Southwest Community Church
For too long, Southwest Community Church had been without a place to fully call home. For years they were forced to rent office buildings, a student ministry space and a weekend worship venue for their growing church, which in turn restricted their ministry and finances. For a solution, the church purchased a large piece of land with the vision of developing a campus for their entire ministry.
Together with Aspen, Southwest Community was able to determine both their limitations and their resources in light of the church’s priorities. It was clear that the first step was to get onto the property in any way possible and begin utilizing its potential before the church lost valuable momentum. With Aspen Group’s help, they were able to work within their financial means and still move quickly by using environmentally-efficient methods to reuse existing structures on the property.
A large barn was creatively restructured into a valuable multi-purpose space, perfect for a variety of church events and for their student ministry to gather and worship. Many adjustments were made, but through each change the original character of the structure was maintained. The old wooden beams of the barn were preserved and became a charming central feature of the interior design. Modern silver and black accents complimented and enlivened the rustic features of the building with the addition of new hanging light fixtures, café seating and leather couches.
Ingenuity and out-of-the-box thinking created a unique space that offers both distinctive character and functionality at an affordable price. Walls have been added to create rest rooms, and vibrant green paint sets off the newly added kitchenette and café area, complete with a sleek black countertop and café tables for relaxing conversation or small group meetings. After significantly re-working the former one-room barn, it came to life as a dynamic, flexible space that fits smoothly into the master plan for the property. With this new space, the congregation was able to cut down rental costs and provide their church with a place of their own to start doing ministry the way they had always envisioned. For years Southwest Community had been a mobile church without a place to reflect their DNA. Now their dream of developing a custom-made campus for the entire church is closer than ever.
As Pastor Joel Labertew said, “This building has solidified in the minds of our congregation where our property is and where we’re going—when people step onto the property now, they’re taking the first step in a series of steps toward the future.” By working creatively with what the property had to offer, Southwest Community was able to overcome their constraints and provide their church with an environmentally effective facility to call their own—a place that is now providing their ministry the tools to grow and serve like never before.
