wfn.org | New church in Disney development blends traditional and high-tech

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Note #6206 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

approaches
4-October-2000
00344

New church in Disney development blends traditional and high-tech approaches

"Worship needs to engage all the senses," says pastor of Orlando-area
congregation

by Bill Lancaster

CELEBRATION, Fla. -- The Celebration Church has its first building, and it's
a doozy: For $3.4 million, central-Florida Presbyterians have acquired a
traditional sanctuary with Broadway-theater technology.

	That's no surprise for a church in Celebration, the planned community
developed by the Disney Company adjacent to its Orlando theme parks. The
Rev. Patrick Wrisley, pastor of the Community Presbyterian Church in
Celebration, as the four-year-old church is officially called, said, "As we
move into the post-modern culture, the church needs to reflect that, not
only in its programs but in the way it looks."

	"There are a lot of ugly churches out there," he said, "and we wanted to
build a church that heralded back to yesterday and had a classical feel, but
also pointed to the future. ... We have high arches, we have wrought-iron
chandeliers in the shape of the steeple, we have an organ; but we also have
a 2,300-lumen screen."

	The building also has a bell from a church in Danville, Iowa, that has "126
years of patina on it" and serves as a reminder of the history and
traditions of the Presbyterian Church (USA).

	Wrisley said most cost overruns have come in technology. "We had a
contractor tell us we have more conduit than most Broadway theaters," he
said. "Musicians can plug in and play without setting up amplifiers and
speakers."

	The town of Celebration was Disney's creative way of using 10,000 acres of
land across Interstate 4 from its theme parks.

	"This used to be where they dumped the alligators" when the creatures grew
beyond 10 feet, Wrisley said. "The Celebration Company (a Disney subsidiary)
has been absolutely one of our best cheerleaders and supporters, and have
been good colleagues ...

	"Because this is such a prime location in the center of town -- it's the
first major icon you see when you come in -- they did have a say in what the
outside looked like.  They wanted to make sure the landscaping was going to
be up to quality. ...

	"I know at one time our plans went all the way up to Mr. (Michael) Eisner
(Disney CEO) for approval, and he made some good suggestions," Wrisley said.
"They've directed us to great contractors and given us good technology
advice. They haven't micro-managed at all."

	Disney required the church to build its sanctuary first; so, unlike many
new churches that start out in steel multi-purpose buildings, the
Celebration Church had to construct its most expensive part first.

	The 330-member congregation raised $900,000 in pledges through a capital
campaign, received another $700,000 in special gifts and secured a 7-percent
loan through a friendly banker. Central Florida Presbytery built the manse.

	Until now Celebration church has been using various borrowed buildings,
worshiping in the AMC Theater, holding Sunday School in Town Hall and a
local child-development center, and hosting youth groups in a lakeside park.

	"We tried to build alliance partnerships with other people in town," the
pastor said.

	The new facilities were dedicated during a worship service on Sept. 17.

	In a second building phase, the church will erect a combination
gym/fellowship hall with Sunday school rooms.

	The normal worship service at Celebration church includes both praise music
and "old favorite" hymns.

	"I call it a traditional service; others would call it blended," said
Wrisley.

	The church has a praise band, and Wrisley, a former minister of evangelism
at Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, uses scripture-based worship
with people "flipping in the Bible," he said. The broadcast screen will be
used, when the bugs are worked out, for Power Point presentations and video.
The pastor dreams of having live, remote video capabilities with which his
church could connect visually with their Hispanic Presbyterian sister
new-church development in Kissimee.

	"Worship needs to engage all the senses," he said. "The Reformed tradition
has a great opportunity to do that well, but we've let it go; we've had this
one-dimensional worship, and we need to break out of that."

	An average of 480 to 500 people attend weekly worship services, and 30
percent of confirmed members are from outside Celebration -- from Orlando,
Kissimee and other nearby communities.

	"Central Florida Presbytery's dream of having a church here was to have a
positive, national Presbyterian presence and witness," he said. "We have a
million people a year come through the town of Celebration. What a great way
to show the best of Presbyterianism!"

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