By: Deborah Johnson Wood
St. Luke African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church has been in Grand Rapids since 1863, and, next year, the congregation plans to break ground on a brand new 14,500-square-foot facility on the corner of Delaware and Sheldon Streets SE.
This has been several years in the planning. The church razed two houses to make room for the new building. But first the congregation had new accommodations built for the house's occupants and helped them relocate.
The new sanctuary will seat approximately 500 people. An administrative wing offers office space, a fellowship lounge, conference room, classrooms, nursery, and commercial kitchen, as well as a library, and a computer room.
The congregation asked that the building reflect an ecclesiastical and a gothic feel, so, unlike many modern churches, it has a bell tower and a steeple.
The church has served as hub of the community since it was formed 139 years ago, and it's important to the church and the community that the new church remain in the area with an open door to the neighborhood.
The current 5,100-square-foot church at 101 Delaware will be demolished and the lot resurfaced as a 52-space parking lot. Shared parking with nearby businesses will bring the off-street parking availability in excess of the required 105 spaces.
SKO & Associates designed the building.
Source: St. Luke AME Zion Church
Deborah Johnson Wood is development news editor for Rapid Growth Media. She can be contacted at [email protected].
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