St. Timothy on the North Shore UMC - Mandeville, LA
The Highway is a new 9,000 sq.ft. facility to provide for the growing youth ministry of St. Timothy’s, a church of over 3,000 members. The vision of the youth pastor, Andy Durbin, was to create an environment of progressive experience. The main entry leads into a large space for fun, food and fellowship, complete with a café, DJ booth and climbing wall. This space can be enlarged by opening glass walls into the adjacent classrooms, where the experience is for learning and growing in faith. The final component is the worship experience, which occurs in a 450-seat-capacity theater. The lighting and environment change significantly, as students are expected to focus on God in worship and the Word.
The exterior of this building needed to blend-in with the adjacent Family Life Center, which is connected by a covered promenade. The stucco, shingle and brick elements were derived from the material palette of the existing construction. The central feature, however, departs from the existing architecture with a high, brick tower over the main entry. The tower features a large, back-lit, glass graphic depicting a person walking down the highway of life. (Inside, the spaces are themed with scripture versus relating to paths, roads and the like to encourage the youth to journey with God.) The tower glass is segmented by a cross, conveying the purpose of this facility to the community day and night.
To maximize the economy of the building, a preengineered, steel superstructure was utilized, with a standing-seam, metal roof as part of the structural system. The walls, however, are of conventional construction in order to blend the finish with the adjacent Family Life Center. The interior is completed with a comprehensive audio, video and lighting system in the auditorium as well as the classrooms and game / fellowship lobby.
The theme verse for The Highway is Isaiah 40:3 “In the desert, prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God”. You can learn more about their ministry and vision by visiting their web site: www.HighwayYouth.com.
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