The group at Ni River Community Church is committed to “loving people where they are”. The church began with a congregation of about 60 people. They had their first public meeting in February of 1999 at a local high school and continue to meet there today with their growing family. God has given them a unique vision for their future and blessed them with ground to build a permanent home through Tri-Cord, a local development organization.
Their new site will be gradually expanded in stages, beginning with their ministry center. Plans are to build a structure that has a centrally-located fellowship mall with a café, bookstore and stage to foster interaction between the people who come to worship. Eventually, this building will be turned into a multi-purpose youth center when a dedicated worship facility is built on their site.
God calls each of His churches to a unique ministry. Such is the case at Ni River as they feel the call to reach out to the autistic children in their area.
The second floor of the youth center will be space dedicated for a satellite campus of The Matthew’s Center, a school for autistic children. Designed for these special needs children, the facility will feature windows placed above eye-level to provide light without introducing distraction. Additionally, the facility will be equipped with special swings that give the children a place to relax.
As we design the interior of their first building as a whole, we must have an eye for the present and the future. The building needs to be user friendly for all age groups, bearing in mind that it is currently a worship facility for all, but in the future, will be dedicated to the youth. Many of the floors will be colored concrete and the walls impact resistant since we do not know the full nature of future activities.
Ni River Community Church will soon be blessed with a building that enhances the vision they hold for their ministry.
