Expansion helps church spread out

Good Shepherd United Church of Christ has happily bid goodbye to the days of shuffling its small supply of meeting spaces to accommodating a growing mix of groups, classes and events.

An expansion completed this year has doubled the space at this Sahuarita place of worship.

“We added 5,000 square feet,” which includes three meeting rooms and restrooms with showers, a library and columbarium, a multi-purpose room and a commercial kitchen, says Green Valley resident Don Segraves, a member of the congregation’s building expansion committee.

In addition, the existing vestibule and offices were refurbished. The sanctuary, which seats about 300, has been repainted and features a new cross, tile work and a cooling system.

Adjacent is the new kitchen that will be used to prepare meals for the congregation, youth groups, the monthly Coffee House music jams on Friday evenings and more.

“We have chicken dinners, spaghetti dinners, the chili fest,” the Rev. Randy Mayer points out, adding that between the congregation and other groups, “we host one or two big dinners a month from September through May.”

Just west of the kitchen is the large multi-purpose Redman Room, named for longtime congregation member Dick Redman. It can accommodate 75 for a sit-down dinner.

A covered porch to the north now provides an outdoor gathering space near the comfortable library, decorated with paintings by local artist Ann Over, and the adjacent columbarium on an enclosed patio. The three classrooms to the west were structured for groups ranging from a handful to as many as 40.

Good Shepherd makes its facilities available to “groups that connect with our mission,” Mayer says. They include the Boy Scouts, the neighboring Great Expectations Academy, United Way, the Sahuarita Community Justice Board, AAUW, two area border groups and others.

“It’s a well-used facility,” Segraves says.

Planning of the expansion began in 2005, the library was completed in summer 2008 and the rest of the work wrapped up in early 2009.

Expenses totaled about $1.17 million, with capital campaign donations from the congregation of about $750,000, according to Mayer. The rest was borrowed from the national United Church Cornerstone Fund, which serves United Church of Christ ministries.

Planning and construction was not without stress, Mayer recalls. When initial plans from an architect substantially exceeded the church’s budget, local builder Ken Woodward, a Good Shepherd member, stepped in and introduced a “design build” approach that allowed the project to come in under budget.

“Ken led us through this,” Segraves says.

The project was the first phase of expansion at Good Shepherd, which purchased its 7.9-acre site on La Canada Drive about 14 years ago. An additional 6,000-square-foot expansion is part of the master plan, Segraves says.

CONCERT SERIES

Good Shepherd United Church of Christ, 17750 S. La Canada Drive, Sahuarita, has announced its 9th Javarita Coffeehouse Concert Series. Concerts begin at 7 p.m. with opening act Rainy Creek. Suggested donation: $10; season ticket donation $60; nobody turned away. Net proceeds go to Green Valley Community Food Bank.

Oct. 16: Cadillac Mountain, a three-piece bluegrass group that has stripped it down to the pure basics.

Nov. 20: Al Perry and Friends; Al is a Tucson music icon playing folk, country and western and a little rock n roll.

Dec. 11: AJ Bodnar and Liza DiSavino, a versatile duo from Schenevus, N.Y., that brings a high-energy, improvisational approach to their performances of folk, contradance, jazz and original music.

Jan. 15: The Santa Cruz River Band creates a cultural bridge that lifts up and supports the authentic music, poetry, oral history and legends of the American Southwest.

Feb. 19: Lisa Otey and Diane Van Deurzen perform a perfect blend of hot jazz, sultry blues and a little bit of boogie-woogie just to keep everyone on their toes.

March 19: Ross Nickerson and Friends; Ross is at the top of the bluegrass pile as a well-known and highly sought after banjo extraordinaire and always brings some of the best pickers in the business with him.

April 16: Laurie Lewis and Tom Rozum; Lewis is a Grammy winner and twice been named Female Vocalist of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music Association.