San Antonio's Cornerstone Church makes for an ultra exciting vacation Bible school.
“Cornerstone Kids is a fun-filled, action-packed children’s ministry featuring music, videos, puppets and skills that teach life-changing lessons to strengthen a child’s faith,” says Tina Ketterling, director of marketing for John Hagee Ministries based in San Antonio. (John Hagee is founder and senior pastor of megachurch Cornerstone.) The worship service is interactive and connects young congregants with the importance of the Bible and its teachings.
“The purpose of our children’s programs is to educate the participants in the Bible stories that will become the foundation of their faith.” Tina Ketterling, Director of Marketing, John Hagee Ministries, San Antonio, TX
According to Ketterling, “The purpose of our children’s programs is to educate the participants in the Bible stories that will become the foundation of their faith.” Blending history, learning and fun, Cornerstone is much more than a teaching facility and a church. It offers a unique and mystical way for children to learn about the Bible.
A children’s ministry is more about bringing children into the work of spirituality. Children learn through fun and creativity, which helps enhance their understanding of the world through the smaller world of themed ministries, Ketterling reports. Connecting young children to God teaches them about the real world – from talking to them about disasters to encouraging them to help their friends in need.
Real-world lessons
But what makes this ministry unusual is the sensory factor that helps kids learn and grow – in one of history’s most beloved mystical boats – the Ark.
The theme for the building, which includes 18 classrooms, was established by Hagee, who wanted the children to live the Bible and to experience the lessons as true. As he has said, “Children are 25% of our population, and 100% of our future.” Therefore, he asked the architects at local Wigodsky & Associates to design the building themed like Noah’s Ark, and to accommodate 400 children in classrooms and a gathering room.
“Children are 25% of our population, and 100% of our future.” John Hagee, Founder and Pastor, Cornerstone Church, San Antonio, TX
The programs bring the Bible stories to life and become the foundation of children's faith, the ministry asserts. The Ark is a fun teaching tool that provides activities, music and games related to the Bible stories. As such, Cornerstone Church's goal is to transcend the walls of the buildings – it is a Christian community center with a multi-faceted staff prepared to minister to the members of the church regarding any event, purpose or crisis they encounter.
Matters of design
“The building was really designed to flow with the children in mind, which is the theme of the design,” says senior architect of the project, Dan Wigodsky of Wigodsky & Associates. “For example, the chairs and the animals were proportioned to address the kids’ needs. The corridor spaces are wide so that kids can move around easily. The lobby was designed to be a big, two-story space with real-looking animals, and the classrooms are small stalls off of the big space."
Wigodsky continues, “The exterior of the building is similar in design to the original buildings. It could be called ‘traditional’ or even historical. The idea is that it integrates with the rest of the campus. It is on the interior that one sees the Ark. This creates a surprise, but it is also easier to support a theme if it is just viewed on the interior.”
Visitors are greeted by 17 animals in the lobby, seven of which are animatronic.
In order to make the Ark theme as believable as possible, the architects designed every element of the space needed to be part of the bigger picture. Visitors are greeted by 17 animals in the lobby, seven of which are animatronic.
With four entries, the Ark comes alive as it interacts with its visitors.
The entries, two at either end, allow the Ark to come alive as families enter the building. The vestibules are designed to make guests feel like they're outside, with grass (manmade), trees, and a sky with clouds. At the main entry vestibule, there is a parrot that moves, talks and serves as the “host.” The parrot introduces the Ark and describes what it is. In the vestibule, visitors can see the hull of the Ark, which they can walk through and look down the entire length of the lobby accompanied by all of the animals. Circulation is from the classrooms into the lobby and then to other spaces to be convenient and efficient, as well as focusing on the lobby Ark.
The Ark needed to have the look of wood, so the walls of the lobby were “coated” with wood planks and vertical ribs. The floor is porcelain tile that also looks like wood planks. Manmade, fire-rated “hay” covers the floor to make it look more real. Large ropes and sandbags surround the area with the animals. The ceiling is painted to look like the sky, and there are two 30-foot-long shooting stars made from LED lights. Lighting was challenging, since Noah did not have electricity. Therefore, the architects covered normal track lights with 400 manmade candles to make the overall impression of light.
The ceiling is painted to look like the sky, and there are two 30-foot-long shooting stars made from LED lights.
The classrooms have a custom carpet that also looks like wood planks. The ceiling is a normal acoustic hung ceiling that has a plank appearance, but the tiles were painted with a broom to make them look more like wood. The kids’ wood furniture was designed by the architects and made by the same woodworking company, Travis Millwork, that supplied the rest of the wood for the Ark. Each classroom has animal murals on the walls, and each has a different animal theme.
There is a gathering space that is used for chapel in the mornings, and sometimes for a puppet show relating to the Ark. “Even the bathroom sinks are themed to look like wood shipping crates and designed for kids,” says Wigodsky.
Each space has its own unique theme. For example, the cat-themed room features felines from house cats to lions; the dog-themed room has canines including puppies to wolves. A “Wee Worship Room” includes two of every animal and is designed like the existing Ark. In addition, the Ark is promoted throughout – its interior is made of raw alder and other materials that replicate the Bible boat. The exterior, on the other hand, is made of brick like the rest of the buildings on site.
Company backgrounds
Wigodsky, with his previous firm, designed the Cornerstone Church buildings on Loop 1604 in San Antonio in 1983. Wigodsky & Associates is a full-service, award winning architectural firm in San Antonio. Established in 2001, the firm is focused on innovative design for modern and classical projects focused mainly in the residential, religious and academic spaces. In its current iteration, t firm has designed a number of other projects for Cornerstone Church over the past 10 years, including the Ark at Cornerstone Church.
Hagee is president and CEO of John Hagee Ministries, which telecasts his national radio and television ministry carried in the United States on 10 television networks. The popularity of the children’s ministry at Cornerstone is reflected by its Vacation Bible School that is open to the children of San Antonio and the surrounding area free of charge. Over 2,000 participate annually.
Learn more about Cornerstone Church and John Hagee Ministries here:
