Brick + Mortar
Church: More than the building.
Buildings, property, brick and mortar all serve a purpose. They are assets. Things we can move and touch and depend on. They are physical ways we mark meaning. A wall is no longer just a wall once it bears the pencil marks of a kid growing up in time. A space becomes a home when you add rugs and chairs and tables and people and food and trash and brooms.
The physical space exists always to serve the people. Not the other way around.
And we have to keep that in check. Always.
That’s why we don’t have our name “Downtown Church” on the building where we worship. We own it, yes, but it will not own us.
It’s why we designed the space to serve needs outside of our own. The architecture, sound system and placement of rooms serve more than just our Sunday morning worship. We look intentionally for creative ways to use and share our space.
Any building you see that DOWNTOWN CHURCH uses, any flower beds, any pavers, any (future) parking spots were given by people at DOWNTOWN CHURCH to serve the purpose of gathering people. And… we did not create it just to serve ourselves.
We do not create just for the people we see now, or their children or grandchildren. We create, maintain and improve spaces for those we do not yet know and we hope that by the way we hold light attachment to the space, they can find their home in it, too.
As we think about more... land, parking spaces, buildings, trees, gardens, etc, let’s not lose this focus. Let’s always ask, “Who else can this serve?” “What needs of our community can be met?”
Where are we now with property improvements?
In 2022, we received $1.1 M in pledges for a second building we call "The Front Porch." This building is for youth, kids and storage. "The Front Porch" is still happening, but on a later timeline. Had we already built it, we would have built too small. We will revisit plans. The funds given are secure and earning interest.
Session (our board) is currently exploring options to expand our footprint to meet our growing needs of the church.
The Session is paying attention to access, parking, "The Front Porch," and green space.
Want to support the Front Porch?
Make a one time gift or set up a recurring gift. Click here.