When Eastridge Christian Assembly in Issaquah, Washington, caught a vision to impact future generations, staff at the church southeast of Seattle became intentional about embracing the community. In response, the community flooded into the church and weekly attendance swelled beyond what the church’s facilities could accommodate. "We had no room to grow," says Senior Pastor Steve Jamison, "but we grew anyway."
That growth prompted an expansion project, now under construction, that strategically positions Eastridge in its community. Located in a highly traveled corridor near the interstate, the new facility will attract people through its convenient location and a high-tech design with a cozy Northwest feel. The church’s commitment to children and families is also reflected in features such as tube slides for kids to glide through to reach destinations like KidZone and Adventure Land.
The road to construction, however, was not an easy one. As Jamison reports, "When it was time to build, we faced many hurdles. We're located in the most difficult county in America to get a building permit. And securing the right financing program was frustrating, even after our record-breaking capital campaign."
So the church contacted Kevin Bates, a ministry development officer with Evangelical Christian Credit Union (ECCU) of Brea, California. ECCU specializes in developing financial solutions for evangelical Christian ministries. "It was a pleasure to sit down with the Eastridge ministry team, and hear their vision to have a long-term impact in Issaquah," Bates says. That first meeting started a relationship that has proven to be mutually fulfilling.
"After looking at our financials," Jamison says, "Kevin [Bates] said that ECCU would be glad to work with us. Instead of feeling like we were begging for support … we found in ECCU a group of people who treated us as a true partner in ministry."
To learn more about the Eastridge Christian Assembly expansion project, go to http://www.ecaonline.org/.
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