Covenant Church

A congregational meeting. Largest attendance ever. An aggressive agenda. Futuristic.

For two and one-half hours this past Sunday afternoon we talked peacefully, sharing a common passion: That we walk together in unity and love as a Body. We are: Many Nations; One Faith; Serving God. We are blessed!

People. Caring about people. Wanting to win people to Jesus. Wanting to make disciples. Wanting to provide opportunities for relationship building. Wanting to be biblical, Spirit-filled and Spirit-directed. Wanting to be effective in these prophetic times.

Having been given a home base on a certain piece of geography, our home place became a nexus for traffic and development in our community. Once a farm with value of only a few thousand dollars per acre. Now commericial property. Valuable. More than 50,000 square feet of ministry buildings. A five-lane parkway being built in front of the church property. How do we use it for the glory of God?

A Five-Year Strategic Plan. Vision. Motto. Goals. A charted path with tools to measure progress. Action Values. A plan with incremental steps focused on Christ-centered discipleship.

Engagement. Every person bringing to the table their own love for Jesus. Every person devoting time and skills for effective ministry to the Body and to share the gospel with those who have not heard.

We re-visioned. Instead of planning to accommodate a growing body of believers through building a new 1200 seat sanctuary, we will:

1. Plan to connect the two main buildings with a large lobby, etc.
2. Install an elevator with access to all levels.

Instead of a ballfield:

1. Additional parking.
2. Casual area around pavilion.

Plan for:

1. Enclosing mezzanine to allow for Bible study during worship...thus maybe go to three services. Or maybe accommodating growth through simultaneous services with simulcast.
2. Larger lobby area on North side of worship complex.
3. Reconfiguring traffic flow.
4. Completing conversion of commercial kitchen to cafe concept.

We sense the need for continuing relationship building. We do not see the wisdom of spending millions of dollars on buildings when there are preferred alternatives that will allow us to serve a growing congregation.

We recognize that our two buildings need to be joined for good flow of family ministry. In and out and about in inclement weather. Hot weather. Cold weather. Keeping things this way was not in our original plans. So instead of connecting via a new sanctuary, we now plan to connect with a new lobby! Hopefully, with relocated nurseries and amenities to serve.

We agreed to a Task Force to study future plans and bring back specifics to a congregational meeting.

We believe that investing in the work of the Lord is urgent. We believe that God is speaking to His people to tithe and give generously to encourage a huge harvest of souls. The Holy Spirit is doing a work around the world. We are in the flow of God's Spirit. NOW is the time for action. Now is the time for commitment!

We believe the return of Jesus is imminent. We believe this is harvest time! We believe God has long been preparing Covenant Church for this time and season of harvest.

We accept that we are a training base. We accept that part of our mandate is to prepare ministers, encourage missionaries, and develop outreach ministries bigger than we are and reaching farther than Covenant's home base. We are Kingdom-driven. We rejoice to partner with others who are touching the world for Christ.

While we can, we must. Time is of the essence. Our heart is to fulfill the mission of Christ.

Will you covenant to join with me in fasting and prayer for a powerful future? Our obedience to the call of God is predicate for the favor of God. Victory is destined when we follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

Much love

Pastor Bare

Philippians 4:8