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Azusa Church to Celebate 50 Years of Ministry
AZUSA, CA (August 27, 2004) - Village Covenant Church will celebrate 50 years
of ministry October 10 with an afternoon meal and program after Sunday
morning worship.
The event will occur from noon until 3 p.m., said the church's office
administrator Linda Bartolf. Previous pastors have been invited and the
church will compile a memory book to commemorate the event.
Village Covenant Church began its ministry in October 1954 under pastor
Edward Dunn, having organized a month earlier. Its initial worship
service was held under a tent in nearby Covina. Eight families were
integral in the church's beginnings - they met first in a private home
then in an orange grower's warehouse, before worshiping at California
Baptist Seminary, according to a Covenant Companion article dated July
31, 1959.
In 1956, Village Covenant became a member of both the California (now
Pacific Southwest) Conference and the Evangelical Covenant Church. The
church's first
building was a built in facility erected in 1957, and opened with a
service on the first Sunday that Melvin Dahlstrom officiated as pastor.
Village Covenant and Community Covenant Church in nearby Monrovia merged
on December 1, 1974 under the leadership of pastors Donald Bowers and
Robert Nelson. The church's current facility was dedicated on October
22, 1978.
Village Covenant is averaging about 230 in attendance under senior
pastor Fred Carter, who has been at the church since January 2000. The
church recently completed the 40 Days of Purpose educational campaign
and will be starting a midweek worship service on
Wednesday nights to go along with its two Sunday services. A food bank
to help those in the San Gabriel Valley and a complete youth ministry
program are among the strengths of the southern California congregation.
For more about the anniversary celebration, call the church office at
626-335-4013 or check the church's website at www.villagecovenant.com.
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