Built on a Rock the Church Shall Stand

Construction of the building framework, circa early 1975.

Have you ever wondered what holds up our sanctuary? Most rectangular church buildings have trusses or beams across the wide expanse of the sanctuary, helping to support the roof and keep the walls from bowing out. Interior, load-bearing walls help to bear the weight of what’s above them.

Our round church building was constructed on a compression ring, according to MPLC member Harold Solberg. “This steel reinforced concrete ring rests on the foundation wall which loads the wide footing that distributes those forces over stable subsoil,” Harold explained. “The compression ring bears the load of the whole building, not just the load pressing down from above, but also the load pressing in or out from the sides.”

The circular shape of the building distributes the weight of the load across the whole ring, making the construction very solid, but also virtually impossible to modify. While it would be great to consider adding an elevator or raising the main entrance door threshold that many a tall person has had to duck under—such changes would compromise the integrity of the construction that has kept this building ‘round for fifty years. “It has worked amazingly well!” Harold added.