6:09 AM, May. 28, 2011 | Written by Michelle George of the Lancaster Eagle-Gazette
LANCASTER — A local church that’s had services at Covenant Christian Church since January now is taking steps to make the facility its permanent home.
Life Church recently entered a rental agreement with Covenant Christian Church that includes the possibility of buying the land and facilities at a later date.
As a result of the new agreement, Life Church now will have its services at 10 a.m. Sundays and Covenant Christian will have its services on Saturdays beginning June 5. Life Church currently has services Saturday evenings.
Life Church Pastor Ron Grubb said he’s excited about the agreement with Covenant Christian.
Ron Grubb, pastor of Life Church, addresses the congregation during a service at Covenant Christian Church in Lancaster. Life Church recently entered a rental agreement with Covenant Christian Church that includes a possibility to buy the property at a later date. / Eagle-Gazette file photo
“Life is hopeful that we will be able to own our own church home soon, simply because a permanent home allows us to humbly serve the surrounding community,” he said. “Like a good family, owning your own home provides a stable environment for growth and relationship.”
Covenant Christian Church Pastor Dennis Coll said he also feels the decision is a good one for both churches.
“It’s a bit of a testimony to not being in competition as churches, but rather seeing what we can do to help each other and move forward with what the Lord has for us to do,” he said. “I believe God has been in this and the timing and I believe it’s going to be a good thing.”
He said that although the church used to meet on Saturday nights a long time ago, the switch will still be quite a change.
“We will continue to use our facilities otherwise as we always have,” he said. “At the same time, Life Church will begin to use offices here. It is a dual use approach going forward.”
Coll said Covenant Christian Church first was founded in 1975. The church went without facilities for 15 years and was known as the “church without walls.”
Then, in 1990, Covenant Christian Church was built on Lancaster-Newark Road in Pleasantville. The congregation moved into the church in 1991.
Grubb said when he and his wife stepped away from their former position as pastors and were praying about what was next for them in ministry, Coll encouraged the Grubbs to consider a second church start up using Covenant’s facility.
“As the Lord would have it, Covenant had previously begun to consider alternative methods to meet and grow as a congregation. One of their considerations was to share their facility with another congregation,” Grubb said. “Because of the trust relationship Dennis and I shared as pastors, we believed it would be possible for two congregations to share one facility.”
In January, the Grubbs started up Life Church and began holding services on Saturday at Covenant Christian.
“It has been a remarkable experience; both congregations have adopted a servant’s attitude toward the other and strive to leave the facility ready for one another,” Grubb said. “Covenant has often said, ‘our stuff is your stuff,’ and Life has responded in kind. Under Pastor Coll’s leadership, Covenant Christian Church has welcomed Life Church into their living room and made us feel completely at home.”
Grubb said the rental agreement Life Church has established with Covenant Christian will give both congregations time to determine long range goals and purposes.
“We are confident that the Lord’s plan will unfold for us in a manner that will allow both congregations to make the proper adjustments and decisions,” he said.
Grubb said he thinks switching services from Saturday nights to Sunday nights will make a difference and help increase attendance.
“Because we are a new church family, having access to a church home creates an important sense of stability,” he said. “With the summer season on us, the active lifestyles of young families makes Saturday evenings a difficult time slot with which to compete and by moving to Sunday mornings we believe many of our regular attenders as well as new guests will find Sunday mornings a more natural time to attend church.”
Michelle George can be reached at (740) 681-4342 or mgeorge@lancastereaglegazette.com