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Divine Design at First Baptist Church of Glenarden

    Added January 01, 2008

As published in Worship Facilities, Jan/Feb 2008

In 1989 when Pastor John K. Jenkins was installed as the pastor of First Baptist Church of Glenarden (FBCG), the church had about 500 members. As the membership began to quickly grow, the church relocated to a converted warehouse with a sanctuary seating a little over 700. and the congregation continued to expand. "We had multiple overflow rooms during the four capacity-filled morning worship services," recalls Church Administrator Deacon Stan Featherstone. "When it became apparent that we could not accommodate the souls that God was sending to us, the Lord led us to build a new sanctuary."

Dedicated on September 15, 2007, the new FBCG worship facility, located in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, welcomes more than 8,500 people to its vibrant weekly worship services. with a scripture-inspired design and a keen focus on the church ministry goals, the seven-year process became one of divine inspiration.

Partnering with church leadership on the project was a team from HH Architects of Dallas, Texas. According to Principal-in-Charge Jerry Halcomb, "A unique aspect of this project was the fact that the church had an in-house building team." Although the team approach added to overall construction time, he says it proved to be an excellent arrangement for the project. "It allowed for changes to be made throughout the process as inspiration dictated, and resulted in millions of dollars in savings."

During the planning phases, the teams knew that the facility had to meet the needs of the immense and growing congregation, as well as have the ability to reach out into the community in a variety of ways. So everyone was thinking big from the start. "We purchased 83 acres of land," says Featherstone, "and placed upon it a 205,000-square-foot structure with a 4,000-seat (theater-style) sanctuary and a parking lot with more than 2,000 spaces. Now we can also host a wide range of services, conferences, and special events." In addition to the sanctuary, which totals 44,000 square feet, the $62-million facility houses 44 classrooms, six multi-purpose rooms, a bookstore, broadcast facilities, and a two-bed clinic. and that's just Phase One.

Depicting a Journey of Faith
But along with the practical issues of function, there was the building's form to consider. Here, all team members will agree, is where God's leading inspired the church's design to represent the journey of faith required by every believer. Every design decision and every material used reflects this Biblical emphasis … and the resulting aesthetic splendor is much more than meets the eye.

"The sense of journey is discovered as one approaches the building from the exterior," explains Halcomb. The formidable structure, framed with a steel system on a spread footing foundation, incorporates a variety of materials including brick, stucco, and glass, with a standing-seam metal roof. Halcomb continues, "The greatest journey documented in the Bible is noted in Exodus, with the nation of Israel departing from the bonds of Egypt—the pinnacle coming as the Lord opens the Red Sea to enable the Israelites to pass through and ultimately escape. The exterior of the building is a representation of the Spirit of God as He parts the waters. This is found visually in the way the front narthex and steeple can be seen knifing through the red brick education spaces, which represent the Red Sea."

As you enter the facility into the Great Halls, the journey continues. According to Halcomb, "You immediately become aware of the towering structural systems and the naturally lighted spaces. Large towering columns capped with an organic lighting element celebrate the interwoven structural skylight system." Architecturally, he explains, this is a contemporary representation of the classical cathedrals with their soaring high-volume spaces and interwoven ceiling vaults.

"These elements result from the inspiration of the triumphal entry of the Lord Jesus Christ into Jerusalem," Halcomb says. "The columns represent the palm trees (columns and light sconces) with covering branches (skylight system) that would have lined the Lord's way into the city gates." Palm motif patterns on the glass railings and the use of stone column bases also enhance this concept.

Moreover, the terrazzo flooring patterns found in the Great Hall further represent the movement of Jesus into Jerusalem. "As surely as Jesus was compelled by the Holy Spirit to His ultimate goal," describes Halcomb, "the swooping floor patterns represent the movement of the Holy Spirit of God."

Upon entering the sanctuary where the congregation gathers to worship, focus is beckoned towards the front platform. In viewing the elements of the platform, one finds special elements at the platform rear wall. "This area represents the focal point of our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ," says Halcomb, "with scriptural inspiration from Mark 15:38 and Hebrews 10:19-21. The sides of the lighted wall emulate curtains—or the veil—pulling back to reveal the Holy of Holies, thus inviting the believer to enter into the very presence of God, shown as the suspended cross on the wall of light."

and when Pastor Jenkins steps up to deliver the message to the masses, he will be easily seen and heard. The sanctuary platform is 172 feet from the farthest seating row, and there are two image magnification (IMAG) screens, 21-foot, four-inches wide by 12-foot tall. Currently, there are seven cameras with eight positions planned, including three robotic cameras.

Faith, Obedience & Miracles
As the vision for the design and construction was coming together, Pastor Jenkins put forth his own vision to the congregation— an in-house building campaign aimed at financing the new facility through member obedience. According to Featherstone, "Pastor Jenkins established the ‘A Mind to Build' campaign that did not involve asking members to make pledges, promises, or vows. Instead, he asked them to seek God for direction for their giving and challenged them to obediently do whatever God led them to do."

Each Tuesday became a day of corporate fasting and prayer, and members presented their "A Mind to Build" offerings during the weekly Bible study. "Our members faithfully presented their best gift to the Lord and continue to do so to this day," Featherstone says. On each campaign celebratory day, church giving records were broken because people responded according to God's will for them.

No matter the size or complexity of a building program, almost every church would agree that one of the most tedious aspects involves the building permit process. FBCG's experience was no different. They played the waiting game as patiently as possible, but were rightly concerned about the seemingly extended delay. Then they realized that there was to be a shift in administration-a situation sure to further defer decision-making. Fearing several more months of delay, church leaders were overjoyed when providence stepped in. "Our building permit was inadvertently dropped from a stack of papers marked as pending items for the new county administration," explains Featherstone, "and it was noticed by the outgoing chief of staff who happened to be a member of FBCG." Because this single piece of paper was "dropped" from the pile, it received immediate attention and the permit process was able to move forward prior to the administration transition.

Even the construction process seemed to progress by the very hand of God. "with over 40 contractors involved in the project, there will no doubt be coordination challenges and difficulties," says Jerry Overbey, deputy chief of construction and project manager for the facility. "But during the entire process, only four out of the 40 contractors impacted our critical path of construction operations and time. and by using existing contractors on-site and performing some of the work ourselves, we were able to keep the project moving forward."

The faithful prayers of the congregation continued to be answered as numerous construction challenges arose. "After a night of prayers from our members," explains Featherstone, "the week-long crane operators union strike (that had interrupted construction) abruptly ended after just one night of corporate prayer." God even "managed the weather upon the requests of the congregation, granting the necessary 14 days of dry 50-degree weather needed by the concrete contractor for a successful pour.

and as the new worship facility was completed and the doors opened, the First Baptist Church of Glenarden has continued to see God's hand at work. According to Featherstone, "Our members can now worship together in one area, children have more space and activities for Sunday School in our Gospel Kids area, and we can accommodate hundreds of youth who attend our Youth Bible Study."

How divine.

Julianne Winkler Smith is a freelance writer and president of Eydo Strategic Communications, based in Cary, North Carolina. She can be reached at .

RESOURCES
PRIMARY FLOORING PRODUCT COMPANY:
CB Flooring (Atlas, Durkan, Daltile)

PRIMARY CEILING PRODUCT COMPANY:
C&C Builders (USG)

PRIMARY SEATING PRODUCT COMPANY:
Seating Concepts (Manufacturer and Installer)

FIXTURES (LIGHTING, PLUMBING, HARDWARE, ETC.):
CT Electrical Corp. (Lightolier and Zurn)

PRIMARY DOOR PRODUCT COMPANY:
American Door Co. (Marshfield Door Systems)

PRIMARY WINDOW PRODUCT COMPANY:
Commercial Window Solutions (YKK Products)

ROOFING:
Northern Virginia Roofing Consultants (MBCI)

AUDIO and LIGHTING:
RJC Designs Inc.

ACOUSTICS:
Metropolitan Acoustics

STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING:
Datum Engineers Inc.

CIVIL ENGINEERING:
Ben Dyer and Associates

MECHANICAL, ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING:
CECA

A/V/L EQUIPMENT:
Evertz MVP Multi-Image Display Processor; Leitch Integrator Router; Clear-Com Eclipse Intercom; Ross Distribution and Conversion; Ross Synergy 3 Digital Production Switcher with Overdrive; Chyron Duet Lex; Omneon Spectrum Media Server; Panasonic DVCPro; Apple Final Cut Studio; Barco Overview 80-Inch Projection Displays; Barco Encore Presentation System; DPI Highlite and Titan Projectors; Draper Projection Screens; AMX Control System; Yamaha PM1D and DM2000 Digital Audio Mixers; Hitachi Cameras with Canon Lenses; Microboards Duplication Towers and CD Recorders; Rimage Printers

QUICK-LINKS
First Baptist Church of Glenarden
Upper Marlboro, Maryland
(301) 773-3600 • www.fbcglenarden.org

HH Architects
(972) 404-1034 • www.hharchitects.com

CECA
(301) 967-1719 • www.cecallc.com

Julianne Winkler Smith is a freelance writer and president of Eydo Strategic Communications, based in Cary, North Carolina. She can be reached at jwsmith@eydo-nc.com.