Keene (NH) Congregation Eager to Complete New Ministry Center

KEENE, NH (October 3, 2006) – It was a dramatic and symbolic moment when workers lifted into place the large steeple that now graces a new facility being built by Monadnock Covenant Church, which plans to occupy the new building in January.

Ground was broken for the new project on April 8 in this town of some 22,000 people located in southwestern New Hampshire, about 100 miles north of Boston, with construction beginning the following month. The property in Keene is strategically located on approximately 10 acres of land at a major intersection coming into the city.  Funding was provided by National Covenant Properties.

The new ministry center will house a multipurpose room capable of seating about 400 people, a large nursery and toddler area to provide childcare during worship services and special events, and a commercial-grade kitchen. Also included are a number of flexible meeting rooms suitable for children, youth, and adults, and new office space. (To views additional photos, please see Construction.

“It has been the vision of the church to have a visible, meaningful presence in the city of Keene,” says Crystal Toegel, the office assistant for Pastor Garth McGrath. “Everyone at Monadnock Covenant Church would like to see an impact being made on the people of the area and to touch them with the love and grace of God. A building will help us accomplish that goal and will give us a base of operations for ministry to the community.”

Monadnock Covenant is a relatively new congregation, a Covenant church plant ministry established in 1994 with 38 people. Today, the congregation averages 150 in Sunday worship attendance, meeting in the gymnasium of a local elementary school in East Swanzey until the new facility is completed.

The new facility will enhance local ministry in a number of ways, McGrath points out, especially for newcomers not accustomed to finding a church that meets in a local school building. “We don’t have a physical presence for newcomers and people new to the area,” Toegel observes. “Having a building will give people in the community a visible, tangible place to seek out a spiritual community.”

The transient nature of a church plant meeting in the school brings with it certain unavoidable necessities, like transporting equipment, furnishings, coffee, chairs, and anything else needed for a church service in and out every Sunday – something the Monadnock congregation has done for the past 10 years. “Having a building will give the congregation a permanent home and will free up individuals to concentrate more on ministering to people rather than the physical plant needs for Sunday services,” Toegel says.

“The school district has been very gracious in allowing us to meet in the school for all these years,” she notes. “However, we are only allowed to use it on Sunday mornings. We have had to seek out other venues for special services such as Christmas Eve, youth events, children’s programs and such. It will be wonderful for the congregation to be able to meet in the same location for all services and have a home base of operations.”

The building is considered to be quite large when compared to other church facilities in the area, so plans call for making the facilities available to different groups from the community to use for appropriate events, “giving the church additional exposure in the community as well as giving us an opportunity to reach out to the people of the city.”

To learn more about the construction program or the many ministries at Monadnock Covenant, call the office staff at 603-352-6816 or visit the church website at Monadnock Covenant.