Church prepares to celebrate 25th anniversary

By John Watson Local Journalism initiative Reporter

Hope Community Covenant Church is excited to soon be celebrating its 25 anniversary in Strathmore, which will take place the weekend of June 3.

Lead Paster Heidi Wiebe said the public is welcome to attend as the church will have several events occurring throughout the weekend, particularly on the Saturday.

“It’s a very big milestone. We started off meeting in Wheatland School across the street from us, then we moved to Crowther Memorial Junior High, and then this building was built 22 years ago,” said Wiebe.

On June 4 from 9 to 10:30 a.m. the church will be hosting a pancake breakfast to open the festivities of the day. 

“After breakfast, we are offering if people want to do a service project to walk the pathways in town and pick up trash. We will have maps available for that,” said Wiebe. “That is the more public side of the celebration on Saturday. We start off with a coffee house and music on Friday, where people are welcome to come from 7 to 9 p.m.”

From 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. on June 4 there will be a kid’s carnival followed by a surplus of food trucks gathering between 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

On the Sunday, there will be a barbeque hosted by the church, starting at 11:15 a.m. following the morning worship.

Wiebe said the goal of the church in Strathmore has always been to serve the needs of the community — in whichever shape that may take.

“We do School Fuel, which offers breakfast to kids in grade school every day during the school year … we feel that if there is a need or needs that get made known to us, then we usually try to reach out in ways that are helpful,” said Wiebe. “The church has an understanding that we are to be out in the community and trying to meet needs in the ways that we could.”

Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the church operated a preschool which served to educate youth and resulted in more people joining the church body.

Now that the pandemic is being considered less of a threat, the church is debating its ability to reopen the preschool aspect of its operation.

Much of the church’s impact stems from the volunteer work in the local community, and Wiebe wishes for the church to continue their pattern of service and meeting needs of the community.