YOUTH INPUT FOR THE NEW BUILDING

Listing of some items we would like

• Our own building
• Stage- a room just for worship
• Kitchen for the youth
• Xerox machine
• Office for the youth director in the youth building
• Tv’s, DVD players, Video Games
• Comfy chairs
• Dry erase boards in every classroom
• Bulletin boards
• TV monitors (electronic bulletin boards)
• Library for youth curriculum and other materials for the SS teachers/Adult Leaders to use
• Video cameras/digital cameras
• Built in projector, screen, sound equipment
• A large garage door
• Concrete floors on the bottom floor
• Fans
• Lots of storage- labeled storage areas
• Moveable furniture in the worship area
• Velocity merchandise area (a place to sell Velocity gear and accessories)
• Locked storage area for instruments and other sound items (possibly push them back to the back of the stage and have a wall of some sort that comes down and locks)
• Dry erase/magnet wall
• Storage for sports equipment
• Family Life Center separate, but close to the youth building
• Showers in the youth building and the FLC

A basic concept of what we would like the building to look like

Entrance- as you walk into the building, there would be a sign-in area with a computer and scanner to record attendance on the spot

Basketball- behind the sign-in/welcome center, would be a basketball court.  It doesn’t have to be a full, regulation court, but a place the youth can play and enjoy.  The court would need to have chain fencing or something around it to keep it separate and keep the balls from flying everywhere.

Around the court- one side of the basketball court could be the kitchen.  It would be set up as a café/coffee shop type area.  Possibly with booths along one wall and then café tables.  This area would have magazine racks with magazines and shelving or a closet with board games and other items that they can play with while hanging out in the café area.  The kitchen should have it’s own door to the outside so that things can be unloaded directly into the kitchen.  On the other side would be couches that would be a comfortable place just to hang out and talk.

Upstairs- would be a loft area that overlooks the basketball court.  There would need to be a glass wall of some sort around the edge (like they have at malls).  Along the back wall would be video games.  The games would need to be built into the wall with a caged structure of some sort.  On the left side of the court would be pool tables and air hockey.  The right side of the court would be ping pong and foosball. 

Worship Center- behind all of these things, would be an entrance into the worship center.  The entrance would be on the first floor, allowing for high ceilings in the room since it will be a 2- story building.  It will be a separate soundproof room that will allow worship to happen at the same time that people are hanging out in the rest of the building.  Along the sides of the worship center will be 4-5 Sunday School rooms with walls that would allow the size of the rooms to be changed depending on how large the groups are and what the rooms are being used for.  There would be a stage in the front of the worship center with moveable chairs as the seating.  In the back there would be a built in sound booth with a computer and all the necessary sound equipment.  I think it would be a good idea to build in carpeted bleachers at the back of the room so that the room can be used for different activities.  We would need 2 screens at the front of the room and built in projectors hung from the ceiling.  All the sound cables would need to be run under the floor or through the ceiling or somewhere that they are hidden.  We would want this room to be used mostly for worship, but to serve as a multi-purpose space for conferences, meetings, concerts, other youth events.  The big garage door should be in the worship center so that we can unload things directly into there if need be.  The floors should be stained concrete

Youth Director’s Office- it would be great to have an office placed on the immediate right and immediate left as you enter the building.  One office would be for the youth director (probably on the left).  The entrance to the office would be glass to fulfill safe sanctuary requirements and allow the youth director to be in the office and see what’s happening in the building.  The other office could begin as a work room for any volunteers (housing the Xerox machine, a table to work on, any paper supplies and other items like that) and could eventually be a second office if the youth ministry staff is expanded.

Youth resource library- this should be attached to the 2nd office.  It should have a door that can be closed to the office, but can be connected and can open up to the couches on that side of the building.  This would be a room with plenty of bookshelves around the wall, a table in the center and a computer with intern access and a DVD player for any curriculums that require those 2 things.   

These thoughts represent a combination of my thoughts and a handful of youth and adult leaders.  We were only able to meet once before this needed to be handed in, so there may be some changes to some of the things I took liberty to go ahead and put in.  I’m meeting with any youth and adults that are here for the potluck on Wednesday night (5/7) to get some more ideas.  I will send you anything else we come up with at that point in time.  I know we also need to go over the Family Life Center and decide what needs to happen there.