St. Peter (Brownstown) is moving forward with an expansion that will provide a brand-new space for their Christian Education Center, more room for fellowship, and improvements to their traffic flow and parking. The new expansion extends from the east wall of the sanctuary and wraps around the southeast corner of the church.
A new Christian Education Center, with five childcare classrooms, will provide a larger space for nurturing children’s faith. The center’s entry will have a covered drop off and security doors will allow staff to monitor visitors and keep little ones safe.
Parking and traffic flow will be improved by adding expanded parking and rerouting traffic from Lutheran Central School away from the Christian Education Center traffic. They are also improving their welcome center by adding a large gathering space that will promote additional fellowship space before and after worship, an adjacent kitchen, new restrooms, and a new main entry for easy access to the worship space and church offices. These improvements are the first step in their master plan that will support the work of St. Peter’s mission in the community.
“This is a critical need in the community that speaks to ministries having to fill the gaps in their community,” said T.J. Mattick, Indiana District Vice President – LCEF. “That’s something we, at LCEF, try to encourage congregations and schools to understand, so they can meet the needs of their community. This congregation has done a fantastic job of finding a niche in their community and seeing how they can have a positive impact.”
The Lutheran Church Extension Fund has approved a loan for St. Peter, which will help them with the project in the short term. Along with a capital campaign, the church has the needed funding to move forward with the expansion.
“In times like this, ministries are still growing and surviving to accomplish their purpose in the midst of crisis,” said Mattick. “That highlights the need for faith that it will work out. This project and others in the Indiana District will continue too.”
Even though churches can’t meet face to-face, ministries are still planning for the future needs of the church with the understanding that God will provide for the outcome. “We don’t let fear guide ministry,” Mattick added. “We’re led by faith, not fear.”