Growing Shawano church looks to expand

Ten years of growth is prompting Hope Community Church to pursue an expansion that would more than double the church’s footprint and possibly make it one of Shawano’s largest houses of worship.

Church administrators are seeking city approval to build an addition that would include a larger sanctuary, more classrooms and a new family center.

The expansion would cost about $2 million and would increase the size of Hope Community from 14,250 square feet to 33,350 square feet.

City officials say the larger church at 302 Tristan Drive could also attract new residential development to Shawano’s far east side.

“It’s good for the area,” city zoning administrator Brian Bunke said.

The city plan commission is scheduled to consider the church expansion at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, followed immediately by a special Common Council meeting where the project could get final approval.

Hope Community officials said the project is needed to meet the needs of a growing congregation — especially rising numbers of children attending activities at the church — as well as the community in general needing available venues for special events.

“We’re not only looking forward to the future of our church, but the futures of families right here in Shawano,” church spokeswoman Cassie Beyer said in an email.

Future plans for the estimated 20-acre campus include a possible athletic field, community garden and walking trail.

Built in 2005 near state Highway 22 and County Road BE, the nondenominational church has grown in the past few years from an average Sunday attendance of about 350 people to more than 500.

Facilities for children’s activities in the church have become particularly congested. One such program attracts 90 kids every Wednesday, and more programs are in the works.

“Our current facility was built with growth in mind,” Beyer said, “and our current attendance numbers demand that additional space.”

Plans submitted at City Hall show that the church’s 19,100-square-foot addition would include a family center nearly as large as the main sanctuary. Also sometimes called a kids worship center, the new space would function as a group area for a variety of games, seminars and other activities.

The plans also call for building several new classrooms, enlarging the sanctuary to accommodate an additional 150 people and creating a second main entrance on the building’s west side.

Parking on the church’s property would be expanded to make room for another estimated 135 vehicles.

No timetable has been announced for completing the expansion, although Bunke said Hope Community officials hope to start construction this summer. He also said the project could put Hope Community among the city’s largest churches, rivaling Sacred Heart Parish and St. James Lutheran Church.

Hope Community administrators have been collecting donations while assuring donors about efforts to control the project’s cost, possibly even lowering the ultimate price tag from $2 million to $1.8 million. Beyer said the church is committed to distributing more than $60,000 to outreach initiatives in the Shawano area.

Members of the congregation say that while facility expansion is needed, some have mixed feelings about turning Hope Community into such a large house of worship.

Ann Thornock, a member for five years, said she supports the expansion to serve children better and reach more people in the community, but she added, “I’ve never been to a church that big. When you get big, you can lose focus. I still want that small-town feeling.”

Another member, Karen Heyn, said she is excited about expanding the congregation and spreading the church’s message. Heyn called the possible $2 million expenditure an investment in tools needed to change people’s lives through religion.

“To reach people,” she said, “you need to do this.”