In 1961, 22 people formed a
small church on Beadle Road. They built a small "A-frame" wooden
building and named it Ivanhoe Methodist Church, after a nearby subdivision.
The first pastor of the church was Rev. Harold Hines. A small building
was later purchased and moved onto the property to serve as an educational
building.
By 1974, the membership had
grown to 74. In 1975, part of the educational building was renovated
to serve as a sanctuary with a capacity for 100 persons. An early
learning center (called the Kiddie Patch Nursery School) was begun that
same year.
In 1977, a 6.2 acre site on
Martial Avenue was purchased by the Louisiana Conference. The Ivanhoe
Church, now under the leadership of Rev. Peter Harrington, was renamed
The Church of the Covenant. The ground breaking for the new church
was held on April 15, 1979. The educational building was completed
by June 1979 and was used as the temporary sanctuary. The sanctuary
was completed in December of 1979. Several fixtures of the church,
such as the cross, altar, pulpit, and lectern, were hand sculpted by Mr.
R.J. Bernard.
In 1981, the Early Learning
Center was established. Seeing the need for more classroom space,
Mrs. Grace Holley donated the money to build another educational building.
Construction was begun on September 1, 1986 and the building was dedicated
on February 15, 1987. Using money from memorials and special gifts,
a steeple was purchased and installed on December 21, 1988. |
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