Axiom Church held a grand opening at its new location in Old Town Peoria, Ariz., Sunday, March 11. People from Kansas to California came for the celebration. Two local Old Town Peoria food trucks provided lunch following the service.
“This is a project of pioneering proportion,” Pastor Gavin Linderman says. “As we dreamed and prayed, we felt a strong sense of peace in creating a space that was alternative to your regular church building. It is not designed to be ‘huge’ or ‘flashy,’ overtly traditional or contemporary but instead designed to summon a sense of reverence without the buzz church words on the wall. It is a space that fosters intimacy instead of the trivial.”
Built in 1926 by the city’s first council member, the building was originally a lumberyard and is a historic rehabilitation project. The building features an exposed truss ceiling and a boutique monochromatic lobby housing check-in stations, event registration and a Will Call box for special events. The children’s area and office space double as an art gallery or studio during the week, and there is an outdoor area for children to play. The building is adjacent to Driftwood Coffee, a for-profit shop the church has partnered with in the community.
According to Linderman, who is also director of in-reach, the space will be used for city and neighborhood activities, including hip-hop dance classes for children, holy yoga, weekly forums and study hours for schools.
“This all gives us an onramp for relationship-building, community investment and discipleship opportunities,” Linderman says. “Beyond that, we will host theology nights, musicianary workshops and leadership workshops, and a monthly pastors’ network and training lunch in addition to our weekly gatherings.”
Axiom dedicated its new building Sunday, Jan. 28. The celebration began at the Peoria Performing Arts Center, the church’s temporary site. The congregation walked together to the new property, funding for which was secured through MB Foundation. After praying in front of the property, people transitioned inside, where they could pray at various prayer stations throughout the building as they toured the property.
Janae Rempel Shafer is the Christian Leader associate editor. She joined the CL staff in September 2017 with six years of experience as a professional journalist. Shafer is an award-winning writer, having received three 2016 Kansas Press Association Awards of Excellence and an Evangelical Press Association Higher Goals award in 2022. Shafer graduated from Tabor College in 2010 with a bachelor of arts in Communications/Journalism and Biblical/Religious Studies. She and her husband, Austin, attend Ridgepoint Church in Wichita, Kansas.
