camp-keystone2.jpgThis last weekend I had the privilege of attending another church which I wrote about here. Keystone Church is an awesome church that is experience the pains of explosive growth. They began just 3 years ago in the pastor’s home, expanded into a school and just a year ago moved into a leased building. The building was a furniture store that I was very curious to see how they would convert the building.

Supposedly this church has seen 80% growth in the last 18 months and is already at 3 services in their new location. If I remember right, they have about 600 people attending on a regular basis. Not bad for a church plant, huh? An old friend of mine is their ministry intern and basically runs the elementary program on the weekends, and it was great to see him in action.

I must say that I was very impressed with what they’ve done with the building. It’s so clean, crisp and a great use of space. It definitely has a modern/classy seeker-friendly look. I was even more impressed with the children’s area. There shouldn’t be any excuse for any church, small or large to have a ugly looking space. This church, which many wouldn’t consider a large church, has done a phenomenal job of creating a beautiful and fun environment without spending a fortune. take a look at the pictures below.

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Keystone uses FellowshipOne for check-in. They have stations in both the lobby and the preschool area. It was very nice looking… I almost felt like I was in an Apple store… except they used PCs!

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Keystone only has two nursery rooms which they call the baby suite. It was nice and simple… but beautiful. They did a phenomenal job with selecting the decor. More nursery’s should take note here!

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I especially LOVED their preschool area. Before moving into this building, they had the preschool in a gym. They had really gotten used to and enjoyed the feeling of being in a large space and somehow wanted to incorporate it into their new building. So, in a huge room they created individual classrooms separated only by picket fences. This certainly helps first time visitors who might be shy to get a look of the whole ministry without having to peer through an intimidating doorway. The other advantage is that this would allow volunteers feel like they are part of a larger team rather than feel isolated in one room. The rule is that all volunteers are in the fence with kids and parents stay on the outside. They do have a common teaching area where they can learn the lesson or watch a video.

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The elementary room continue the “Camp Keystone” feel. The room was decorated with rock wall (decor only… no climbing) and the stage was an old, pioneer-styled tent with video being projected on one side of the tent. Small group areas were created with bear skin (and other critters) rugs. The colors were modern and the decor was fun but not overwhelming like some of the pricier decorating can tend to be.

Overall, I was totally impressed. They’ve done an awful lot with not so much. They definitely communicate to parents that “WE LOVE KIDS!” Keep up the great work Keystone!