GOOD SHEPHERD TO DEDICATE CHURCH ADDITION ON SUNDAY

People often enter churches today with some preconceived ideas and expectations about what the buildings should look like. Churches need educational space, nurseries and fellowship areas to complete their ministry, says the pastor of Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel.

It took some time for Good Shepherd Lutheran Chapel to grow out of its space and begin a remodeling and building construction project. Now the congregation is ready to minister for the 21st century, said the Rev. Barry Pfanstiel.

"We needed room to grow and meet the needs of the 21st century," Pfanstiel said. "This gives us the space to begin the 21st century."

A new classroom building and narthex will be dedicated Sunday beginning at 3 p.m. The Rev. Ray Mirly, first vice president of the Missouri District of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, will speak. Mirly is originally from Pocahontas.

Special music will be offered by the church choir and handbell choir during the worship service. A refreshment and fellowship time will follow the service.

The building addition creates about 5,300 more square feet of usable space, making the total area 6,700 square feet. The addition includes classrooms for children and adult Sunday school groups, a nursery, expanded and handicap-accessible restrooms, storage space and a fellowship area.

A new entrance is also part of the project. Once inside, visitors and members can enjoy refreshments at the welcome center and browse through library resources. The sanctuary, which will eventually be remodeled as well, is off to the left while classrooms are on the opposite side of the building. The old entrance area will become administrative space and resource rooms.

The addition was part of a two-pronged study by the congregation regarding its future needs, Pfanstiel said. After the study, the congregation decided to hire a second staff member for educational programs and begin the building program. Over a three-year period, congregation members pledged $570,000 to fund the project.

The project was the first major building program for the church in its 32-year history. The congregation was founded in 1967 and built its first sanctuary in 1968.