California Nondenominational Church Plans A Campus

Encompassing 398,000 sf on 121 acres, the Calvary Chapel Murrieta in Murrieta, Calif., will be one of the largest nondenominational evangelical churches in the country upon scheduled completion in 2010. The $140 million campus, located on a hilltop in the French Valley, will have a a 3,500-seat sanctuary, a 1,200-capacity fellowship hall, a 2,500-seat athletic stadium, a 6,000-seat outdoor amphitheater, four residential structures, a bookstore, cafe, and landscaped gardens. The campus was planned and designed by HMC Architects of Ontario, Calif. Many church members are donating time, work, and materials to the project. Sustainable elements such as clerestory windows will be used in the buildings.