Capital Improvements
OUR MISSION IS
To see and serve a gospel movement on the North Shore
Our building plays an integral part in supporting this gospel movement.
WHAT WE’RE DOING
Planned Renovations
Phase 1: Children's Ministry Wing
To be completed in Summer 2025
Children's Ministry Classrooms on Lower Level
Spaces completed Summer 2025!
We are building four children’s classrooms under the gym for Children’s Worship and Sunday School (Pre-K/K, 1-2 grade, 3-5th grade). Construction has begun and we anticipate completion by late June 2025.
Phase 2: The Central Church
Expanded and thoughtfully designed gathering spaces
One of the most cited needs of our building is the lack of informal gathering spaces for casual connection before/after services or events at the church. We envision cozy and comfortable spaces to connect with friends and greet and welcome newcomers
Multi-purpose spaces for discipleship and community use
Another cited need is for spaces to gather for classes, small events, lunches, or small groups.
We envision 2 small (~12 person) and 2 medium (~40-50 person) spaces that can be used on Sundays and throughout the week for discipleship, outreach programs, and much more.
We aim to make these spaces comfortable and beautiful, so that all who enter will feel at rest as they participate in the life of the church.
A unified children's ministry level
Nursery and preschool spaces will now be adjacent to the K-5 spaces, completing our entire children’s ministry level began in phase 1.
These spaces will take the current ‘friendship hall’ space one floor below the current nursery/preschool spaces.
A unified check-in location is centrally located directly downstairs from the main entrance.
Greatly enhanced core way-finding and circulation
By relocating offices and the internal courtyard to other locations on campus the core of the church will open up into a foyer/gathering space immediately visible from the main entrance.
Wide access to this space, the sanctuary, and new courtyard on the front lawn of the church will provide a gracious open floor plan to better serve hundreds of people moving about the campus.
Phase 3: The Sanctuary
Restore and unify sanctuary
We envision a unified space for worship that is unobstructed from every seat. This means removing the upper level above the back section to open that space up and unite it with the front section.
By removing some un-used closets and awkward side hallways, we can widen this back section as well to match the front, making the space symmetrical and carrying the beautiful arches and stained glass all the way to the back.
An existing beautiful stained glass pocket door will become the focal point of the front of the space, with a new window pouring natural light into the front.
Functional auxiliary worship spaces
Prayer Chapel
At the rear of the newly expanded sanctuary will sit a new prayer chapel with seating for ~20 for small services or prayer events. This will look into the sanctuary through glass so that people who need a quieter space to worship can still participate alongside the entire community.
Care Room
A new ‘care room’ for families with little ones will also take space in the back of the sanctuary, with glass looking into the main worship space.
Restoring for the Future
For 200 years the church in Beverly Farms has been a place of worship, faith formation, and a gospel witness for the community.
Our capital improvements will honor this history while making spaces for ministry for the next 200 years.
Begin with the Gospel
We want to be people shaped by the gospel – the story that God is at work transforming each of us in Christ. We want to be a part of a move of God that transforms the landscape of the North Shore for Christ and his kingdom.
And we believe that our building can play a part in that.
Why? Because buildings do something to us. They are not neutral. The building does something to our theology and our world view. They form us and teach us.
The church people go to has an immensely powerful psychological effect on their vision of the Church they are meant to be.
Tell a better story
God cares about what we create. God cares about this world and the things we put in it. The world around sees the church as a relic of a former way of life. And our architecture is confirming that narrative. What if we started to tell a different story? What if we started to tell the story that God loves the world, and is at work making everything new, including even our humble church. What if we started to believe that the things we build here on earth will actually remain for eternity.
Where we've come from
Our church has seen many capital improvement campaigns over the years. Here are the few from recent memory.
2004 - Foyer, Kitchen, and Family Room (Gym)
In 2004, a building committee led by Matt Teal with help from Ralph Drinkwater, Bob Campbell, Pastor Mark Coleman, Bob Howell, and Tom Richardson oversaw the installation of a new commercial kitchen, and construction of large family room / gym, a new main entrance foyer and lower level bathrooms and gathering space for future children’s ministry spaces.
1970s - Education Wing
The main corridor of the church connecting the parking lot foyer with the sanctuary is a building from the 1970s. This space includes staff offices, Nursery/PreK/K spaces, library, a central courtyard, and main restrooms.
GOSPEL • COMMUNITY • MISSION
Design Goals and Values
As we designed our new spaces, here are the values and goals we kept in mind as they relate to our mission and vision.
Gospel
Discipleship
Focused on the charge given to us by Jesus Christ, we want to make disciples; therefore, we need improved hospitable and functional spaces that can flexibly accommodate our small groups, discipleship groups, Christian formation classes, missional activities, and leadership development.
Children
We recognize the growing numbers of children God has given us, the limitations of our current children’s ministry space, and our desire to invest in the discipleship of children; therefore, we need larger, safer classroom spaces for children of varied ages and learning styles.
Accessibility
Recognizing that all people are valued by God and made in His image, we too value people of all physical and intellectual abilities and want to be a church that accommodates special needs; therefore, we need a building and worship space that is accessible and easy to navigate, with features that support, not hinder, participation.
Worship
We prioritize the communal worship of God as essential to the life and mission of our church; therefore, we need a unified and dignified worship space that focuses on God, brings us together, and invites active collective participation from all.
Community
Intergenerational
Recognizing the intergenerational congregation God has blessed us with, we want to foster connections across age groups; therefore, we need open fellowship spaces, wider hallways, and a worship space that both unifies across ages and accounts for the needs of people at different life stages.
Organic
Recognizing the uniqueness and importance of every member of the body of Jesus Christ, we value ministry initiatives from members of the congregation; therefore, we need comfortable, collaborative, informal, and flexible spaces where innovative ministry initiatives can happen spontaneously.
Diversity
Recognizing that all people are created in God’s image and have equal access to God through Jesus Christ, we value diversity in our community; therefore, we need a worship space focused on a communal encounter with God that welcomes people from any ethnic and cultural background and provides equitable encounters to grow in their faith.
Representative
Recognizing that we are ambassadors for Jesus Christ in our community and that our building itself sends a public message about our values, we want to present a building that accurately reflects those values; therefore, we need a church building that communicates our devotion to God, the value we place upon the people and activities of the church, and our respect for our neighbors.
Collaborative
We value equipping and mobilizing staff and lay leaders for collaborative ministry; therefore, we need a facility that supports the ministry and spiritual formation of our people, including offices and workspaces that are sufficient in quantity and facilitate, not hinder, their work and to promote efficient collaboration with each other, with members of the congregation, and with external gospel partners.
Easy to navigate
An 8-foot wide hallway with built-in seating will allow families with strollers, diaper bags, etc. to navigate and allows parents to linger and build friendships. We are also mindful of “flow” for entering and moving on to other parts of the building.
Mission
Hospitality
Following the example of Jesus Christ, we want to be a church that welcomes outsiders into community with us and to respond to the Gospel; therefore, we need building features that are encouraging and comforting, not off-putting to newcomers.
Locality
Recognizing that God has intentionally placed us within our local North Shore community and that we love our neighbors, we want our building to be a place that is welcoming and useful for external community events; therefore, we need to make strategic changes that will invite increased usage of our space by more community members, in accordance with our mission and purpose.
Equipping
We want to share our space and people as a resource for equipping the broader Church; therefore, we need flexible spaces able to accommodate future ministry interns, pastoral residents, seminary students, missionaries on furlough, and to convene and develop North Shore Gospel Partnership leaders.
Good stewardship
We value the building God has given us and recognize the important role it plays in accomplishing our vision, fulfilling of our purpose, and enabling our ministries; therefore, we have a responsibility to update and care for our building so that it can be an instrument of blessing and empowerment, not of hinderance.
Flexible
Acknowledges that our methodology is likely to change over time, much more frequently than our building will! Able to be used in a variety of ways over time and within the special one-off programs of any given year.
Stewardship
We value the building God has given us and recognize the important role it plays in accomplishing our vision, fulfilling of our purpose, and enabling our ministries; therefore, we have a responsibility to update and care for our building so that it can be an instrument of blessing and empowerment, not of hinderance.
Classic and consistent aesthetic
Design aesthetic is reasonably consistent with the best parts of our current building and fits with the overall “vibe” of our church and surrounding community.
Generosity
Recognizing that every gift we receive is from God, we want to hold all that we have (and all that we raise in a Capital Campaign) with an open hand, sharing His abundance to serve the needs of others beyond our walls; therefore, we aim to give away 10% of any Capital Campaign money raised to an external ministry (or ministries).
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Support our Campaign!
Thank you for your generosity!
