Minooka, Illinois

Minooka Bible's focus is to bring people closer to God and each other. As the congregation outgrew its current facility it became increasingly difficult to provide space appropriate to fit ministry needs, especially in the areas of worship and fellowship connection. As an example, the current foyer space is too crowded after services to allow people to comfortably gather and thus they aren’t as likely to spend time there fellowshipping.

Aspen Group architects determined the church had three main needs: Worship, Connection and Recreation. Since cost effectiveness was key, a multipurpose solution was developed. A 10,100 square foot addition to be used primarily as a worship center will seat approximately 450 people with movable chairs. The space can also be set up for large fellowship gatherings or indoor recreation. The new Atrium “Connection” space serves as the new main entrance, which ties the current foyer space together into one large space.

Some inviting features that have been incorporated into the design to create a sense of warmth and welcome are a porched entrance, an indoor / outdoor café-style sitting area and a Common Room with a fireplace. The addition was intentionally designed to at once complement the traditional forms of the existing church and surrounding neighborhoods and create an inviting contemporary space for community gatherings.