You can't miss the massive structure being built near 143rd and Nall.
A building 100 feet tall. A 35-foot limestone-covered base, and then seven massive stainless steel panels reaching another 65 feet toward the sky. The steel will reflect changing colors as the sun sets and rises, and clouds pass overhead.
The building is supposed to be open and ready by Easter 2017.
The building is the Church of the Resurrection's new sanctuary to accommodate church services for the 20,000 congregants who are currently members of the church and all of the people they hope will visit and join in the future. There will be seating for 3,500 people in the new sanctuary, but the room will be built in a way they believe will make it feel smaller.
"I've said, let's just do this well enough, who knows what the future's gonna hold. But I feel it's not unlikely that 100 or 200 years from now, people are still going to be gathering in this space," said the founding pastor, Adam Hamilton.
The lower seating area seats about 1,100 people, but the room was designed to be three different sanctuaries in one.
"When it's finished, there will be screens that drop down and they will shut off all the seating under the balcony and in the balcony," said Hamilton proudly as we toured the shell of the building currently under construction. Opening the lower screens exposes the 1500 seats under the balcony. Then there are another 1000 balcony seats.
Whether you're outside or inside, the obvious focal point will be the 35-foot-by-100-foot stained glass window depicting many religious stories, but the largest most prominent part is the image of Jesus standing in the center, armed outstretched. Hamilton said the idea is to not only have Christ seemingly welcoming congregants with outstretched arms but also that he would appear to send them out into the world, as well.
"One of the goals was when the building is finished and the stained glass is in and everything is done, that you would walk in this room and before a note is played or a word is spoken, you feel like you're in a holy place," said Hamilton.
Hamilton started the church 25 years ago with his wife and two young kids. They held their first services in a funeral home, then moved to a local public school when they outgrew the funeral home. He and his congregation have come a long way since those early, simpler days.
"I loved the early years of the church. When I knew everybody's names and everybody's story. And up to about 3,000 people I could remember their names and their kids names, and I loved that," said Hamilton.
"There are parts of that I miss. In the early years I made every hospital call. I did every wedding. Every funeral. And the church - I could hold it all within my arms. And there came this point at year eight or nine where I was feeling like I was losing that. And I asked an older pastor, I said, 'I feel like I'm losing that,' and he said, 'Well, you have to decide whether your mission is to keep a church that's this size so you can feel connected to everybody ... or if your mission is to welcome as many people as possible and turn them loose on the world.' And I finally came to terms with the fact I miss some of that, but I am really excited about the impact that the church has on peoples lives today and the impact it can have on the world," said Hamilton.
The building's stained glass window isn't set to go in until next winter. The new sanctuary will be open by Easter 2017.
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Christa Dubill can be reached at christa.dubill@kshb.com.
