In 1952, a group of Lutherans broke ground at 1550 Meridian Avenue and began building today's Great Hall, kitchen, and bathrooms. After some 70 years, that original wing of the church has been repaired and renewed.
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Construction

The Renewing Spaces project was a complete remodel of the kitchen, pantry and bathrooms at Christ the Good Shepherd Church. It was the most extensive update of our church facility in its 73-year history!

Most of the facilities under renovation were built in 1953 and had received little updating over the last 70+ years. The bathrooms, in particular, needed substantial plumbing work. In the 2010’s we discussed how we should go about this renovation, but a critical mass of money and momentum was not achieved. In 2021 the church approved the expenditure of ~$40,000 to research architectural firms to help us develop our ideas and plans. MPH Architects were selected, and plans were drawn, revised, discussed and modified. They were submitted in July 2022 to the City of San Jose for building approval and the County of Santa Clara Department of Environment and Health for our commercial kitchen license. The plans were approved in 2023, however, CGS did not apply for building permits within 12 months, so the application expired.

By 2024 CGS was ready to begin the project. In July 2024 we interviewed 3 different general contractors and RDL Construction was selected because of their experience, projected cost, good references and willingness to complete the project in far less time than the other 2 contractors. An initial estimate for construction was $748,783.00.

In January 2025, the CGS congregation approved the project and expenditures to complete it. A contract was signed by CGS and RDL in March of 2025. Our building application was re-activated and building permits were acquired in time for demolition to begin in early May of 2025, and the project was completed in December of 2025, though we had partial use of the facility as early as October of 2025.

Here’s a summary of what was accomplished:

Before

Kitchen

• The entire kitchen was demolished (except the range hood, fire suppression system; and the existing range and refrigerator were kept for re-use).

 

• ​A new kitchen was built with a food preparation island in the center, dishwashing sink station, commercial dishwasher, a new freezer, windows, plumbing system, electrical system, air handling system, abundance of stainless steel clad cabinets, counters, drawers and new serving counter with rollup door (opening to the Great Hall).

After

Before

Restrooms

• The original men’s and women’s bathrooms were demolished, and in their place a new all-gender restroom was built with 4 wash basins in a common area and 5 private toilet stalls.

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• The existing bathroom (in the hallway near the sanctuary) was enlarged and brought into current ADA compliance. This bathroom was fully refurbished with new walls, window, flooring, fixtures, ventilation and lighting.

After

Other
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• The hallway connecting the narthex and the Great Hall was re-aligned.
• The pantry (formerly known as ‘the hospitality suite’) was enlarged and outfitted with counters and cupboards and wire racks for storage and a new window.
• A janitor’s closet was constructed, with mop sink, storage and new water heater.
• The music office received a new window and shelving.
• The parking lot on Meridian Ave was re-graded, re-paved and painted to meet ADA compliance requirements.

Of course, as with many major construction projects, additional increases to the scope of work occurred. For example:
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• The flooring in the Great Hall was removed (along with the asbestos) and replaced with new vinyl flooring. New lights, ceiling fans and additional electrical outlets were installed. The walls were re-painted, too.
• The aggregate concrete floor in the narthex and hallways were ground smooth and sealed, making them safer and more attractive (and complementing the new flooring in the all-gender restroom and hallway).
• The range hood fan motor was replaced with a new (relatively) quiet one.

The final cost of the construction was approximately $930,599. In addition to this amount, approximately $40,522 was spent in developing and generating the building plans during 2021 to 2023.

What did we get? A beautiful new update to our facility that we are proud of and allows us to serve our ministries, our guests and ourselves for years to come.

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Capital Campaign

In mid-2024, while half of the CGS Renewing Spaces team was planning the construction portion of the project, the other half was planning the fundraising portion. Two church members applied their professional experience to shape the campaign and to meet with 20 congregation members for the "soft launch". As a result, by the end of 2024, we had received over $28,000 in donations and over a dozen pledges.

A congregational meeting on January 12, 2025 marked the official launch of the capital campaign, when the congregation approved spending up to $1,350,000 to remodel the church. That dollar amount included the principal on a $350,000 loan from an anonymous congregation member. And it included tithing 10% of donations from the congregation toward benefiting the wider community.

Throughout 2025, a number of social events (auction, BBQ, youth art sale, and Christmas concert) raised nearly $8,000. And generous non-members, including the German Christmas Eve service, raised another $8,000. Members from over 33 families made pledges and donations, while another 33 families made donations without pledges. All in all, over $640,000 in donations were received by the end of 2025. This enabled CGS to make our monthly payments for the construction and for the loan, all while absorbing over $100,000 in increased construction costs due to change orders.

By the end of 2027, we expect to receive all remaining pledged dollars, to pay off the loan, to begin reflecting on how the tithed donations (totaling $80,000) should be used, and to celebrate the generosity of the CGS congregation.