Well, yesterday was a big day on the construction site. We actually lifted and placed a large section of a 1948 Spartan Trailer onto the second floor of our new children’s ministry addition! Why would someone do such a thing? The trailer is a part of the internal decoration/design of the building. We are theming the interior of the building (including the hallways and main lobby) around a “vintage road trip” motif. The trailer forms the exterior wall of a “lounge” area at the top of the main stairway for parents to wait or small groups to meet. The whole theme will help create a wonderfully creative environment for families to hear more about the Good News of Jesus Christ.
Why theme the building?: When we decided to construct this 20,000 square foot children’s ministry addition, we had to ask the question, “What type of building do we want to build?” Taking our example from Jesus’ incarnation (coming in a form people could understand) and from Paul’s admonition to “be all things to all people,” we decided to build a building that would be attractive to children and parents alike. We began looking for professional help in designing our interiors and found a wonderful partner in Team JYD. This Oklahoma City based team has done some wonderful projects, including the Toby Keith restaurants and portions of the Omniplex. In partnership with Team JYD and a steering committee of Wildwood members, we decided to move forward with this “vintage road trip” theme.
Why the vintage road trip theme?: Our steering committee liked this theme for several reasons: 1) It is general enough that it can have different “expressions” in the different hallways inside the children’s building (each hall has a different geographic theme – forest, mountain, desert, or beach). 2) It is not tied to just one biblical story, thus making it natural to talk about all the Scripture regardless of room (i.e. if a room was themed around David and Goliath, then we wondered if it might be strange to talk about Jonah and the whale in that room. By contrast, people talk about ALL the Scriptures in different locations all over the world). 3) The idea of a road trip has many biblical images associated with it. (i.e. We are all sojourners in this land, we are headed to a great destination, but have the privilege of traveling through this life in community and with God . . . there is joy in the journey, etc.)
Below, you will find some pictures that describe the experience of placing the trailer yesterday, as well as some still shots that show JYD’s vision for how the trailer might look when installation is complete.
Team JYD's Chuck Clowers and Cameron Eagle with the trailer before take-off.
The trailer just before take-off (NOTE: Only 2/3 of this trailer will be used in the new building.)
We have lift off!
Chuck attaches a rope to one end of the trailer to help "catch" it once the trailer arrives on the second floor.
Up, up and away!
Moving this trailer would be an insurmountable task for a couple of guys, but one man operating this large crane handled it with no problems. It took only a couple of minutes to lift and place the trailer.
A view of the trailer looking through the roof grid on the second floor.
Team JYD's Chuck waiting for the arrival of the tralier.
Coming in for a landing.
Chuck inspecting the work.
What the trailer will look like when it is "shined up"
Artist rendering of what the trailer might look like resting as the wall against the main staircase in the new building's lobby.
The inside of the trailer will be finished out with soft seating and used for small group gatherings in the second floor "landing" area.
Looking inside the new trailer. . .
The classic Spartan trailer logo is being reworked on the end of this new brand of trailer!
Mark,
I Love It !!! Great job to all involved with setting up and maintaining your daily report on the project.
Brent Armstrong…