COEUR d’ALENE — When Grace Bible Church purchased 10 acres off Atlas Road about 7 years ago, Pastor Paul Peabody pondered the best uses for the land.

The building the church planned would take up about half of the property, leaving much unaccounted for. When it was pointed out there would be about a half-mile perimeter around land, Peabody had a thought: What about a prayer path of sorts? A faith walk?

“I didn’t really have much of a concept of how to do that. It was just a vision," he said. "It’s really Dan (Pinkerton) who put that together into something tangible and real.”

The vision took a step toward reality during a groundbreaking for the Faith Walk Community Fitness Park south of Kathleen Avenue attended by about 50 people on a cloudy, smoky Tuesday morning.

“We are so excited about this gift to the community, to be able to enjoy this park, where they can come and grow in character and faith and body,” said Pinkerton, chair of the Faith Walk Community Fitness Park board of directors.

The goal is to start construction next month.

The park will have facilities for physical exercise, group sporting activities, public and private events, with picnic tables and barbecue pits. The half-mile perimeter of the park will be lined with 16 covered gazebos containing exercise equipment, redwood benches and full-color scenic panels with interactive media links focusing on faith and character. It will also feature a waterfall garden, a soccer field, playground area, a pavilion, as well as a gymnasium.

The mission is to “foster excellence in character by building the body, mind and spirit through inspirational education, physical exercise and community engagement.”

The nonprofit organization has raised $2.6 million of its first phase goal of $4 million.

Sal Nunez, who attends Grace Bible Church, said the park will benefit both church and community.

“I love being part of it,” he said.

Grace Bible Church agreed to a 20-year lease deal for the land with the nonprofit Faith Walk Community Fitness Park, which will be about a mile from the Kroc Center, another Christian-based health center operated by the Salvation Army.

“We’re complementing rather than competing with the Kroc Center,” Peabody said.

He said the project will not affect Northshire Park to the south.

Grace Bible Church will be moving from its Prairie Avenue site and will pay for its new home at the Atlas property. When Peabody came on board as its pastor in 1993, it had about 150 members. Today, it has more than 400.

“We’re looking forward to a bigger building,” Peabody said.

He offered a short prayer that as people use the park, they will build strong minds and bodies, and as they read the Bible story on their walk, they grow in spirit.

“Right now, we want to give (God) the honor for all that has happened and all that will happen,” Peabody said.

Also participating in the groundbreaking ceremony were Faith Walk Community Fitness Park board members Eric Rockett, Mitchell Martin, and volunteer legal counsel Steve Smith; builder John Young with Young Construction; architect Marcus Valentine with Architects West; and landscape architect Dwight Bershaw with Clearwater Summit Group.

In a short speech, Pinkerton asked those at the groundbreaking to thank project leaders and all involved.

“Help us thank the Grace Bible Church elder board, congregation and their building team totaling a few hundred local people for having the foresight to purchase this 10-acre property,” he said.