Former pastor Brian Wiele preached on “Expressing God’s Heart, Growing God’s Family” to help the church explore its new mission. Those on the margins of society are close to God’s heart, Wiele told the church. He then challenged them to start the first enabling residence in the Pacific Southwest Conference. There are already several residences in the Midwest. Another is planned for the Southeast Conference.
Within weeks of the sermon, almost a dozen people had expressed interest, and the project was born. The church has 14 acres of available property, and will use a portion for the residence. The project continued to move forward after Wiele left to become director of mission advancement for the conference.
Susan Paulsen, chair of the project, believes that God’s kingdom “is composed of multiethnic, multitalented, multi-challenged, multi-economic, multitudes of people.”
“God gave us the acreage years ago,” she said, “and now he is ‘mosaically’ doing a new thing by leading us towards this ministry.”
Paulsen adds that God “gave specific directions to Haggai, Nehemiah, Ezra, Noah, and others to ‘go, work, and build.’ We believe that he gives those same specific directions to each of us today.”
The planned home’s name – Oak Tree Place – comes from Isaiah 61:3: “They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, to display his glory.” Architectural renderings are complete, and a feasibility study is underway. The congregation is partnering with Covenant Ministries of Benevolence.
The congregation has voted to lease the land needed for the project. Groundbreaking is tentatively scheduled for early 2007.
The church can be contacted at 209-838-7600. More information about Covenant Enabling Residences can be found at www.covenantbenevolence.org/dsbld.htm
Copyright © 2011 The Evangelical Covenant Church.
