Renovations reflect churches' changing roles

Congregations are getting away from large buildings that aren't used most of the week.

By DAVID PETERSON, Star Tribune

Last update: May 15, 2008 - 11:47 PM

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GROUNDBREAKINGS

For the renovation at MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH, to be finished in October:

Time: 10 a.m. Sunday

Where: Upper parking lot at 3333 Cliff Rd., Burnsville

For the new YMCA AT SHEPHERD OF THE LAKE LUTHERAN CHURCH, Prior Lake:

Anticipated in July, pending final city approvals.

GROUNDBREAKINGS --For the renovation at Mary, Mother of the Church, to be finished in October Time: 10:00 am Sunday Place: Upper parking lot at 3333 Cliff Rd., Burnsville --For the new YMCA at Shepherd of the Lake, Prior Lake : Anticipated in July, pending final city approvals.

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Mary, Mother of the Church is a mammoth presence south of the river, serving 2,700 households. But it's also a bit hidden.

"I've had people tell me that they literally couldn't find us, even though they were driving right past," said Sandra Krebsbach, pastoral associate for discipleship and communications.

A $2.6 million project to be launched with a groundbreaking on Sunday aims to change that.

And, paired with the plans of a Prior Lake-based megachurch for what's being described as possibly the first YMCA ever to be physically connected to a church anywhere in the world, it's a sign of change.

"The megachurch concept in the suburbs certainly isn't anything new," said Kermit Mahlum, chief operating officer of Shepherd's Path, the label for the cluster of facilities being built with Shepherd of the Lake Lutheran Church at its core.

"But I think this 'church campus' setting is a thing of the future," he said. "We've got 80 acres we're planning to develop -- and we're now looking at a major medical complex as well."

The evolution, some say, is away from big buildings that are quiet for most of the week -- and toward the church as an easy-access, highly visible community asset all week long.

"A church in Maple Grove is looking at incorporating a 'Y' as well," said Yvonne Anderson, community development director for the YMCA in the Twin Cities. "Churches don't want their building sitting empty so much of the week. Many are looking at how to connect themselves more to the community. "

In Burnsville, Krebsbach said, the Roman Catholic Mary, Mother of the Church is already -- often in a quiet, private way to protect the privacy of participants in groups such as Alcoholics Anonymous -- a community center far beyond its role for Sunday mass.

"It's used every day," she said. And its 7,000 members make it no small presence in the southern suburbs. But an important goal of the renovation is to declare itself much more visibly to the community at large.

"We're trying to make it more inviting, more engaging for the community," she said. "Easier access, bigger signs, a more attractive streetscape, a new exterior. It will be a real change."

In Prior Lake, the Shepherd's Path YMCA is still only a proposal, having cleared the city's planning commission and now awaiting final approval by the City Council. But the church is on an isolated site at present with suburban growth still only approaching across the farm fields, so no opposition is foreseen.

For the YMCA, the roughly $12.5 million project is a first plunge out into the newly growing Scott and Carver counties. The nearest Y to the north is only a short distance from Minneapolis, in the Southdale area.

As for Shepherd of the Lake church, it considered partnering with private health clubs for a pool and fitness center. But in the end it found itself more at ease with an organization with a religious mission -- the 'C' in YMCA stands for Christian -- though the center will be open to people of all faiths.

"This campus is probably the closest thing that either Prior Lake or Savage have to a real 'community center,'" Mahlum said. Shakopee has one, but this will be brand new and state-of-the-art.

"We even have a Starbucks," he said -- proof that churches aren't what they used to be.

David Peterson • 952-882-9023