Dennis McLaughlin
Quiet Backs
Our inability to concentrate and feel safe because of the din of city life around us leads us to search for quiet areas to rest and renew ourselves in a quiet natural place.
A community complex dedicated to group activities and the day-to-day operations of the parish needs functional space to accommodate the smooth working of [...]
Capture the Light of God
The presence of God in a light-filled space seems to occupy our emptiness, lets down our guards and prepares our hearts to receive the Word of God.
In the beginning, God created light– first, before all other things. The sun has continued to excite life in the rest of the universe. Our very existence on earth [...]
The Circle of Eucharist
The traditional “plan parti” for a Christian church is the one-directional movement toward God; the secular toward the sacred. The believing assembly forms in rows of pews separated by a central aisle and flanked by side aisles. Probably this configuration was forced on the Post-Roman Christians by the Roman Basilica buildings build by the Romans [...]
Sacred Places
People cannot maintain their spiritual roots and their connection to the past if the physical world they live in does not also sustain these roots.
Primitive people found a clear distinction between the so-called sacred and profane space. Sacred space was the place of regeneration, creativity and transformation. Sacred space provided an anchor for one’s existence [...]
Patterns for a Worshiping Community
Introduction
The following is a presentation to the pastor and members of his community who have been assigned the task of building a new church complex or remodeling or adding to an existing facility. The first and probably the most important task for the community is to select an architect they trust to design a church [...]