worked long and hard to put a strong team of contractors in place to help make our dream of a facility a reality. The first thing we needed to communicate to our architect was our overall vision for a facility. What type of facility were we looking for? Of course, we want it to glorify God, but how did we expect it to look? What kind of design motif would suit our unique ministry? We want the facility to be a place that will be inviting to the community – a place where we can bring our friends. A place that the people we’re trying to reach with the Gospel would feel welcomed. We don’t want to create barriers. This is in our DNA – reaching out to our friends and family, our neighbors and our co-workers. This is who we are. This is our mission. What kind of a facility would support that ministry? Well, not a warehouse, but not a traditional-looking church either. Something that looks like a nice community center - a place like, well, like the high school that we used to worship in.
Once our architect understood our ministry needs and our vision, he began to lay out a conceptual design for our facility. The great throne room scene from Revelation chapter 4 inspired the architecture. One component of that heavenly architecture that particularly inspired our architect was the sea of glass mentioned in verse 4. John reported that he saw before the throne of Jesus what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. A sea of glass before the throne of Jesus! What a perfect architectural motif for Bay Area Community Church - here on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay – ministering to the sailing capital of the world.
This architecture reminds us that Jesus is our enthroned king. It’s His facility and we should always be reminded of that as we approach it. Do you see the sea of glass? Our architect added this blue roof line and used the elevator shaft here to create a lighthouse, shaped like a sailboat, skimming across the blue-ripples of the Bay.
If you would like to learn more about the Biblical symbolism of the building design go to Bay Area Community Church Facility Design – The Meaning Behind It.
As you enter into the facility you find yourself in the main concourse. One of the first things you’ll sense is the gentle rolling wave of the balcony above. When you feel this wave roll over you, be reminded that the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.
This is where our guests – the people you invite to church – will form their first impression. It’s wide enough to allow for comfortable entering and exiting and mingling before, between, and after the services. This is a place where we can warmly greet our guests - where they will feel comfortable and get connected. It’s a place that you will want to bring your friends and family, your neighbors and your co-workers.
At the end of the concourse is the Bay Café. It has a small warming kitchen and opens up to an outdoor patio in the front of the building.
The Multi-Purpose Worship Area is a large gymnasium with a stage. It seats almost 800 people with adequate storage space for chairs so that the gym can be used by the body and the community throughout the week – 24/7! There is a room just outside the multipurpose room allowing parents with infants to enjoy the service via a real-time broadcast on a flat-screen TV.
The Pre-School Wing provides spacious classrooms for infants, walkers, 2, 3, 4 and 5 year olds. There’s also an open space so that all of the pre-schoolers can worship together.
The Mini-Aud is a large, open space dedicated to the ministry needs of our middle and high school youth. This space also has three rooms off to the side that are available as classrooms and break-out spaces.
The Administration Wing is our ministry headquarters providing offices and administrative workspaces for our staff and volunteers - supporting all of our growing ministry needs.
The Elementary Wing and the adjoining upper concourse provide spacious classrooms for the 1st through 5th graders as well as an open space so that they can worship together.
The Adult Education Wing has three classrooms as well as a multipurpose meeting area that can be subdivided into two smaller rooms. A fourth room is dedicated as a “prayer room” where people can gather at any time in a quiet setting to open their hearts to our Lord.
Fully-equipped commercial grade kitchen
As we grow in numbers, the Bay Café will need to grow in size to include ample space for a bookstore.
An auditorium capable of seating 1,200, as well as a smaller chapel for more intimate times of worship such as weddings and funerals.
