Covenant Grove has officially begun our capital initiative, called Building Hope. Our goal is to raise $750,000 or more so we can expand our facilities – to be able to expand our mission of transforming religious and irreligious people into Fully Devoted Followers of Christ. We also want to take 10% of what we have raised to live out the mission of God beyond Covenant Grove. Our goal is to plant a church, sending out 30-40 people from Covenant Grove to reach a new area with Jesus. We will also give to a mission project – a big blessing! This initiative is not about the building but about God and people, and I am really excited!
This is a defining moment in the life of our church. Starting our church was a big moment, moving into the building was huge, going to three services was incredible. All of these God-moments pushed our church further and helped us see that God can do more than we can ask or imagine. Now the Lord is stretching us even further. He doesn’t want us only to build a building; He is calling us to build hope – living into a confidence that comes from knowing that He is with us, He loves us, and He has good plans for our lives. Whenever we give to God – in surrender and in sacrifice – we experience what life is all about, and we are filled with His true joy.
People sometimes ask me how big I want the church to be. My answer is always the same…”bigger.” My goal is not to have a big church; my goal is to be in a church that wants to follow Jesus on His mission to reach people. That is happening in our church, and I am so blessed to be the pastor of this amazing group of people! Of course, I can’t control if our church becomes a “big” church (and that number is different in each person’s head). All I know is that we will never put up a sign that says, “No more room here. Go somewhere else.” We want to keep following Jesus, growing in depth and in numbers. We aren’t in control, but we follow the One who is. Let’s stay humble and obedient to Him, always committed to being the church He wants us to be. I am so excited about the next chapter of this adventure!
“The God of heaven will give us success. We, His servants, will rise up and build.” Nehemiah 2:20
Is there another place where funds will come from other than that amount of 750K ? I am not aware that much can be built for less that a million, especially when you factor in starting a church plant and giving to missions.
Karen – you are right, and very wise to understand that! We will be taking a loan to cover the other costs of construction. The total project is estimated to cost 2.1 to 2.5 million dollars. There are still some unknown factors that our architect is working out with the county and city (permit, scope, size, etc.). Thanks!