History
Franklin Summerour, District Superintendent, Pastor Dave and Kris Gillespie and an eight-person steering committee began meeting in December 1979 with the goal of forming a new church. Their basic ideals for this new church were to provide Christian education for all ages, to create local and global outreach mission and to provide a loving, caring, family centered community. Eventually the mission statement for the church evolved from these basic philosophies.
The Founding Pastor, Dave Gillespie
The New North Spokane Methodist Church began meeting in the parsonage basement in the spring of 1980. As membership grew plans were made to begin worshipping September 21, 1980 at North’s Square Dance Hall. Covenant United Methodist Church was the new name for the church enthusiastically adopted at a family retreat in December of that year. St. George’s School facilitated our membership growth and became the second place of worship.
District Superintendent, Franklin Summerour lead 75 Covenant members in a chartering ceremony to officially start the church on December 19, 1980. Jim Moore wrote and presented the song, “Our Covenant,” at this special service.
In the spring of 1981, a Building Committee was formed to begin the process of fund raising. The new church broke ground in March 1983 and our first worship service in the present facility was October of that year. The narthex worship space and education wing comprised Phase 1 of the building program. The Holy Spirit continued to bless the Covenant Family with membership growth, so the addition of a sanctuary became a critically important priority. The goal of Phase 2 was fulfilled November 1986 when members gathered in the new worship space for the first time.
As the church grew and programs expanded, Covenant said good-bye to its first pastor of eleven years and welcomed Pastor Mike Graef and Associate Pastor Andy Goff in 1991. In July 1993, Andy was reassigned as Chaplain to Grambling University. Covenant continued to walk in its path of commitment to God under the leadership of Pastor Graef. It was determined community outreach and ministry would be enhanced with the addition of a fellowship hall and a partnership with Young Life Youth Ministry, so in March 1996 a three-year pledge drive began.
The dream lived on after June 1996, when Pastor Graef was transferred to Vancouver, WA. and Pastor Glenn Kennedy was appointed to shepherd the Covenant Family.
Ground breaking for the fellowship hall was in the spring of 1998 and completion of Phase 3 in May 1999 provided a multi-purpose room, commercial kitchen and additional classrooms. Now the Covenant Community had the means to fully realize its mission: To reach out to those around us, receive people with genuine warmth and hospitality, relate our lives to God and to one another, equip each other as Christian disciples through small group ministry, and go out into the world to make it more loving in the name of Christ.
Covenant
United Methodist Church
15515 N. Gleneden Drive
Spokane, WA 99208-9743
509-466-1768