Exceeding the Dream: The Blessings of Peace NEXT
The Dream
Seven years ago, Peace began dreaming about new ways to grow our mission through improved and expanded building space. That shared vision became the Peace NEXT campaign.
Now, two years after the final nails were pounded and the last wires were run, we are filled with gratitude for the many ways these spaces have not only fulfilled our hopes, but exceeded them.
The Gym
The single biggest addition in both size and cost was the gymnasium, and what a gift it has become!
The gym space is used Monday through Friday and most weekends throughout the year, blessing children, youth, families, and community partners.
It serves as the primary large motor space for Peace CARE and Peace Preschool & Pre-K programs, welcoming 85 kids during the year and 140 kids during the summer.
During the school year, it hosts pickleball groups, weekly youth ministry, and special events for children’s ministry.
26+ weekends each year, the gym is rented for basketball, and every week of the year it is rented to FCA, YMCA and other leagues wishing to use it as a practice facility when they can.
The gym also hosts some of our largest and most joyful events, including the Craft and Vendor Fair, End of Year Bash, and Vacation Bible School.
The Music Wing: Rooms ABD, CE, Quilting & Multi-Purpose Room, and Music Room
Peace’s worship and music department is blessed by more than 530 musicians participating in 22 ensembles. From chimes to orchestra, youth praise bands to adult choir, our music room is filled with music, faith, and fellowship all 52 weeks of the year.
Room ABD, a series of flexible classrooms and meeting areas, has become a welcoming home for a wide variety of ministries and groups. This includes a learning space for our American Sign Language classes; an expanded space for Peace CARE, WELCA, and Quilters; a large craft room for Music Camp and VBS; and classrooms for Peace Kids and Peace Youth.
The Quilters Room faithfully holds our quilting and prayer shawl supplies and is used 52 weeks a year by 10-20 people who share comfort, care, and love through their work.
CE is our main conference room and is utilized every weekday by staff and groups and almost every Sunday and Wednesday by Peace Kids and Peace Youth classes and small groups. Its multimedia interface and video capabilities make it a helpful and inviting meeting spot.
We have also turned our music wing hallway into our very own art gallery, giving thanks for the creativity of members and groups and sharing their gifts with the congregation!
The Gathering Place
Perhaps the most transformational space in our Peace NEXT expansion is the Gathering Place. It is also part of our Expanding Worship Campaign and is receiving multimedia equipment to improve audio quality and provide video capability, helping us welcome even more people with warmth and clarity.
This room is the new home for our weekly adult Bible study, which routinely welcomes nearly 50 participants in the room, as well as those who Zoom in online.
This room hosts our Senior Potlucks, along with the speakers, presenters, and guests who come to join them.
It is filled every Sunday morning of the year with people enjoying coffee, snacks from our amazing volunteers, and conversation with other Peace disciples.
It serves as a welcoming meeting space for small groups, youth groups, and kids throughout the school year.
It is our primary overflow space for Christmas Eve and Easter, providing seating for 185+ people and helping us extend hospitality during some of our most joyful worship celebrations!
When people talk about why they stay at Peace, they almost always talk about how welcoming this congregation is. Thanks to the generosity of so many, these spaces help us extend that welcome to multiple generations, abilities, and interests 365 days a year.
Together, we are able to make good on our promise that everyone is in the right place at Peace.
Your contributions in the first phase of this project and your ongoing support of our mortgage have helped make this ministry possible every day.
Thank you for dreaming, giving, praying, and helping Peace become a place of welcome, worship, learning, service, and joy!
If you would like to join in supporting these spaces for the first time, you can do so by donating through Church Center and selecting “mortgage,” or by using the offering envelopes found at the Welcome Center.
