Crosby Update and Work Days March 31, 2008
Posted by Steve in : The City, Breaking News, Inside Park, Adaptive Reuse, Church Construction, Missional, The Cultural Conversation , add a commentFinally — after many delays, we are GOING TO PULL AUDIO-VIDEO wire this Saturday (woo Hoo!) as we gear up each weekend in April to get all of our audio/video stuf installed. It is starting to get real exciting!
Crosby Work Days
Crosby Work Days are back in full swing as we are counting down the days to opening our new ministry center at 1001 N. Crosby. Volunteers have already done a great job helping us paint the garage, and this Saturday, April 5, we need 20-25 volunteers to help with wire pulling throughout the day from 8 AM-6 PM. Come on out all you home renovators and construction-types and be part of this historic time! Please register to volunteer so we can plan accordingly.
Additional work days will be held on April 12 & 13, April 19 & 20 and April 26 & 27. Work times will be from 8 AM-6 PM on Saturdays and 1-5 PM on Sundays.
Check out the photos below:
Third Floor Worship Center Lobby With
HUGE windows looking on onto Crosby
Stage and Catwalk are coming along nicely
Can You see the boxes for the sub-woofer on the open stage area?
The Chicago brick is being put up and the greystone tile is coming next — It
is so cool to live in Chicago!
All the platforms are almost done for the permanent 517 seats on the tiers.
Reminder Time: God’s Continuing Faithfulness August 26, 2007
Posted by Steve in : The City, Chicago, Inside Park, Urban Church, Powerful Passages, Church Construction , add a commentWow! I am continually reminded that God has a plan for the redemption of Chicago and Park is going to be a part of that. As we have moved through this summer, there has been a lot of uncertainty about where we would have our offices come September and where we would hold our services. As the project manager for the new Crosby campus building among my responsibilities, I have been frustrated by the massive rise in the price for steel and copper (causing us to exceed our budget), construction delays, unforeseen expenditures (we have to replace the entire outside brick skin of the building), the rainy weather, the lack of progress on getting more parking at our new building, and the likelihood that we would not be able to get into our offices at the Crosby campus in September and that we would need to find short-term solution for our offices.
But there was no uncertainty or frustration in God’s eyes.
Having orchestrated the creation of the world, I am reminded that God can do ANYTHING He wants, 
and getting us office space for starters is no big deal. Through a great friend of the church, God provided space for us at minimal cost in the John Hancock Tower for 4-6 months. We moved out of Germania Thursday night after an 11 year run (in the 13-hour rain-and- massive-wind, hurricane-plagued ordeal that ended at 1:00 am) and now find ourselves getting settled into great office space in the midst of the bustling Michigan Avenue avenue with offices and stores. (Many thanks to two of our awesome staff, Emily Luikart and Meghan Kosar, who organized the move and made it go so well! — you are the best!)
As I have sat at home and whined to my wife about all my frustrations, I am reminded and can now see that God is moving in Chicago, and He will not be thwarted. He has all the tools of the world at His disposal and in this case, He chose to use someone from another great church to help us because He is going to use Park as he continues His plan of redemption here in Chicago. Each person in Chicago matters to God, and he will use churches like Park and Christians like Park people to reach those people.
This situation has caused me to look back and see God’s hand of faithfulness since the beginning of our church almost 20 years ago. Even without a building for 20 years, God has grown Park, transforming thousands of people with His Gospel and the elders, staff and leaders have continued to build a Biblical community where the Gospel of Jesus Christ transforms lives, renews the city and impacts the world.
As I read the Bible, I am reminded by the verses below about God’s unswerving faithfulness:
Deuteronomy 7:9 Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations,
Psalm 105:8 He remembers his covenant forever, the word that he commanded, for a thousand generations,
Isaiah 46:8-11 “Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors,
9 remember the former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ 11 calling a bird of prey from the east, the man of my counsel from a far country. I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass; I have purposed, and I will do it.
As an exercise, look back on the last two years in your life. Where were you 2 years ago and what was your life like. Can you see God’s hand growing you and changing you? What Has God reminded you about lately?
Church Seat Opinions? March 14, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Church Construction , add a commentWe are moving along in our renovation of a 90,000 sq ft dry goods warehouse into an urban church in Chicago and would love to hear from you folks who have built churches as to who I should talk to about church seating. We expect to have about half theater-seating and half would be stackable seating. What are your recommendations and what are the lessons learned you can pass on in this process?
Warehouse Church in Chicago! March 3, 2007
Posted by Steve in : The City, Church Construction , add a comment
Park Community Church is building the country’s coolest church in a dry goods warehouse on the near northside of Chicago. With more than 90,000 sq ft, this first permanent home for the church allows them to stop renting after 19 years in the city.
Check out the photos and building renderings at www.preparingformore.org. Check our our “PARKCam” webcam here.
Future Design February 27, 2007
Posted by Steve in : Adaptive Reuse, Church Construction , add a commentIn the city of Chicago, it is very hard to own your own building but after 18 years, Park COmmunity Church is renovating a warehouse into the coolest church in the land. As we glean ideas from other architectural creations, I came across this Helios futuristic gas station in California and thought I would share it with you. Also check out photo2 and photo3. I call it “Exxon meets the Jetsons”.
Check out our Park WebCam! February 4, 2007
Posted by Steve in : The City, Church, Inside Park, Church Construction , add a commentAs we progress on the renovation of Park Community Church’s warehouse into a ministry center at 1001 N Crosby, we now have the ability to see it happen live and in color with our ParkCAM, courtesy of Michael and Melissa Howard, who have graciously allowed us to install a webcam on their balcony. You can check out the new picture that is generated each minute 24/7 here at our Imagine More website.
Adaptive Reuse of a Church October 22, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog, Church, Adaptive Reuse, Church Construction , add a commentMany buildings and other commercial and organization structures are being made into churches and churches are also being made into residential homes. In Chicago, our church, Park Community Church, is providing an adaptive reuse for a 70,000 square foot warehouse, which will become our permanent church home. See here for the building plans.
In Santa Monica, architect and educator Anne Troutman had just about given up on finding a home with character when her prayers were answered–an 1875 Carpenter Gothic church had appeared on a multiple listing service. She and her husband went the other direction, taking a church and creating an adaptive reuse into a residence. Read the whole article here.
The humble church–Santa Monica’s oldest remaining wood structure and a landmark since 1977–has had four owners and three locations in its 130-year life. When the building was threatened with demolition in 1971, local artist Helen Taylor Sheats saved it from the wrecking ball by converting it into her atelier. The predicament for Troutman and her husband, architect Aleks Istanbullu, was how to retain the architectural integrity of the church, yet have it reflect their modern sensibilities. Their solution: a free-standing cabinet-like structure set within the 40-foot-square sanctuary. “The walls don’t touch the old church,” explains Troutman. “We essentially built a building within a building.”
Building Permit In Hand! August 3, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog, The City, Chicago, Church Construction , add a commentWE RECEIVED OUR PERMIT TODAY! Praise God! In just over four months, we maneuvered our way through the labyrinth called the City of Chicago Department of Construction and Permits and now have our construction permit! …stay tuned as the building process begins to get exciting! Click here to learn more about the new building. Also, please save the date for the official groundbreaking ceremony for the new building at 1001 N. Crosby, which will be combined with our special monthly event, The Gathering, on Thursday September 14. Join us in an evening of praise and worship for all that God has done and will continue to do in this world- class city!
Imagine More Building Update - July 2006 July 15, 2006
Posted by Steve in : Weblog, The City, Church Construction , add a comment
Here is the most recent update on the building front: Park has received permit approval from most of the permitting areas (structural, electrical, plumbing, sewer, etc.) and should have our permits in place in the next 2-3 weeks. In the meantime, we have been making great progress on some of the more simple demolition/cleanup projects around the building. The whole inside is now cleared of conduit and old wires! Once we have the permit, we will begin the demolition process, which means the roof will be coming off in August! We already have safety scaffolding around the building, so make a point this week to drive by the building and pray that this would be a place where life transformation would continue. We are posting photos and monthly updates on our Imagine More website (see link below). To learn more about the building, or to learn how you can participate in God’s next step for Park, visit the website.
