In the farmland just outside Pasco’s city limits, a congregation came together on evenings and weekends over the course of two years to build a new church.

The result is a 36,606-square-foot building with a sanctuary large enough for more than 1,000 people, classrooms, a commercial kitchen, dining space and something the congregation didn’t have before: its own cemetery.

Most of the work was done by Old Apostolic Lutheran Church of Tri-Cities members, who took on everything from construction to cleanup. The materials alone cost about $7 million, but the volunteer labor helped the congregation save considerably on the overall project.

The new building is at 4077 Oak Crest Road, northeast of the Douglas Fruit facility along Taylor Flats Road. It replaces a smaller church that was a 10-minute drive to the north that the congregation had occupied since 2015. As attendance grew and seating became increasingly limited, members began looking for a property that could accommodate both a larger church and a cemetery, without bringing Sunday traffic into nearby residential communities.

Volunteer built

The church acquired the land about a year before doing any work on the new building, said Mikel Levanen, a member of OALC of Tri-Cities.

Since the church is part of a church community of the same faith throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe, it was able to use building plans from other OALC churches on the west side of the state with a few tweaks. 

Church member Evan Raisanen, who works with Pasco-based Peak Contractors Inc., took the lead on the building project. 

An initial permit for grading was issued in 2023, while a permit for the building was issued the following year. Construction started with the foundations of the building in July 2024 and the building was finished in July 2026. 

Although the church was built by an all-volunteer team, it wasn’t much different from a typical construction project. Raisanen served as project manager, with other church members overseeing individual trades.

Out of 600 to 700 congregants, about 40 to 50 would show up on a Saturday to pitch in with the work, a number that reached to nearly 100 by the end of the project. Members also helped on evenings.

Some work, such as the concrete flat and drywall work, was contracted out, but for the most part, the work was completed by church members. 

Raisanen said that a number of church members are involved in the trades, and others would learn as they go. Church member and board member Troy Pekkala said that not all the work was construction related. Cleanup efforts were equally important. 

Almost all the funding for the project came through donations from the congregation, though it was supplemented by selling land adjacent to the church. Property records show that the 20.2-acre parcel sold for $1 million to House of Hope Church earlier this year.  

Building features

Each OALC building has its own charter and its own board, but there’s a national board as well, Levanen explained. On the spiritual side, the church also has a “mother congregation” in Sweden. 

When the new building opened in July, the church’s elders from Swedish Lapland came out for special services and the Pasco church saw its biggest group so far in the new building. 

In the previous church, the sanctuary and dining room often was full, making it difficult for visitors to attend. 

In the new church, there’s room to spare. Classrooms are a new addition, giving the church several different spaces for children to gather during the Wednesday evening children’s school, with two classrooms for each grade level. 

There’s a book room where members can buy hymnbooks and other materials, an audio room, a room set aside for translation services, and a separate mothers’ room and fathers’ room with comfortable chairs where parents can bring young children.

Pekkala said the congregation is on the young side, with many young families with little kids. 

Meals are a key part of the Old Apostolic Lutheran Church of Tri-Cities’ meetings. Mikel Levanen, left, Troy Pekkala and Evan Raisanen stand in the church’s full commercial kitchen. 

| Photo by Rachel Visick

Sharing meals

Almost as notable as the new sanctuary space is the large dining room with a commercial kitchen. Meals are important to the congregation: after every Sunday meeting, church members gather to eat and visit together. 

The church organizes six cleaning and cooking teams, which rotate each week. Each team has about 18 couples, as well as kids 12 and older. 

Cemetery

It’s the first time the OALC of Tri-Cities has had a cemetery, too. It’s something their church has had in other locations, Levanen said. 

“It makes the funeral process less of a burden on the family,” he said. 

Congregation members automatically receive a plot. 

“In the big scheme of things, it’s really not that much, but at that time when you’re dealing with such a trial, it is a relief that that’s something you don’t have to worry about,” Levanen said.

Everyone welcome

The construction brought the community together.

“The benefit of the building, that’s nice, but I would say maybe even better, the benefit of working with the people, too,” Raisanen said. 

“I worked with people that I never even really (knew), I mean I’ve said hello to them,” Levanen said. “But you work alongside of them and become close.”

While the church always welcomes everyone – as a sign near the property entrance says – it will be hosting an open house from 2-4 p.m. Nov. 14. 

The church meets weekly at 11 a.m. Sundays, with a meal following the service, and hosts children’s school at 7 p.m. Wednesdays.

Go to: oldapostoliclutheranchurch.org/tri_cities.