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Modular Buildings: Investigate Permits First

By Matt Banes For facility managers, administers, and board members at religious organizations across the U.S., finding quick and affordable solutions to space issues is a common challenge. Modular buildings have become a go-to facility answer, offering fast and cost-effective ways to add classroom, office and meeting spaces, whether it’s for a few months or

Wayfinding in the Church

  Let’s talk about wayfinding. First off, what is it? Wayfinding is anything that helps your guests navigate your church facility with confidence and ease. Effective wayfinding is an essential function that needs to be carefully considered when remodeling or building any kind of project, but especially a church. Wayfinding is a set of tools,

How a Recreation Center Adds Value to Your Church

  A recreation center or sports complex can be a great investment to your community or organization. For churches and other faith-based organizations, a recreation center creates more room for both your congregation and the surrounding community to have access to different activities and events throughout the year. Room for Additional Events Most churches do

Christ Episcopal Church

  In 1952, Christ Episcopal Church of Reading, Pennsylvania, had a series of 51 Mondrian-style windows installed in their attached Parish Hall. The original 60” h. x 38” w. windows featured a single pane, stained glass and metal frames design that was visually interesting. However, over time, they had lost their functionality, becoming drafty and

Planning Indoor Church Children’s Spaces into Your Building Project

  Healthy relationships with Christ are formed at an early age. The more ways children enjoy their time at church, the more opportunity they have to learn about God and the stronger that relationship can be. This means special planning is in order to ensure that your church building or renovation project includes effective children’s

Why Modular?     

      By Keith Medford As our communities begin to emerge from the grips of the COVID pandemic, our churches face new challenges. The fear, loss and uncertainty that swept the country for the last 17 months has brought with it a new curiosity regarding faith and Christianity for many. Explosive growth in faith-based

The Lasting Impact of Exterior Furnishings

  By Angela Maloney As a manufacturer of commercial outdoor furniture, we have been seeing many different types of properties across the country make shifts to increase the usage of outdoor spaces. Religious facilities and church properties are no exception. These facilities have been providing new ways for members and visitors to connect with their

Getting Back to “Life and Prayer” in Healthy Churches

  By Richard D. Cantwell Returning back to normal life in our churches requires an updated comprehensive cleaning/disinfection plan be adopted by churches in response to the Covid-19 virus and other related pathogens that infect children and adults. Each church’s goal should be to create a healthier/cleaner/safer environment for all church operating personnel, as well

The Importance of Children’s Ministry Theming

  By Scott McLean The day has arrived. You heard about it from a friend, you read a great review, so you came to experience it. As you enter, you look around, soaking in the ambiance — the decorations, the wall colors, the lighting, the other people. Memories of favorite places emerge. Everyone’s seated, the

Health-Focused Facility Updates to Keep Your Congregation Well

  COVID-19 hasn’t been easy for churches. Between holding more services, navigating online worship, and keeping up with enhanced cleaning procedures, the workload has increased for everyone. As we prayerfully begin rounding this next corner in the pandemic, there are some health-focused facility updates that you can make to keep your congregation’s wellness a priority.

Mistakes Churches Make When Theming for Children

  By Joe McCullough Since the turn of the 21st century, churches across the world have embraced the idea of theming children and youth spaces to attract new visitors and foster community through intentional, purpose-driven design that teaches Biblical truths in a fun, visually rich environment. As facilities grow in size and popularity, it is

Designing for Optimum IAQ and Sustainability

  By Robert F. Goodfellow Building codes can require ventilation rates based on occupancy even though church sanctuaries and auditoriums are at full capacity for only limited periods. As sustainability becomes increasingly important, more designers are taking advantage of approaches that can improve air quality while reducing outdoor ventilation air requirements and subsequent costs associated

High-Speed, Energy-Efficient Hand Dryers Put Paper in Its Place

By Rick Ritacco For anyone in charge of a high-traffic building, the perpetual, twofold mission is clear: go green and save green. The facility’s keeper makes no move without the mission in mind, always on the lookout for opportunities to support it. When facility managers think about potential areas for eco-friendly improvement, restrooms may not

St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church

St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Kronborg, Nebraska, has been through some terrifying weather in its 118-year history. After straight-line winds and large hail struck the church, parsonage and fellowship hall in 2014, the congregation went in search of new siding, windows and roofing. “Danish churches like ours are known for our red and white

Protective Covering Can Destroy Your Stained Glass Heritage

  This article originally appeared in the May 2012 issue. By Ron Bovard Ron Bovard is author of the book Windows for the Soul, published by Waddell Publications, holder of the US Patent for 21 aspects of glazing and framing systems designed for the preservation of stained glass windows, and owner of Bovard Studio, Inc.,

Oilman's Church Gets Solar

With over 100 years of history, Brea Congregational United Church of Christ has steadily grown built on strong ties to the community. As a self-stated Green Church, Brea Congregational UCC commits to “embrace the responsibility of achieving a sustainable earth” by taking “tangible steps such as adopting a holistic approach for our garden space to

Equipping the Church Kitchen

  This article originally appeared in the March 2005 issue. By Frank Leadley Frank Leadley is a food facilities consultant. If you need to feed large groups of people, what could be better then outfitting your church kitchen with restaurant-quality cooking equipment? The fact that you can have 35,000 BTU (British Thermal Units) burners in
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