There’s no secret that Covenant wants to attract a new generation of churchgoers. Yet (Pastor Bob) Petterson emphasizes it also welcomes the time, talent and donations more mature members can provide. “These baby boomers were raised in the ’60s and ’70s with a social conscience,” says Petterson. “They’re not just going to play golf all day

During one of the worst economic climates, members of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Naples trusted their need for a new sanctuary would be heard.

Today, its members are celebrating in a new 32,506-square-foot worship center that opened in June.

The church, led by the Rev. Bob Petterson, has had growing pains for years. Despite being located on a 16-acre campus with a half dozen buildings, the church comprised many structures dating back to the congregation’s founding in the late 1960s.

“I used to say that we had a big curb but not much appeal,” Petterson joked on a recent Sunday while showing off the church’s new worship and children’s center, located on a quarter-mile stretch of U.S. 41 between Vanderbilt Beach and Pine Ridge Roads.

Longtime church members say several building plans over the years never got off the ground. But in the last five years, membership has blossomed. Parishioners credit their all-night prayer vigils for attracting families with young children to the church, while at the same time appealing to baby boomers.

Making the leap

In 2008, with its congregation bursting at the seams, members renewed their determination to rejuvenate the sanctuary and existing buildings, which included a fellowship hall, educational and office buildings, and worship space once used by other church congregations.

Plans to renovate the campus were cost-prohibitive, and constructing all new buildings came with a hefty $17 million price tag. Instead, church members decided to tackle new construction projects little by little. The first phase, new worship and children’s center, addressed Covenant’s immediate need.

“By faith, we just believed,” says Petterson of the construction plans.

After a three-year building campaign that netted $10 million — the entire cost of the project — and more than a year of construction, church members are settling into their new space. June 12 marked the first service in the new sanctuary, and several of Covenant’s previous pastors returned for the celebration.

The two-story building features wall-to-ceiling arched windows, eight classrooms, two nurseries and a state-of-the art audio/video room.

“The windows say ‘come in,’ like a big hug,” Petterson says with a smile.

The lobby offers an appealing welcome center and gathering space complete with a catering kitchen. Three starlight chandeliers, designed to represent the Holy Spirit, and shine around the clock from the sanctuary, visible to drivers who pass by the church along U.S. 41 north of Pine Ridge Road.

The focal point of the interior is the sanctuary’s 28-foot-tall wooden cross. Hand carved by woodworkers from Thomas Riley Artisans’ Guild, the fixture was designed to resemble gnarled trees in the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus is believed to have prayed with his disciples before his crucifixion.

“We wanted to build a cross that was rugged and that reminds us that we are a family because Jesus died in a cruel way,” noted Petterson. “It dominated everything.”