Goodyear church reaches mid-construction milestones

By James Goldmeer
Mail

As the West Valley continues growing, Goodyear’s Desert Springs Community Church is transforming its 10-acre campus to ensure there is "room at the table" for its neighbors.

The church is currently in the middle of “The Impact Project,” a three-phase expansion designed to accommodate a community expected to grow to 230,000 residents by the end of the decade. The expansion recently hit a massive financial milestone, successfully clearing a $350,000 matching pledge offered by a local church family. As of June 10th, through a combination of gifts and pledges, the congregation rallied to commit $354,919 toward the match.

The most visible sign of this progress is the 20,720-square-foot multi-purpose worship center rising near Indian School Road and Bullard Avenue. The current construction follows a successful phase one completion in 2024, which expanded parking and modernized youth facilities.

"In 2018, we met and we said, we're full,” said Jim Glass, Vice Chair of the church’s elder team. “Our classrooms were full. We didn't have room for our kids. Our parking lot was full…We’re really bumping up against maxing out (our current) space."

The new facility is not just about Sunday services. Designed with a flat floor and large roll-up doors, Glass said the building will function as a "third space" for the Goodyear area.

Plan features include:

• Expanded Capacity: The new auditorium will seat 900 people, bringing the church’s total weekend capacity to over 3,000.
• Meeting Space: The community and officials will have open spaces to meet and work in throughout the week.
• Community Hub: A large foyer will feature a coffee station and espresso bar, intended to be open to the public on weekday afternoons for remote work and social gatherings.

"We want that to be available for everyone in the community,” Glass said. “We’ll welcome it if somebody wants to come to work, or they want to come and just hang out and talk.”

Construction progress

While construction is subject to the usual fluctuations of labor and materials, leadership expects the new worship center to be completed by Summer 2027. Work on the Phase 2 Worship Center has advanced significantly, with interior framing now about 90% complete and all interior concrete work finished, including the main stage and risers for the raised seating areas. Additionally, all fixed seating for those raised areas has officially been ordered. On the structure's exterior, foam and elastomeric roofing is roughly 50% complete, while electrical and plumbing rough-ins are well underway inside. The main fire sprinkler lines are now installed throughout the building, and the water retention drainage ditch on the west side has been completed to allow any water flow from the neighborhood north of the church to safely reach Indian School Road. Furthermore, HVAC ductwork is complete in much of the building and is currently being installed on the sanctuary ceiling, all while many design and function decisions continue to be made on a week-by-week basis regarding all remaining aspects of the building. 

Once the new worship center is operational, the church will pivot to phase three, which involves converting 25% of the original gym into permanent classrooms and creating a high-security, single-point entrance for the children’s ministry.

For Glass, who has been with the congregation for 25 years, dating back to when they met in a tiny building hidden in a residential neighborhood, the growth is a testament to the church’s mission.

"To be able to come from (where we started) to see what God has done here through the people, I mean, it's just phenomenal," Glass said. "We want to grow to the limit of this campus, but our ultimate goal is to get back to raising up independent, autonomous leaders and planting more churches in the valley."

The church will host its next Townhall Meeting on Sunday, June 28th at 4:00 PM in the sanctuary to go over the FY27 budget, elder nominations, and Impact Project updates.

Visit dscchurch.com for more information.

James Goldmeer
Reporter | Goodyear & Litchfield Park

jgoldmeer@iniusa.org

Meet James
James Goldmeer joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2024, starting their career as a reporter in Goodyear and Litchfield Park.

Community: James grew up in the West Valley, calling Avondale home and going to school in Glendale and Peoria. Returning to the community after university, James plans to get involved in everything arts and culture, and civil rights.

Education: Northern Arizona University a bachelor's degree in Journalism, a certificate in Professional Communications, with a minor in English. 

Random Fact: James spent half a year as an intern for the Arizona House of Representatives communication team, working with legislators to inform the public through press releases and social media.  

Hobbies: James collects postcards and old books, reads memoirs and attends local jazz shows.