Members of First Baptist Church downtown Nashville today voted to accept a master plan that includes the construction of a three-story building on Broadway that will house a Christian music venue and allow for an expansion of its ministries.

The plan also includes a coffee cafe, a larger fellowship hall and additional parking.

The building, which will border Bridgestone Arena, will allow for more overnight sleeping capacity for Room in the Inn, a shelter for the homeless that also offers computer classes, job training and rehabilitation. It will make room for a larger Clothing Closet, which gives clothes to people in need.
Joe Fitzpatrick, the church's worship and music pastor, declined to put a dollar figure on the project, but said the master plan will be rolled out between now and the next 25 years.
"We're hoping to accomplish as much as we can afford, as early as possible," Fitzpatrick said. "It's a matter of securing financing and working through the process."
An implementation committee will work with designers and architects and put the plan in motion, he said.
"We seek to serve as a lighthouse for those who are hurting and in need," Fitzpatrick said. "We are excited about the prospect of being a stronger voice in the community to meet the needs of people and do what churches are supposed to do."

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First Baptist Church Nashville announces major expansion project

FORT MYERS — The Owen-Ames-Kimball Company (O-A-K) construction team has achieved LEED Silver Certification for construction of the St. Leo the Great Catholic Church Parish Life & Education Center located at 28290 Beaumont Road in Bonita Springs.

According to public records, the project is the first LEED certified project in Bonita Springs and the first LEED certified church facility in Florida. The project involved the utilization of best practices in green building technologies to construct a 14,500-square-foot Life Center and 18,000-square-foot Education Center.

Following the project completion in January 2011, O-A-K submitted the project for LEED certification through the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC).

LEED, short for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, is the nationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings. To achieve LEED certification, the design team and the construction manager work together to accomplish design and construction practices and guidelines provided by the USGBC. Certain criteria must be met and points are assigned in the following categories: Sustainable Sites, Water Efficiency, Energy and Atmosphere, Materials and Resources, Indoor Environmental Quality, and Innovation and Design Process.

The O-A-K project team included Rick Gutknecht, job site superintendent; Abel Natali, LEED AP as the LEED coordinator; Abrie Spies, project manager; Patrick Conran, vice president of operations/general superintendent; Steve Richards, chief estimator and Dave Dale, principal in charge. Lou Ann Kapcin with Architecture Inc. was the project architect and Ted Sottong, formerly with Architecture Inc., now Studio+, was the principal in charge for the architectural design. Joe Broughton, P.E. with Burgess Engineering provided the mechanical/electrical/plumbing design.

Owen-Ames-Kimball Company has offices in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.

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Owen-Ames-Kimball Company earns LEED Silver Certification for Bonita Springs church

25-02-2012 10:34 amazing church construction in nazareth tuticorin district-tamilnadu-india up load by Er.V.Ranjan nazareth

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Nazareth amazing church construction - Video

Noise, dust, detours ... and now drainage. Storm water management in the Grand Marais Drain is the latest concern to surface in the construction of the Windsor-Essex Parkway — a section of which crosses over the drain at Huron Church Road and Grand Marais Road West.

The Essex Region Conservation Authority and the city of Windsor are worried the construction — which requires a section of the drain to be narrowed and diverted temporarily — will affect the drain’s ability to handle rain water and protect the houses downstream from a risk of flooding this spring.

This week, both ERCA and the city said the Ontario Ministry of Transporation and the parkway construction consortium have yet to provide them with any information showing the drain’s capacity will not be affected, nor have they provided a satisfactory emergency plan in case of heavy rainfall in the next few months.

“It’s irresponsible on the part of those giving instructions to proceed with this work,” said Tim Byrne, who oversees flood and erosion control for ERCA.

Byrne said ERCA has been asking for the information for a month now but has gotten the runaround from the ministry and the parkway construction group.

The Grand Marais Drain, which runs through the south part of the city, funnels stormwater for about a third of Windsor, starting around Central Avenue and feeding west into Turkey Creek.

As part of the parkway construction process, a 200-foot section of the drain under Huron Church Road has been narrowed to about one-fifth its width, and the water has been diverted by a temporary steel sheet dam, in order to accommodate the construction of three culverts that will support a section of parkway.

Byrne said construction over the drain began in mid-January.

The drain is partly blocked by wooden scaffolding, boards and framework where the three new concrete culverts are being poured.

With the drain temporarily narrowed, a flash rainfall could cause the drain to overflow, Byrne said.

Already, with a small rainfall earlier this week, there was a noticeable increase in the surface water elevation, Byrne said.

“That’s surprising for such a small rainfall,” he said.

In a strongly worded letter to the Ministry of Transportation and members of the construction group, the chief administrative officer of the city Helga Reidel informed them that the city will take “whatever action is available” to protect the interests of residents and “will hold the relevant parties financially responsible for any loss or damage that may occur as a result of the negligent blockage.”

While the drain is built to withstand a one-in-100-year storm, the section of drain under Huron Church Road can now only handle a one-in-two-year storm, Reidel said in the letter.

The diversion caused by the construction is a “blantant contravention” of section 80 of the Drainage Act, Reidel wrote, and an offence under section 82(2).

“Please take immediate steps to ensure that flooding does not occur,” the letter concluded.

In an email statement Friday night, Heather Grondin, spokesperson for the Ministry of Transportation, said the Parkway Infrastructure Constructors conducted the necessary studies and determined the construction along the Grand Marais drain would not pose a flooding risk.

"We're committed to an open process throughout construction of the parkway," Grondin said.

"We've been in contact with stakeholders and discussed our risk assessment of this project."

bfantoni@windsorstar.com or Twitter.com/bfantoni

© Copyright (c) The Windsor Star

Original post:
DRIC construction could cause flooding, ERCA warns

Article updated: 2/24/2012 4:32 PM

COURTESY LIGHT OF CHRIST LUTHERAN CHURCH A conceptual drawing of the new Light of Christ Lutheran Church planned at Sleepy Hollow Road and Longmeadow Parkway in Algonquin. The church has to sell its current building at 100 Hanson Road before moving forward with the new construction.

Although much has to happen before Light of Christ Lutheran Church in Algonquin can move into a new building, this week a major milestone for its congregation was reached.

The village board Tuesday night approved the annexation of the church?s proposed new location, an 18-acre property on the northeast corner of Sleepy Hollow Road and Longmeadow Parkway, formerly in unincorporated Kane County, Algonquin Senior Planner Katie Parkhurst said. The board also approved preliminary plans for a two-story building with a footprint of 32,000 square feet.

?There are lots of email shouts for joy that are going back and forth,? Rev. Kendall Koenig said.

The church was first built at 100 Hanson Road in 1998, but its 1,400-member congregation has long outgrown that space, Koenig said. In September, the church began renting additional space for Sunday morning worship at Westfield Community School.

The congregation so far has raised about $2.1 million for the construction of the new building, with ?a miracle goal? of $3 million, Koenig said.

Still, the church first needs to sell its current facility, listed at $2.85 million, before construction of the new building can begin, Koenig said. ?The real estate downturn affected not only home sales, but church sales, too,? he said.

Church officials petitioned for annexation to Algonquin knowing current village board members are supportive of the project.

?We didn?t know what could happen with a different leadership. Also, it cemented in everyone?s minds that we are moving forward with the plan,? Koenig said.

Under the plans approved by the village, the new church will have entrances on Creeks Crossing Drive and Richmond Drive; the church will take on the project of extending Richmond Drive to curve south and meet Longmeadow Parkway, Parkhurst said.

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Algonquin church has to sell current building before moving

by Allie Seligman - Feb. 24, 2012 09:01 AM
The Republic | azcentral.com

For 15 years, Mountain Park Community Church has been caught in limbo.

The church, at 24th Street and Pecos Road, is in the proposed path of the 22-mile South Mountain Freeway extension. It, along with more than 100 homes, would be destroyed during construction.

With a growing membership and a need for more space, Senior Pastor Allan Fuller said it's time for a decision.

"We have to do something in terms of space," Fuller said. "We can't be in standstill mode."

Church leaders are working on plans for a $40,000 parking-lot improvement and a children's wing that would add at least 5,000 square feet to the 30,000-square-foot facility.

But they can't implement those plans if the church is headed for destruction in the next few years, Fuller said.

"All of these things are on hold while we wait for a decision to be made," he said.

The Maricopa Association of Governments has said construction could start in 2015 at the earliest. It is likely that the Pecos Road alignment is the only option.

Mountain Park, a Christian church, has been at its location for 15 years. Fuller has been at the church for six years.

He was told early that they could lose the building to freeway construction, he said.

"It was something to keep in mind, but it wasn't a big deal," he said. "It had been dormant for so long. You just can't wait forever."

Fuller and his wife, Tami, even bought a home a mile and a half away. They wouldn't lose the house if the freeway is built down Pecos Road, but they would be within three houses of it, he said.

In 2006, about 1,300 people attended Sunday services. Now, about 2,000 people attend the two Sunday "celebrations," Fuller said. He estimates that Mountain Park has about 4,000 active members.

Of those 4,000 members, about 70 percent live in Ahwatukee, Fuller said. The rest come primarily from Tempe, Chandler and Maricopa.

Mountain Park also attracts people who aren't Christians, he said, with community-outreach programs focused on marriage and family. They hold free yoga classes that about 600 people attend regularly.

"We are a Christian church, and we recognize that not everyone is interested in Jesus Christ," Fuller said. "We want to be relevant to the community regardless of their faith background."

Mike Paschke, a member of the Mountain Park board of directors, said that growth and relevance are part of what makes waiting for the freeway decision so difficult.

"If we were a stagnant, meandering church, it would be less of an issue," the Ahwatukee man said. "We are just growing so much. ... The vibe here is as strong as it's ever been."

And that growth is "embryonic compared to what it's going to look like a couple years from now," he said. "It's about to explode in a really good way for us, we believe."

Still, Fuller said, the hesitance about what will happen to the building can be distracting. There isn't much suitable space in Ahwatukee for a new home for Mountain Park, he said.

"Where we are is really ideal," he said, in terms of space, facilities and accessibility.

In past negotiations, the Arizona Department of Transportation suggested a plot of land on the northwestern corner of Interstate 10 and Pecos Road. That location would be harder to get to, Fuller said.

Still, he's not worried about losing members.

"I'm certain that the church is going to survive," he said. "My concern is that we'd be distracted in the process. Relocation, we could handle that. Sitting in limbo, that's distracting."

Money is another concern. Mountain Park and ADOT will negotiate a price for relocating,+ if necessary, and the department would either look at the church's current value or what it would cost to build a comparable facility.

"Those are likely two very different numbers," Fuller said. "If we are forced to relocate and are compensated for the current value, we will take a multimillion-dollar hit."

Building a facility would take about two years, he said, and ADOT has said they would give Mountain Park time to complete the building before cutting off access to the Pecos Road location.

Fuller said he isn't strongly in favor of or strongly against the freeway, but he does hope for a decision soon.

"Five years ago when we were growing, we could have just stayed and waited," Fuller said.

"Now we have decisions to make, and we want to be responsible when we make those decisions."

Continued here:
Ahwatukee church in limbo over South Mountain freeway fight

The new St. John the Apostle Catholic Church breaks tradition to make a statement to Leesburg residents, said the Rev. John Mosimann.

The new church, under construction at the intersection of North King Street and Oakcrest Manor Drive, points north-to-south, instead of the customary east-to-west facing of Catholic churches, Mosimann said. When completed this fall, the church’s front doors will face the Town of Leesburg.

“We wanted to open our doors to Leesburg,” Mosimann said.

The community has not always welcomed Catholics in return.

“A History of Saint John the Apostle Church, Leesburg, and the Catholic Faith in Loudoun County, Virginia,” a research paper made from historical records by St. John’s parishioners, highlights a negative stigma against the faithful. Colonial laws in the 17th century forbade Catholics to worship openly or seek public office. Even after those laws ended, Virginians were slow to thaw their opinions over the next 200 years.

Where Leesburg Protestants flourished, the Catholics worshiped in private. They relied on itinerant priests on horseback, riding in circuits to give rites to the faithful, according to the research paper. Missionaries did not make sufficient inroads to warrant a Catholic church until after the Civil War. In 1878, Norris & Sons, the firm responsible for much of Leesburg’s post-war construction, built what parishioners now call “the little church” on the corner of North King Street and Union Street for the sum of $2,000, according to the research paper.

That church, the first Catholic church in Northern Virginia, suited the parish’s needs for the next century, but the completion of the Washington Dulles International Airport in 1962 catalyzed Loudoun’s population boom, said Liz Whiting, president of the Loudoun Museum Board of Trustees. Sixty-thousand people lived in the county in 1970, she said. The 2010 U.S. Census listed Loudoun’s population at 310,000. And with more people came more Catholics.

Ken Tschida, the parish’s development director, remembers seeing Union Street lined with cars, bumper-to-bumper, on Sundays in the 2970s. The parish built their Worship Center in 1992, with a seating capacity of about 400, but now the parish has grown to about 2,500 families, Tschida said.

“The little church fits 180 people,” Mosimann said, pausing for effect, “packed like sardines.”

The new church, clad in red brick to match the character of Leesburg’s historic downtown district, will seat 1,100 people, Mosimann said. His parishioners wanted a traditional design, some of them fondly recalling large churches from their hometowns. The new church is certainly large: the vaulted ceiling above the nave reaches 50 feet high, while the bell tower, when finished, will be 120 feet high.

“Height and light are critical in church architecture. They lift the spirit toward God,” Mosimann said.

The height and light come at a price. Tschida estimates the church’s cost at $15.8 million. The parish spent 12 years raising funds, and will take on a loan between $5 million and $6 million to meet the difference, he said. But Tschida is confident the growing parish will meet the financial challenge, and grateful to them for making the church possible.

Leesburg Mayor Kristen Umstattd called the new church a beautiful and dramatic example of the expansion that many other area faiths have seen in recent years.

“ I hope that Leesburg is viewed as a haven for our faith-based community and I hope we will continue to be just that,” Umstattd said.

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St. John’s new church set to be a worship haven

For long-time members of Shadycrest Baptist Church, the journey to the “Promised Land” also comes with a change of address.

The Church is officially moving into a new Worship and Fellowship building on Sunday, February 26.

Although it is adjacent to their current property on Hamm Road in Pearland, the new “front door” will be on the much more traveled Yost Boulevard.

Shadycrest began as a small congregation about 40 years ago as a mission of First Baptist Church, Pearland.

Then, Gerald Harris, Principal of Shadycrest Elementary School allowed the small congregation to meet at his school.

Come the end of the month, Harris will be among the 600 people who now attend Shadycrest each weekend as he moves into the new building.

The Church had a growth spurt about ten years ago, about the same time as the rest of Pearland.

Although adding a second worship service to allow more to attend each Sunday postponed the need for a new Sanctuary, talk of construction had begun.

“Especially for the people who have been here for a while, this has been on their hearts and minds for a while. You hear some of them talk about ‘We’re entering the Promised Land’ because this is something they have been dreaming about for a decade,” said Senior Pastor Dr. Ryan Jennings.

Jennings arrived in August 2010, well into the planning stages.

The Church broke ground on the new facility last February.

The new sanctuary has room for 600 people.

Next to it is a Fellowship Hall where 350 can have a sit-down meal together.

The $5 million project is about one-third paid for.

“For a lot of the folks who have been faithful and giving, and giving to the Building Fund, this is a real big exciting thing for them,” said Pastor Ryan, as he likes to be called.

The construction team gave also.

Dave Palmer of Palmer Construction Company donated the baptistery.

Jennings said Palmer’s only request was, “All I ask is that you use it a lot.”

On Sunday the 26th, Pastor Ryan will preach from Joshua, chapter 24, verse 15: “But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve…But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

Pastor Ryan is looking forward to preaching in a place with a “new church smell,” and delivering God’s message and an invitation.

“It offers us an opportunity to once again lock arms together and say, ‘Alright, now we have a new challenge before us.’ We worked really hard. God through us build a great loving family and filled up this facility. Now we have room again for many more to come.”

Pastor Ryan gets excited when he says, “We serve a God who is building an eternal family. That is what He is doing through his church. We are honored and privileged to be a part of that.”

The excitement at Shadycrest continues the following week as they host Don Piper, author of “90 Minutes in Heaven” on March 2-4.

While the new Worship Center isn’t Heaven, Jennings hopes for people who attend, it will be a glimpse of the “Promised Land.”

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Shadycrest Church ‘Bound for the Promised Land’

A church's change in plans for a new building at the site of an abandoned mall has neighbors worried. Southland Christian Church wants to create another parcel of land at the site on Richmond Road to either lease or sell. That change would reduce the size of a pond on the property more than was already planned.

This morning the city's Planning Commission reviewed the amendment. People who live near where the new church is being built say the reduction of that pond could increase problems they already have.

"All the storm water drainage in this watershed comes through our neighborhood. From Liberty Road, Richmond Road, Woodhill, it's a massive amount," said James Capley Jr., president of the Idle Hour Neighborhood Association. They oppose the new plan but Southland's construction engineers say the change would take runoff from nearby neighborhoods into account.

The technical committee chose to postpone a decision on the plan so a subcommittee could review it. "They need some more technical information to see if this revision that's proposed is still consistent with that approval that FEMA has given," said Planning Manager Bill Sallee.

The proposal goes to that subcommittee next Thursday. It will then be presented to the full Planning Commission on March 8th.

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Changes to church's construction plans worry neighbors

10-10-2011 15:32 Frederic Blanc improvises on the gorgeous Cavaillé-Coll organ of Notre Dame d'Auteuil church in Paris. Christoph Martin Frommen of the Aeolus record label writes about this very special instrument: The fascinating history of the Cavaillé-Coll organ of Notre-Dame d'Auteuil in Paris is most intimately bound up in that of the legendary organ in the "Palais du Trocadéro" there, also an instrument by the Cavaillé-Coll company. In 1877 Cavaillé-Coll had begun building a three-manual, 45-stop organ for the parish church of Auteuil in the southwest of Paris. The vicar at the time, Abbé Lamazou (whose grave is to be found beneath the organ loft in the church) was a great fan of the organ and an admirer of Cavaillé-Coll. He had seen to it that the latter would get the contract to build the organ. At about the same time a gigantic hall was being built at the «Place du Trocadéro» for the Paris World Exhibition of 1878. It was to have a seating capacity of 5000; in the central position was an oval-shaped concert hall with a ceiling height of 50 meters and a cross-section of 58 meters. Into their plan the two architects had designed an orchestra stage as well as a large concert organ. The authorities turned to Cavaillé-Coll with a request for a cost estimate in kind. His tender amounted to 200000 francs, a sum which at first made the commission balk. But shortly before the completion of the «Palais du Trocadéro» it was decided to place an order for an organ by Cavaillé-Coll after all ...

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Short demonstration of the Cavaillé-Coll organ of Notre Dame d'Auteuil, Paris - Video