Designing for Relationships

Written By Derek DeGroot, Aspen Group Architect

Any good designer knows one universal truth. It’s all about relationships. Relationships with the space, with God, and especially with others. Whether it’s designing Worship space that connects you with God, or Third Place space that connects us to each other, it’s all about the relationships.

Does that old Fellowship Hall really foster any connection? Does the dated Worship facility invoke any emotion? We need space to help us let our guard down, to feel warmth, to feel…something.

How about connecting to community? What does that space look like? Connecting with teammates, or small group friends, or the boy scouts? A space can facilitate that connection. Make it richer. Enhance Ministry. Make it grow, like water and sunlight to a plant.

Does your church space facilitate relationships as well as your leadership and ministries do?

The Phenomenon of Creativity

By Andrea Dill, Aspen Group Project Developer Assistant

According to Wikipedia, creativity is the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new (a product, solution, work of art, etc.) that has some kind of value. We have seen this very phenomenon proven true when creating a design that is aligned with a church’s ministry.

The value that comes from having a facility design that reflects and aligns with the culture, leadership, and ministry of the church is powerful.  It allows the facility to enhance ministry.

We have captured a few napkin sketches…those simple designs sketched by an architect in a “light bulb moment.”  Many quick napkin sketches have turned out to be the “big idea” for a project or have provided inspiration as the design came to life.

What are some ways you or your team foster creativity? Let us know in the comments section.

Be on the lookout for the newest Aspen Group Napkin Sketches on our Facebook page.

Christ UMC - A Ministry Update

“The Gathering Place”…the name really sums it up.  Last year, Christ United Methodist Church (CUMC) in Westfield, Ind. had Aspen Group convert their former sanctuary into “The Gathering Place”, a commons area for fellowship.  It was another step in several facility changes that have been made that will eventually lead to the addition of a new sanctuary.  But The Gathering Place wasn’t just about making changes to the facility; it was about changing the dynamic of relationship building within the church walls.

In the year prior to opening The Gathering Place, the church moved its services into the multi-purpose Family Life Center that Aspen Group built several years before.  That was the catalyst for many changes within the congregation.  With church services now held in a bright, open facility that isn’t a traditional sanctuary, a more relational personality is seen within the church and attendance has grown. 

The Gathering Place is now the main entry and focal point of connection space at CUMC.  As attendees gather on Sunday mornings, they find this space packed full of people of all ages engaged in vibrant conversations and refreshments that add just the perfect touch.  In the past, there wasn’t a place in the church where people could gather and fellowship outside of the worship area itself.  Now it isn’t uncommon for some people to be late for worship because they enjoy that connection time in The Gathering Place.    

In addition to providing a great venue for relationships to grow and be nurtured, The Gathering Place is also used throughout the week.  It provides a more intimate setting for small worship services, funerals and memorial services.  Several women’s groups also utilize the space for meetings, activities and various gatherings.

“Our entire church sings the praises of The Gathering Place,” shared Pastor Mark Wesler.  “It has become even more than we thought it would be.”

Your Church is Not a Mr. Potato Head

Written By Derek DeGroot, Aspen Group Architect

Mr. Potato Head - that classic American toy consisting of a plastic model of a potato which can be decorated with a few attachable plastic parts to make a face. You know it…its been revitalized countless times in popular culture.  And it always seems to work.  An eye here, an ear there, no matter the combination it seems like Mr. Potato Head looks good to its creator.

In the church building world however, a Mr. Potato Head ideal can make your building a real mess.

We all have toured the latest building and said to ourselves, “Wouldn’t it be cool if we had that at our church?” Or...”We need to make our church look like this Starbucks!” How about... “This Apple Store would be an awesome church building!”

The reasons those designs worked well for their owners probably will be far different than what might work for your church. Your church is not a Mr. Potato Head.  It has an extremely unique DNA, your congregation holds very unique gifts, and no two buildings - or even building sites for that matter - are the same, unlike the mass produced toy.

The reason a building works is buried in layers well beyond the surface aesthetic.  It’s a partnership of why and how, and of choosing the right parts from endless options, not from a few choices that come with the famous Hasbro toy.

Next time you tour a building that works, ask why it was designed that way, not just how it was built.

Trinity Baptist Church Celebrates One Year Anniversary of The Timothy Center

In May of 2009, Trinity Baptist Church in Westfield, Indiana dedicated their new building addition, “The Timothy Center".   The past year has been an exciting one in the newly expanded and renovated building, designed and built by Aspen Group.   Senior Pastor Bob Brenneman shared some ministry updates with us from the last year:

• The new Commons Area is “so much more than a foyer,” Pastor Brenneman told us.  The fellowship time in the Commons has become the “favorite time” for the congregation  It is packed after the morning service with people connecting, talking, and enjoying fellowship. 

•  Everybody loves the windows in the Commons that look out to the new outdoor playground!

• The outdoor playground
  has served as another “church sign" or “welcome sign".   There have been new families visit because they saw the playground and knew it was a place where kids are welcome.

• The flexibility through the use of operable walls has provided countless options for the way they do ministry. When all the operable walls are “open”, it provides a 3500 square feet open area.  “No matter how the ministry space is set up,” said Pastor Brenneman, “it looks like that is the way it was designed to be.”

• Children and teen ministries have grown in the last year – prompting the hiring of a part-time Youth Pastor.

• The kids love the open space in the new addition.  The operable walls have even been creatively configured for “nerf gun wars” in the space!  “The kids just light up when the space is open – it is an exciting time of gathering,” Pastor Brenneman shared.

The careful alignment of this space with the culture and ministry at Trinity Baptist Church has been a catalyst for ministry growth.  It is so exciting to see new young families coming to Trinity and staying, becoming part of the church family!