Returning to the Sanctuary

A Milestone for Northminster

This coming Sunday marks a special moment in the life of our church: after months of prayer, planning, and hard work, both of our services will be returning to the sanctuary.

The conversation about our sanctuary project began at Session in August of 2023. Out of that discernment, a team was officially formed in January of 2024 to help guide the process. That team—made up of Sean McCabe, Chad Engleman, Harry Stone, Laurie Laning, Teri Spindler, Lee Ann Hamilton, and myself—reviewed 13 different options and prayerfully weighed the best way forward. Their work, together with the ongoing discernment of our Session, helped us take an important step in the life of Northminster.

It was more than a facilities decision. It was about who we are as a church and where God is calling us. We recognized a real challenge: we didn’t have enough space for worship, and we needed to create room for growth. In fact, on Christmas Eve of 2023 we literally had to turn people away because there wasn’t enough room. At a time when many congregations around us are closing their doors or wrestling with painful questions about the future, our church chose to step forward in faith. Session trusted our staff and key volunteers, and we leaned on the prayers and encouragement of the congregation. Together, we decided not to get caught up in the color of the walls or the design of the carpet, but to look ahead to the mission God has given us: to be an outpost for Christ, making future generations together.

And even as these physical changes take shape, our core remains the same. Over the years, Northminster has adapted its spaces and practices, but we have never sacrificed our values or our Christ-centeredness. We are still a church centered on Jesus, still a vibrant part of this community, still offering Christ’s love to those around us.

This Sunday is a milestone, but it’s not the finish line. We’ve completed this phase of the project with the chancel stage, fresh paint, new carpet, and some lighting upgrades. Coming up next are the side screens, which we hope to have completed by early December of this year. Beyond that, there will still be important audio and lighting upgrades needed to make the sanctuary everything it needs to be for the future of our ministry. Each step is a building block, and together they are creating a space that can grow with our mission.

I also want to say a word about this week. Many of our staff and volunteers have been working tirelessly for months to prepare for this transition. We are grateful—and we are tired. So let’s take the pressure off. Whether everything goes exactly as planned this Sunday or not, that is not the point. What matters is that God is here with us. God has been faithful every step of this journey, and God will continue to equip us for the future.

This week, let’s encourage one another. Let’s give thanks for all who have poured themselves into this work. And let’s walk into the sanctuary on Sunday not with the weight of expectations on the physical space—not expecting the room itself to change our hearts or transform this community. Instead, let’s come with expectant hearts to worship the God who provides, the God who emptied the grave, and the God who placed Northminster right here at 703 Compton Road.

We have so much to be thankful for. We can’t wait to worship with you this Sunday—at 9:00 for Modern Worship and 11:00 for Traditional Worship.

Mike Steel
Executive Director
Northminster Church