By Katrina Vander Kooi
It was a beautiful summer day. The sun was out, the sky was clear, and everyone surrounding the newly sidewalked building smiled with exhilarated anticipation.
Sunday was the first day of worship in the newly remodeled First Presbyterian Church, Luverne.
"It was exciting," said the Rev. John Pehrson, pastor of the First Presbyterian Church. "There were a few bugs, but I think everything went really well."
Some people came a half hour early to examine the new church, just as a child would get up early on Christmas morning to open presents. The church was almost full with 233 attending; full capacity is 260.
To build a church
The $1.2-million renovation started in 1998, when the congregation voted in favor of it.
There were several reasons for renovation. First, the church needed to be made accessible to all people. Second, there were a few deferred maintenance issues that needed to be addressed, and third, the sanctuary needed to be turned around for better flow of traffic.
The Presbytery then approved a loan that the church needed to fund the construction. After that, a committee was formed to work on the design of the new building and oversee the construction process. The group was called the Master's Building Team.
Jane Wildung leads the Master's Building Team.
"We were formed to do a research project to see how much we could get done using $1 million," Wildung said. "We visited churches and talked with the architects."
The planning process went through many drafts, but finally, a plausible draft was set, and construction began in May 2000.
"Last Sunday was a blessed relief and a happy occasion for everyone," Wildung said.
God's living room
Walking into the church, the brilliance of the stained glass window immediately hits observers. The window, installed in the back of the sanctuary when the church was first built more than 40 years ago, is now the focal point of the front of the sanctuary.
"We designed the chancel to highlight the cross," Wildung said.
Simple white walls contrast with the colorful stained glass windows and the burgundy, lavender, and pale blue banners. The dark wood warms the sanctuary and invites worshipers to feel at home.
In the sermon, Pehrson referred to it as "God's living room."
The chancel is open, and every piece on it is easily moveable. "It's to accommodate and encourage various presentation styles," Pehrson said.
There is more lighting, and the pews are angled instead of straight.
The construction added an elevator that stops at all floors, more classrooms, a multi-purpose room, additional storage, a drive-up on the west side, and an office complex .
At the moment, the sanctuary is the only place that is finished. The construction company, Mills Construction, Brookings, S.D., is contracted to have the church fully completed by Aug. 27.