Building Frequently asked questions

Our previous building had Sanctuary seating for 287 (and parking of 121 spaces).  The new Sanctuary will have seating for 460 (and parking of 200 spaces).

Consistent with feedback from the congregational survey, the Cross will be the focus in the sanctuary.   It will be designed as a sacred place of worship consisting of natural light and simple timeless elements.  The seating will be flexible so we can maximize the use of the space during the week for small groups, prayer meetings, fellowship events, and other gatherings.

The current design includes a combination of horizontal and vertical white wooden siding, and synthetic stone. A watercolor rendering has been provided to us by the architect.

Our current priority is building a facility in line with our vision and goals, namely running Sunday services and providing space for discipleship.  Our goal is to build as much of the building as possible, reserving for later the items that can more easily added post-construction.

The initial building estimate includes all site preparation work and construction associated with such space.  In addition, there is a budget for AV equipment/speakers, stage lighting, classroom furnishings, sanctuary chairs, and other necessary items (exterior sign, communion table and pulpit, coffee equipment/refrigerator). The current budget does not include: an organ, playground equipment, LED screens, narthex furnishings/acoustical treatment, kitchen equipment and cabinets, classroom cabinets or internal wayward signage.  We are prayerfully optimistic some of these items will be included as we continue to refine the scope and design details.

Many of us probably grew up in a church with a basement.  Children’s education or a fellowship hall were in the basement under the sanctuary. They were a great use of space.   These were mostly built before ADA codes and requirements when the only requirement was one set of stairs. We have discussed the possibility of a basement with the architect and the Construction Manager, and neither have built a basement in their projects in recent years because they have become cost prohibitive.   A basement would require two sets of stairs and an elevator, which are expensive uses of square footage. The additional structural support required to build out a second floor also increases the cost per square foot.  For these reasons, we did not pursuing a basement.

The building committee reviewed many different designs, many having a more traditional steeple.  Other building designs as well as a more traditional steeple on the current design were evaluated.  The design team felt it was most important that the building was easily identified as a church.   After much comparison it was determined the current design was easily identifiable as a church and that the steeples as drawn were a better complement to the overall architectural of the building.

An overhang over the drop off area would be nice to protect our members from the elements. We understand that there is a desire for a covered drop off. The design team explored this option with our architect and civil engineer.  Covered drop off areas at a main entrance tend to cause traffic congestion according to our consultants.  The flow of traffic from the 161 and Harlem Road entrances through the parking lot and to the drop off were analyzed.  Unfortunately the shape of our building, location of the entrance and distance from the front door to the driveway made it difficult to design a cover that complimented our design, allowed for an adequate flow of traffic and fit in our budget.  The current design does include a covered porch and an overhang over the front door for some protection from the elements.

The campaign was designed to run for 36 months, beginning in 2020 with commitments made and fulfilled through 2023. However, dona6ons with and without a prior commitment will be accepted at any 6me.

Although the Faith.Forward Capital Campaign is instrumental to our future as a church, maintaining regular giving is critically important. We ask that you make a commitment to the building without decreasing your regular giving. In other words, do not rob Peter to pay Paul.

We are asking everyone to fulfill the general Faith. Forward. Capital Campaign to ensure that the construction contract and bank terms for our permanent space are adequately satisfied. We are not asking for designated contributions at this time.

We have searched for and identified a few potential grants and applied.  We are blessed to have professional grant writing skills in our congregation to assist with the applications.  However, no grant has been awarded, and there is no guarantee we will receive any amount of funding from a grant.

The building will be financed through a combination of bank debt, NAPC cash reserves, and the Faith.Forward Capital Campaign.

We anticipate broad cost categories such as land development, building construction and furniture and equipment. Each category will have an owner that will develop detailed line-item estimates based upon input from external consultations and internal industry experts. Larger costs will also be subject to an external bidding process. Actual costs will be tracked and monitored separately against initial budget amounts to ensure we maintain proper visibility throughout the project. Budgets and actual amounts will also be scrutinized by our Treasurer, Permanent Space Steering Committee, our Finance Sub-Committee and Session.

We are saving the brick cape cod house that was occupied by Ms. Taylor, but plan to demolish the older house at the northeast corner toward the end of site construction.  During construction the older house on the corner is being used construction offices and a material lay-down area.

We obtained possession of the brick cape cod house on March 3, 2021.  This house will be used temporarily by the staff as administrative offices beginning in the summer of 2022.  When the administrative wing is fully constructed, the staff will move into the new space.  Session is evaluating other potential uses for the house long-term.   

The latest plan is to have one entrance/exit off of Dublin-Granville Road at the traffic light intersection, and another one on Harlem Road.  

Conveniently for us, the city has constructed a leisure trail on Harlem Road. This trail would connect our church with both Dublin-Granville Road and Greensward. As a result, the church property would be accessible to all NA neighborhoods via the leisure trails, so people could walk or ride bikes to the church. Since the property is close to the NAPLS campus, students would have easy access to the church from the school as well. The Harlem Road site is a 7-minute bike ride to the High School campus and for reference purposes is an 8-minute bike ride from the prior NAPC facility.

The property will be surrounded by residential homes in all four directions. The adjacent property to the west will continue to be under construction for the next several years. The farm to the northwest of the property (across Dublin-Granville Road) will not be developed.  The farm to the North east will become Taylor Farm Park.