The addition to the church includes a new front entrance with drive-through, overhead canopy, a new main lobby with barrier-free ramp to the sanctuary level, a multi-purpose room, a new kitchen, bathrooms, updated nursery and an expanded office area and conference room. Project cost is estimated at $713,000.

Church Chair Dave Williams sees the expansion project as a must for the church to continue its outreach to a growing township and county. "We are aware that only 18 percent of the people in our area are involved in a church," Williams says. "We want to do more to reach out to the 82 percent who need a caring church to call their own." 

Addressing the gathering during the ceremony, Pastor Brian Kyle said, "Let us not just break ground this morning on a new facility addition, but let us break ground on a whole new expanded ministry."

Fruitland Covenant currently averages 130 worshippers on a Sunday. The church was formed in 1949 and approximately 60 percent of its congregation is new to the church in the last seven years. In addition to its ministries, the church also is known for its outdoor Chapel in Pines, where summer worship services are held on Sunday mornings.