When Good Shepherd Episcopal Church was founded in Silver Spring , Maryland , in 1957, the Diocese of Washington, D.C. provided a parish hall that could serve multiple purposes. The plan was to build a worship center within a few years, but, somehow, that plan got sidetracked. While the church added space for other ministries, like a daycare program, members continued to meet for weekly worship services in the parish hall. As the congregation grew, this became a bit of a problem.

"We had come to a point in the life of the parish where our current building was no longer functional," says the Reverend Patricia Downing, rector of Good Shepherd Episcopal Church, located in a busy, Washington , D.C. suburb in Montgomery County . "Our facilities were not conducive to the rapid growth we were experiencing."

As plans were made for a new worship center, Downing says several goals topped the list. Church leaders wanted to increase visibility, add enough space to grow comfortably and maintain the intimacy that always had existed in the 260-member church. They also wanted a design that was simple, yet elegant, so the focus would be on worship and not on the facility itself, and they wanted to make the new building all handicap-accessible.

The church turned to Larry Cook, FAIA, Founder, Principal/Owner of Lawrence Cook Associates, PC, a Washington, DC-based architectural firm specializing in religious architecture, to design the new worship space.

"The simple design is a square turned on its side," Cook says of the facility, which has received several design awards. "You enter at one corner of the square."

The layout of the $2.2-million facility allows for sloped-floor seating, so congregants can sit closer to the altar and pulpit and have clear lines for sight and hearing.

"We were very concerned about sight line interference," Downing says. "We didn't want any big pillars or anything that might be in the way. We wanted everybody to be visually involved, wherever they were sitting."

The rich, wood ceiling, which looks uniform throughout the facility, actually is interspersed with acoustic insulation near the rear, improving sound throughout the worship area. In fact, no speaker system was installed, though the church is considering adding one for times when children, or those who simply cannot speak loudly enough, address the congregation.

One design element church leaders particularly wanted was cathedral lighting, and cathedral-like natural lighting was achieved by adding clerestory windows around the top of the worship area, which towers to 33 feet at one point. In fact, artificial lighting only is used on rainy days or for nighttime services. Niches located on interior walls offer space for the display of seasonal religious artwork or significant religious worship pieces.

The interior of the worship center was designed using lots of natural wood and brick.

"We used brick outside and inside, because it is warm and low maintenance," Cook says.

The metal roof also was a low-maintenance choice. A glass partition separates the narthex from the worship area, which allows parents of young children to step out of the worship area, but still see the service underway. Cook also designed the worship seating to fit with the simple elegance of the facility. His son, Michael Cook, also an architect with the firm, designed accent pieces.

In a cost-saving move, the church was designed to seat 299 people, since churches in the area seating more than 300 people are required to be fitted with sprinkler systems.

Located on University Boulevard , a very busy Washington , D.C. roadway, for years, the church had been tucked away behind trees and shrubbery, with only a road-side sign visible to drivers.

To achieve the church's goal of increasing visibility, the trees and shrubs were cut away, and the new facility was built closer to the roadway, now visible to all who travel by.

"Before, you had to really want to come and find the church," Downing says. "Now, we have come out from behind our trees. "

A large, lighted cross, suspended in the worship area, is visible from the road.

"We had to, very intentionally, step forward and say, 'Here we are and this is what we have to offer as a faith community,'" adds Downing. "That took a lot of courage. It is a tremendous thing to change your outward appearance. It changes you internally as well."

The number of visitors coming to the church has greatly increased since the new facility was built. Most Sundays, there are now more than 160 people in attendance. In fact, church membership has grown by about one-third as well.

Building the church nearer the roadway was great for visibility, but it did present a challenge for Cook, since the parking lot was at the rear of the church. Modeling after old cathedrals in England , he designed a series of entrance rooms to lead into the worship area.

"We actually have used a traditional series of spaces to transition from car to worship," he says, noting how worshippers enter into an entryway, then the narthex or lobby and finally the nave, where the congregation sits for services. From the initial entrance, the focus is on the altar, which Downing says was important to the church.

"It's calming to go through the transition," Cook says. "You are more in a mood to worship."

The main challenge facing the church, Downing says, was simply believing the project could be accomplished.

"We wondered, 'Can we afford this?' and 'Can we stretch beyond what is comfortable financially to envision what the church can become?'" she remembers of the building project, which was dubbed "Miracles Do Happen." "There is tremendous pride in accomplishment."

Success, she believes, came first from God, but also as the result of good planning and a commitment by church members to stay connected as a church throughout the process. It was important, she says, that everyone know he or she was heard and their ideas were taken into consideration all along the way.

"Get a group of people around you who will speak the truth in love and love the community," suggests Downing. "Let go and allow the project to grow on its own."

To those considering a similar building project, Cook recommends getting in touch with an architect early on.

"An architect can provide pre-design services, like programming and sizing," Cook says. "They can help you look at different costs and site options to make the right choices."

About the Architect

Lawrence Cook Associates, PC, www.cookarchitects.com , is a Washington, D.C.-based design firm specializing in religious architecture. Since 1971, the award-winning firm has worked with more than 200 churches, providing design services as well as pre-design and planning services and interiors and furniture design.