship leader and is altering its worship style and changing its mission statement as it assesses future ministry. Thompson – who was director of marketing for a banking institution in Wichita before being called to ministry - said that improving children's/youth ministry could be an effective inroad to better ministering to its neighborhood.

NORTH PACIFIC

• Wenatchee, Washington: Columbia Grove Covenant Church is readying for a September 26 grand opening service, said pastor Andrew Thompson. A community-wide barbecue and kids carnival will be included as part of the day. Average worship attendance is about 70. A key ministry is a songwriters Bible study – Thompson is a songwriter – and the church has been plugged into the creative arts community. The church has sponsored worship music at Saturday morning Farmers Market events on a monthly basis and cooperates with other churches to provide shoes for children in the area (an estimated 500 pairs of shoes) before school starts. More about the grand opening and the church's activities can be found by visiting the church website at www.columbiagrove.org.

NORTHWEST

• Duluth, Minnesota: The Gathering, a church plant under pastor Mego Haralu, plans to launch its ministry with a grand opening service on October 3 to coincide with an eight-week evangelism effort called "Groups Investigating God." The new congregation is targeting non-Christians, said Haralu, who previously served at Lakeview Covenant Church in Duluth. The Gathering conducted its first preview service last December and had its first weekly service on March 7. It averages 100 in worship attendance and hopes to double its attendance in the coming months as it continues ministering to the Lakewood community in Duluth. Haralu said that the church has been intentionally trying to minister to international students and families. The congregation is also attempting to keep families together during worship services and other church functions. Intergenerational home groups with kids and parents and other adults have incorporated all age groups into the life of the church. A monthly Friday children's program for those ages 5 to 10 is part of a Parent's Night Out program. And Haralu has encouraged all adults (including those who are not parents) to help lead children's church efforts. More information is available by calling the church at 218-525-3855.

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST

• Los Angeles, California: Church of the Redeemer is hosting its grand opening service in October, said church planting pastor Danny Martinez. The new church has been blessed by collaborating with Pasadena Covenant Church in recent months. The two congregations met in a joint service on June 20. About 140 participated, including 60 from Pasadena Covenant, which earlier helped the church plant by hosting a "baby shower," raising $2,000 to be used by the church plant for 100 folding chairs, a drum set and microphones. The church meets at Melvin Taylor Community Center in south central Los Angeles. In late June, 30 individuals from Pasadena Covenant worked for one week to help renovate the community center. The program, "Vacation to LA II," also included sports and music camps led by Barb Pettit and John Barkman of Pasadena Covenant. A musical – which was done by those in the music camp – was presented at Church of the Redeemer the following week.
• Roseville, California: Bayside Covenant Church of Central Roseville held its first preview service on June 27 with 220 in attendance, according to a recent Pacific Southwest Conference website article. Leonard Lee, pastor of BCR (Bayside of Central Roseville), observed that of those in attendance, more than 50 were children in sixth grade and under. "People worked well together and most of the morning went without a hitch," explained Lee. "More than two dozen new people checked the box marked 'count me in' or 'regular attendee' on the registration forms, but most exciting by far was seeing seven people raise their hands to signify they made a decision to trust Christ." BCR meets at Oakmont High School in Roseville and will conduct its next preview service on August 15. For more information about this church and its ministries, visit the church website at www.rosevillechurch.com.

  To keep abreast of news concerning church plants within the Evangelical Covenant Church, regularly visit this online Covenant news report at www.covchurch.org. To submit information on church plants for consideration in this online report, email Covenant Communications at newsdesk@covchurch.org or call 773-478-4676, extension 117.

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