Bellingham Prepares for City Growth

Thirty years ago, Bellingham Church members dreamed of having a church facility located on the same property as the school. But it wasn’t feasible then.

The dream is becoming a reality now. With the current and projected growth of Bellingham, Wash., to the north and to the east, the Baker View Christian School property is ideally located for building a new church facility.

“We noticed there were significant growth patterns,” says Brandon Korter, Bellingham Church pastor, “and we did some demographic studies in consultation with the city fathers. The city of Bellingham is projected to grow significantly in the next 10 years.”

Bellingham Church advertised their aging facility across the United States and Canada. Eight bids came in at a variety of price points. The bid winner offered the needed amount to build the new Bellingham Church with little to no debt.

“We see God’s stamp of approval through all the phases and steps to get to where the church is today,” Korter says.

At the groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 29, 2016, all church members were encouraged to bring their own shovel to participate in the breaking of ground for the new church facility.

“We all dug in the ground together and threw dirt together,” Korter says.

On a nearby fence, the church hung a 20-foot banner listing the people, events and milestones associated with God’s blessings in preparing to build the church. “This is our faith chart,” Korter explains.

The new sanctuary, designed to seat 312 people and with overflow room for up to 450 total people, is anticipated to be completed in late fall 2017. When the church facility is completed, the stained-glass window from the previous facility will grace the new church above the baptistery.

While the church is being constructed and members continue to meet in Baker View’s gymnasium, the congregation is dreaming of ideas for reaching their community through evangelism, education and outreach activities.