Sometimes, It’s About Building
Spirit of Joy, East Orlando, Florida

Pastor Jeff Linman of East Orlando, Florida, likes this paraphrase of Ephesians 3:20: “God is able to do far more than we can imagine or dream.” He likes it so much that this verse has become a motto for the nine-year-old Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church.

Spirit of Joy emerged from ten-year-old Living Word Lutheran Church in 1996. Pastor Linman was called to create a “fresh start” from what was a very small congregation, made up mostly of retirees without a permanent pastor, and that rented a building that was invisible in a booming area of Orlando. In 1997 on Easter Sunday, Spirit of Joy was born in a festival service held in a tent in a park in East Orlando. For the next six-and-a-half years worship was held in a school cafeteria while Pastor Linman and the congregation sought new land and a building.

A few years into the search, Spirit of Joy signed a contract for land in a new development. The developer wanted the congregation to anchor the planned “town square.” Although he eventually offered to donate a one-acre site, the developer’s idea of a small traditional church clashed with the vision that was evolving among the people at Spirit of Joy. Their dream was for a non-traditional worship space and a facility that would truly impact their community. With faith that God would open up another opportunity, Spirit of Joy moved to a Lutheran school’s gym and began an eighteen-month quest, searching over fifty sites. Land in the East Orlando area was now either significantly more expensive or unavailable.

Pastor Linman describes that period as a time of intense testing and struggle in the congregation, like wandering in the wilderness. Frustration after years without a home was taking a toll on the spirit of the congregation, but they continued to pray and to search. In the fall of 2003, a thirty-lane bowling alley with 34,000 square feet of space on a very busy intersection became available. At a stewardship banquet attended by two hundred people, Spirit of Joy faced its “destiny moment” and discovered that God had used their wilderness journey to grow their faith and deepen their commitment. The result was a pledge of 1.1 million dollars over three years. Responding to the congregation’s enthusiasm and dedication, the ELCA’s Mission Investment Fund agreed to a loan. In November 2005, after months of renovation and transformation, and thousands of volunteer hours, Spirit of Joy moved into the new facility.

The congregation now has a 350-seat worship center, a commercial kitchen, office space, a terraced café/fellowship area, a youth room and children’s ministry area, a center for creative arts, a nursery, lots of storage, a book store called “The Joyful Reader,” and plenty of room for growth. Spirit of Joy dedicated their new building and introduced it to the community with an event they called JoyFest, attended by over five hundred people.

The new building has enhanced the ministry of Spirit of Joy. Worship attendance shot up by 40%, to around 250, on a Sunday. Neighbors are curious to see what has happened on the busy corner they drive by every day. The new building has also greatly increased the ethnic diversity of visitors, including African-Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. The challenge to Spirit of Joy is to make these visitors “stick.” Among their many outreach activities, the congregation is now able to host an outpost for Lutheran Counseling Service. It also has become part of the Interfaith Hospitality Network, which provides housing and meals for homeless families.

By transforming a bowling alley into an effective place for worship and service, the people of Spirit of Joy are better able to carry out their mission. Today Spirit of Joy is living out a God-sized dream by pursuing its vision to transform their community, one life at a time.