Construction helps church keep pace with growth

Photo by: Heather Coit/The News-Gazette

Children's minister Justin Craig shows what will become the fellowship area during a tour of the expanding Windsor Road Christian Church in Champaign on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2014.

CHAMPAIGN Senior Minister Randy Boltinghouse walks through a construction zone at Windsor Road Christian Church, where crews are busy adding more space for a growing congregation.

A dozen years ago, the Champaign church at 2501 Windsor Road served about 500 people on a weekly basis. These days, it's about 900.

Boltinghouse, the senior minister since 1989, doesn't claim any credit for that.

"The Lord has been behind whatever growth we've had, and we are just trying to get out of the way," he said.

The $3.8 million project, which includes an expansion and some remodeling of existing spaces, should be finished next spring, Boltinghouse said, and "God-willing" some children's spaces could be done by this Christmas.

Overall, the church is expanding from 36,000 square feet to 48,000 square feet, with the addition creating badly needed larger spaces for children and teens making up one-third of the congregation, he said.

Some of what is under construction: Larger worship areas for kids and teens, breakout rooms for more focused study, an indoor playground for kids, a larger nursery (with separate spaces for crawlers and walkers), and a new family entrance with more check-in kiosks for parents dropping off their kids.

More fellowship space is also being built for different age groups, church leaders say. That includes a cafe area for adults, an outdoor patio and a gathering space for middle school and high school students with a TV, snacks and games.

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Construction helps church keep pace with growth