Aspen Group Blog

It's a pleasure to draw your attention to another exciting Aspen project -- the newly completed LaGrange Bible Church! We'll soon be mailing a postcard to several thousand churches in the Illinois and Indiana area highlighting the job. You can get a sneak preview  at the Downloads section of this blog.

LaGrange Bible is located in an "inner ring" suburb in Chicagoland with limited real estate availability.  Faced with a desire to reach out to the neighborhood youth while also accommodating the elderly, the church partnered with Aspen to renovate and add to their existing facility within a tight site footprint.  As you can see from the "before and after" pix below, we also gave the place a bit of a facelift as well!

Check out additional pix in the Photo Gallery! 

And everywhere else in the Midwest too!  According to the Chicago Tribune, we endured 178 days since the last time the temperature hit the 70s.  That on top of the fact that we had the most snowfall since 1982 has tested our mettle, especially in the field.  But yesterday, it truly felt like spring! By pure coincidence (unbelievable, but true), I had the opportunity to visit the construction jobsite at Faith Lutheran Church in Aurora yesterday.  You can checkout the pictures in the Photo Gallery of this blog and also on Aspen’s construction website.

I’m always encouraged when I get to visit construction sites.  The physical manifestation of all the months of planning and design is so evident – and exciting!  And I’m likewise heartened whenever I get to connect with our fine cadre of field construction managers.  This particular job is being run by Kent Barber. 

Faith Lutheran was formed when two churches merged.  They have sold their respective buildings and are relocating to a fantastic site at the corner of Eola and Liberty in Aurora, IL.  Aspen was privileged to partner with them in 2007 to help with a re-design that got their building project on budget and “in the ground” last fall.  It’s been a tough, long winter – according to Kent, the worst he’s seen in his tenure as a field manager – but as the pictures testify, the building is flying out of the ground now!

When a Field Construction Manager sends an e-mail with this subject line, it’s a sure thing that it’ll get opened right away!  Ted Camphouse is our jobsite manager for a remodel/addition we’re doing for St. John Lutheran in Darien, IL near Chicago.  Ted’s e-mail had pictures of an event and a story I'd like to share.

Since the church facility houses a full-time pre-school, an extra bit of attention had to be paid to safety, especially managing where the little people could safely walk.  Our team took initiative at the outset of the project to work with the teachers and children to ensure safety.   A poster was put up with a calendar covering the six months of the schedule.  Each day the kids were safe, they put an X on the day.

Well, we’re halfway through and all the boxes have Xs.  So as a reward for reaching this milestone, each of the children was given a miniature hard hat flashlight.  The pictures say the rest.  (Ted’s the big guy in the blue!)

Nice work, team!

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks dealing with the last minute “finishing touches” and challenges common to a church construction job just prior to the grand opening. But seeing the facility in use and ministry happening is worth it all! While this $3.5M renovation/addition has many aspects worth noting, I want to show you what we think is the coolest café in Chicagoland. And even though I’ve watched this project move through all its phases of planning, design and construction, I must admit to being “blown away” by the end result!
 

This Aspen project employed the services of Michael Trent of Third Place Consulting who had this response on opening day:

“Maybe the biggest surprise I had walking into Moraine Valley was the glass wall that separated the sanctuary from the commons area; instantly I felt like I was already a part of both places; especially sitting in the middle on a chair and being able to see the people worship and the people on stage. I enjoyed being able to feel like I was inside the sanctuary, even though it was more like I was inside my living room.”

Barb Kouba, volunteer building team member who coordinated the café on the church side, had these thoughts (emphases mine):

“God has truly blessed Moraine Valley Church with this amazing place that invites people to come and linger, enjoy one another and spend time in His presence! The café is absolutely incredible!

What I love most about it is how it is being received by the younger generations. They just naturally seem to gravitate to the café! The best part is, they are genuinely excited about being able to invite their friends to join them. It’s funny how the physical space has such an impact on how we feel about being there. It’s the same people, but a new place to belong. The dynamics in the way we connect have literally been transformed overnight!

People are arriving 30-45 minutes early on Sunday mornings to meet in the café before service begins! And after service, both the café and the atrium are filled with people of all ages just enjoying their time together. We’ve always been a church that longed for connection and I never realized what a huge difference the physical space would make to promote this for us! I hear comments like:

“This is a place I want to bring my friends”

“This is the kind of church I want to belong to.”

“My family won’t come to church, but I could invite them here. It’s neutral ground.”

“This feels like being in someone’s living room.”

“I used to go to the library to use the WiFi, but I’d rather be here.”

The café has brought a brand-new dimension to the church. It’s all that we hoped for and more than we could have dreamed possible!

From Aspen’s standpoint, this is “music to our ears” and the “center of the racket” of our promise to partner with churches in designing and building churches that “draw people, enhance ministry, and change lives”. We thank the people of Moraine Valley Church for the opportunity.

For more project photos, checkout the Photo Gallery!