
Profile Type: Places of Worship Location: Moncton, New Brunswick
The phrase, “You belong!” embodied much of the mission behind the Moncton Wesleyan Celebration Centre. A glass enclosed two storey atrium opens dramatically to welcome the public and congregation, and provides common ground to interact with others as you access various parts of the facility.
The Celebration Centre’s main stage seats 1820 in a fan-shaped auditorium, set in a surprisingly intimate atmosphere with state of the art lighting and sound equipment. It is the focus of the church’s communal worship times as well as live concerts and conferences. A smaller 550 seat auditorium connects to the atrium on the south side and accommodates smaller concerts, youth and special congregational worship.
Opening off the Atrium, three floors of education space provides the necessary infrastructure for the church’s many programs, such as a private school and gymnasium, offices, classrooms, conference and seminar rooms. The lowest level can house 300 children in their own themed worship space.
The facility was developed in successive phases, with the latest effectively unifying the elements into an integral whole. Vehicular and pedestrian circulation were redefined, rationalizing site use and included expanded parking areas to accommodate growing congregation and public needs.