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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Crossroads Church Receives Three National Awards for Visioneering Studios Design Work

Irvine, CA – January 31, 2008 – The one-of-a-kind campus at Crossroads Christian Church (Corona, CA) was recently honored with three Solomon Awards, which recognize excellence in the church facilities industry. The design, by Visioneering Studios (Irvine, CA), was named Most Innovative Church Facility, Best Church Design: New Construction Project, and Best Overall Building Project.

Crossroads teamed up with the architects at Visioneering Studios in 2001 to develop what Visioneering founder Mel McGowan calls a “postmodern piazza” on the church’s 38-acre property. Visioneering’s architects drew upon their experience in theme park, retail and resort destination design to create a church campus unlike any other in the region.

“Much of our design stems from the original research we did on the community identity of the city.” says McGowan. “Inspired by the definition of ‘corona’—a concentric circle of light surrounding a luminous body—we developed a Circle of Light piazza which includes the church auditorium, a campanile, and a lit cross visible from most points of the city.”

That Big Idea led to the creation of a modern interpretation of a Mediterranean-styled “city on a hill” with a “village” of towers, graphic walls, outdoor dining and city views. A “River of Life,” composed of colored glass, weaves throughout the campus, and children enjoy water features including interactive pop jet fountains. A 3,200 seat worship center, known as “Stage 1 @ Candlewalk,” anchors the space and doubles as a venue for concerts and other community events.

“It was a blessing to work with a visionary pastor and a leadership team that truly wanted to create a bridge between Christ and the community,” says McGowan. “I am continually amazed to see the impact of our work in what we call ‘architectural evangelism.’”

That philosophy—to design church buildings as outreach tools—resulted in other original ideas and contributed to Crossroads’ recognition at the Solomon Awards. Crossroads was one of hundreds of churches nominated, and one of only two to receive multiple awards.

Today Crossroads Christian Church is one of the largest congregations in California, welcoming over 5,500 people to its innovative and award-winning worship space each weekend.

Crossroads Christian Church was the first project designed by Visioneering Studios. Since then, Visioneering has completed over 60 faith-based projects around the world, including Southeast Christian Church (Louisville, KY) and West Ridge Community Church (Elgin, IL). Current projects include Mariners Church and Saddleback Church in California, Begoro Missions Village in Ghana, Africa, and Hope Center in Battambang, Cambodia.

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About Visioneering Studios:

Visioneering Studios is a national architectural / urban design firm with studios in Orange County, CA, Denver, CO and Atlanta, GA. The leading global designer of Christ-centered communities, Visioneering Studios believes church design “as usual” can be ineffective, and instead draws from years of experience in theme park, resort and retail design to conceptualize and construct more creative faith-based developments. Visioneering develops distinctive buildings that help tell the Gospel story and create connections between people, cultures, community, and the Creator. More information is available at www.visioneeringstudios.com

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