Personal Overview of Blended Nation Fellowship (BNF) from Greg Cook 09/12/2020
From my view as an architect, I always appreciate a building that looks like it should, that there is a reflection “outside” for what is “inside”. A church should look like a church. One would think this should be a requirement; but I am grieved to tell you, many churches refuse to even display the cross to the street.
The Blended Nation Fellowship church building is a delight to the eye; it looks like a church. though i have built several churches, I had nothing to do with the origin of this building. I come in much later, but I know this is what I call a “God” thing – God had his hand heavily on this place before the Pastor ever said “Yes” to Chaparral. There is a street presence that remains true and humble to its purpose. The building was well-placed in rural Chaparral. Settled behind two rows of tall pines, it is a simple stucco structure with a gable roof in the style of the old colonial saltbox, an insightful presentation; a large and strong building yet “blended”.
I learned two buildings were originally moved to this site, one a Catholic Chapel, the other Protestant. These two separate chapels from Ft. Bliss were joined together as one, yet the finish is almost seamless. When I first walked through the door, the heavy timber structure that holds the buildings together is the first thing I noticed. Large arching timbers line the great open space from front to back. The ceiling is a warm assembly of wood decking, crisscrossing in a diagonal pattern. Even the floor is wood, the kind you hear people walking on. The inside reminded me of a large wooden Lodge I saw in Northern Michigan. The softness of the wood makes the interior acoustics exceptional. Several people have told me that being inside this building might have been like being inside Noah’s floating ark: a hand-crafted shelter, a strong and capable refuge. Here is where the building started to tell its own story.
Pastoral leadership and care are evident in the use of this beautiful space. What caught my eye is there are no typical church pews; instead, there are tables facing the “front” each with moveable chairs. Like a community space, it is user friendly, interactive, a place of learning.
All types and styles of original art line the walls – Native American work, impressions of the cross, flags of Nations and banners hang from above. Banners give tribute to the Peace of Jerusalem and a yearning for revival in New Mexico. The collective assembly of art, flags, banners and words of encouragement all point to Jesus Christ. Everything here works together for good. A mission outreach is at work here.
Blended Nation Fellowship reflects confident leadership under the cover of Salvation. Rarely does a church building reflect the vision of the Pastor like BNF. There is freedom to worship here through all variety of art. Biblical truth is taught here and holiness permeates the timber and fabric of this building inside and out. The emotion that this all yields, the service to the community that this pastoral leadership provides, and the Moral Integrity that binds this place to the truth tells me, without a doubt, that this work represents the original intent of Classical Art, the hand of God at work through his people.