The Shadow
The Salvation Army is preparing to hold worship services for the first time in its new 2,284-square foot chapel in Covington Sunday.
The chapel represents the second phase of construction on the Covington Salvation Army Corp’s community center on South Lexington Avenue.
“It just feels overwhelming to me and it’s new adventure to provide a new place for God to reside,” said Maj. Hilda Chadwick, The Salvation Army’s commanding officer in Covington.
Friday afternoon, a worker was helping put the finishing touches on the chapel’s sound system. Construction on the chapel began in late October.
Construction cost approximately $260,000, with money for the project coming in the form of “a gift” from Salvation Army divisional headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The Covington community center opened in late 2009.
Construction of the initial phase of the project cost $2.1 million and included social services and administrative offices, a multi-purpose room and a kitchen area.
The Salvation Army has been utilizing the multi-purpose room for worship services while awaiting for construction of the new chapel to finalized.
Chadwick hopes to revamp the kitchen area as part of the third phase of the construction project. The third phase calls for the construction of a gymnasium-type facility.
Currently, there is no cost estimate for the gymnasium project, but preliminary estimates indicate the revamping to the kitchen to accommodate a community feeding program will cost about $150,000.
“I feel that once we come up with a plan, we may have to increase the size of our kitchen by a little bit,” Chadwick said.
Chadwick said the project would also entail purchasing more expensive stainless steel kitchen furnishings and appliances to meet health department standards.
The Salvation Army also has plans in the works for continued improvements to the chapel.
The Salvation Army may soon ask the public for assistance in purchasing pews for the chapel to replace chairs that are being used now. New Bibles for the chapel will be purchased through a private donation.
“We would like to have a large, wooden cross on the wall in the chapel that would be more aesthetically pleasing to our congregation,” Chadwick said. “The cross that we have now really isn’t large enough for the size of the wall.”
The Salvation Army plans to dedicate the new chapel with a public ceremony in the near future.
