Building a Church

As most of you know we are in the process of planning for a new building here at Covenant. We have needed a place where our church family can gather to fellowship (code word for eat) together at one time. We have needed a place where our church family can provide indoor recreational space for our children and youth programs. We have needed a place where we can use for our contemporary worship service with ease of set up and taking down. We have needed a place that allows ample storage space, which we need so desperately. We now need a place for our administrative offices, since we have converted that space for our preschool and mother’s day out program. We have needed a place that is more suitable for our VBS programs and our Pumpkin Patch fieldtrips and on and on and on. Praise be to God, we need additional facility and with the building committee hiring an architect, we are ever closer to building.

Before moving on, let me add quickly, we will also be making plans to have a Capital Funds campaign that will allow us to add the facility and have a plan on how best we can fund it. But don’t wait, should you desire to have a part funding this building program, go ahead and write a check, or send us stock. At the very least, be in prayer about what you may be able to do, when we begin the capital fund program within the next few months.

But building a church has little to do with our building a facility. In fact, one of my concerns as your pastor is that we will get so focused on the excitement of a new building, that we will forget what the Lord meant when He instructed us to Build His Church. Jesus was more concerned with our ministry and how we were involved in making disciples for Him. Last evening, our business meeting focused exactly on the way, we are determined to increase our effectiveness as a church.

We will be praying about defining our mission in such a way, that it is second nature to all of us who call Covenant home. We will have a meeting where we voice our concerns and narrow down our focus in two or three areas where we know the Lord wants us to do better, whether it is in children or youth ministry, or developing an outreach program, or encouraging more of us be hands on in mission work. This meeting will be held on February 13th. (No football games conflict there.) Again, everyone is invited to come and share in this open meeting where we attempt to discern where God is leading us onward.

Covenant is on the move, praise be to God! But we need to plan so we stay on the move and build the Church, where people can meet Jesus, hear the Message of Jesus, and do the Mission of Jesus. Why not come join us and build that church.

See you in your place of worship!
Rev. Chris Blanchard