Willow Avenue
Mennonite Church
Location
Clovis
Sq. Ft.
16,600
Year Completed
2014
Construction Partner
Quiring General, LLC
College Community Church (now Willow Avenue Mennonite Church) sought to expand and refresh its existing campus to accommodate a growing congregation and support community outreach. This desire led to the design of the new 300-seat Sanctuary and Office Wing and included extensive campus improvements. The site’s master plan embraces the existing and iconic circular worship space, designed in the 1960s, responds to the Mennonite conviction of equality among all worshippers, and reinforces a sense of community.
2016 AIASJ Design Award Winner – Merit Award
Through an open, thorough, and collaborative dialogue between the architect, congregation, and pastoral staff, it became evident that the church’s identity was rooted in the concepts of community, connection, and continuity. The form of the new Sanctuary was derived from ideas rooted in the broad theological underpinnings of the denomination, shaped by the congregation’s unique perspective on the connection between faith and social responsibility, where high value is placed on pacifism, inclusion, and the centrality of the Word of God.
From arrival on site to one’s seat in the Sanctuary, the path of travel seeks to prepare attendees for worship. The entry path draws visitors through a courtyard, into the lobby, the narthex, and entry vestibules—all aligned with a metaphorical axis to the outside world—and finally into the Sanctuary itself. Once inside the Sanctuary, clear, glazed walls with built-in window seats surround the main assembly area, where natural materials and straightforward detailing are bathed in an abundance of diffused daylight. Architectural and interior design responded to the client’s expressed desire for a space strongly connected to the natural environment and free of extraneous distractions.
Willow Avenue
Mennonite Church
