Pastor Bruce Rippy moved the first pile of dirt followed by members of the Building Committee Elders Buzz Busy, Leon Kauffman; Deacons Lonny Maurer and Jim VanFossen and John Keller. "We are going to break up this cross but it is always going to be here and always going to be a symbol for our church," said Rippy.
Pastor Bruce Rippy explaining that the blue "X" is actually a cross while Elder Buzz Busby and Deacons Lonny Maurer and Jim VanFossen look on with shovels. Rippy said the cross is a symbol of Jesus Christ, the rock that Condon Community Church is built upon. "The church is the people of God. These buildings are merely the facilities for His people, the church, made to worship Him and encourage each other and work for His glory," said Rippy during the ground-breaking ceremony.
SWAN VALLEY – Condon Community Church broke ground for their new expansion project Sunday, Sept. 16. They hope the expansion will allow them to share the Gospel and love of Christ with more people in the Swan Valley and continue to be an outreach to the community.
Elder Buzz Busby said the reason for the expansion was simple, "We are full."
Pastor Bruce Rippy said that the congregation started praying about the expansion project around four years ago. Watching the congregation grow, sometimes to nearly 100 people on Sunday morning during the summer, pushed the current capacity of the building.
Busby explained the 80 percent rule - once a congregation hits 80 percent of their capacity in the space they are in, they start losing people. He pointed to the church's mission statement as the goal and reason for the expansion, "To expose people to the truth of God's Word, to lead them to a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, to disciple them and to help them to live in such a way that others see Christ in them and in their families."
The expansion will push the south wall of the sanctuary and kitchen out more than 50 feet to the south increasing the size of both. They will also build a full basement below the addition for a new fellowship hall.
"Since we don't have a basement now, it will add about two-thirds to the footprint of this building," said Rippy. "This seemed to be the optimal size and cost for what we need."
Rippy said the addition will include at least one shower. This will allow the church to be used as a shelter if needed or for other emergencies since he feels strongly that the Bible challenges the church to take care of the community – not expect the government to take care of the community.
The expansion is estimated to cost $450,000. Through donations from members of the congregation and others in the Swan Valley, they have raised more than 90 percent of their goal.
Matthew Brothers Construction will begin work this fall and are contracted to get the expansion dried-in. Then Rippy hopes the congregation can do as much of the interior work as possible.
"I don't want to just spend money because we have it," said Rippy. "There are so many needs in the community. If God builds it for less and we have the opportunity to reach out to the community more, we want to be able to do that."
Rippy said it would be wonderful to dedicate the addition next fall but said, "it is all God's timing."
"God has blessed us, it is all Him. He's provided the increase and done the work," said Rippy. "All any of us do is make ourselves available and we just allow Him to use us in anyway He needs. All the credit and all the glory for this goes to God."
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