Members of Mountain Lake Church got a sneak peek at their new worship auditorium Sunday.
“Our auditorium is designed to change the way people think about church,” said founding Pastor Shawn Lovejoy.
“When people think of church, and even church buildings sometimes, the words ‘boring’ and ‘irrelevant’ may come to mind. But we literally have café tables and chairs in our worship auditorium. It’s a different kind of vibe.”
The new auditorium has a capacity of 1,200, about twice that of the original facility.
The 12-month project also included the renovation of the old 600-seat facility, which will now house children and student ministries.
Following the last service Sunday, hundreds of members gave back to the community through a program dubbed “Servolution.”
Volunteers spent the day mowing lawns, painting, picking up trash and helping teachers move into their classrooms.
Since opening its doors nearly a decade ago, Mountain Lake has continued to draw new members.
But that’s not the goal, said Lovejoy, who added that success could be measured by the impact the church near Coal Mountain has on its members and families.
These days, Lovejoy said, more people “just don’t find the church as a place of relevancy for them to connect with God, and to grow in their relationship with God and to be changed by God.”
“We’re trying to change that,” he said. “We have every life station represented. But above all, we’re trying to reach this new generation that’s pretty much said, ‘I don’t need the church anymore.’”
The church welcomes Christians from all denominations and walks of life to celebrate its grand opening Sunday.
With the capacity of the new facility, the church will cut back its worship services from three times each weekend to twice on Sundays, at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
E-mail Jennifer Sami at jennifersami@forsythnews.com.
“Our auditorium is designed to change the way people think about church,” said founding Pastor Shawn Lovejoy.
“When people think of church, and even church buildings sometimes, the words ‘boring’ and ‘irrelevant’ may come to mind. But we literally have café tables and chairs in our worship auditorium. It’s a different kind of vibe.”
The new auditorium has a capacity of 1,200, about twice that of the original facility.
The 12-month project also included the renovation of the old 600-seat facility, which will now house children and student ministries.
Following the last service Sunday, hundreds of members gave back to the community through a program dubbed “Servolution.”
Volunteers spent the day mowing lawns, painting, picking up trash and helping teachers move into their classrooms.
Since opening its doors nearly a decade ago, Mountain Lake has continued to draw new members.
But that’s not the goal, said Lovejoy, who added that success could be measured by the impact the church near Coal Mountain has on its members and families.
These days, Lovejoy said, more people “just don’t find the church as a place of relevancy for them to connect with God, and to grow in their relationship with God and to be changed by God.”
“We’re trying to change that,” he said. “We have every life station represented. But above all, we’re trying to reach this new generation that’s pretty much said, ‘I don’t need the church anymore.’”
The church welcomes Christians from all denominations and walks of life to celebrate its grand opening Sunday.
With the capacity of the new facility, the church will cut back its worship services from three times each weekend to twice on Sundays, at 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m.
E-mail Jennifer Sami at jennifersami@forsythnews.com.