1968 - Chapel of Christ the King, Morgantown, WV - Dated Buildings and Cornerstones on Waymarking.com

Located at 1497 University Ave., Morgantown, WV.
The mission of the Lutheran Campus Ministry at WVU is to provide opportunities for worship, study, fellowship, and service to students, faculty, staff, and others at WVU.

"The Chapel of Christ the King was dedicated in 1968. It stands on the site originally occupied by St. Paul's Lutheran Church. When St. Paul's relocated to Evansdale, the property was deeded over to the Lutheran Campus Foundation at WVU. The original church building, however, had aged so poorly and was so badly out of date that it was expedient to demolish the structure and start anew.
The chapel's unusual roof line stands out among the architecture of its neighborhood. What is it? Neo-Scandanavian? Contemporary? Certainly not Victorian! There are some definite markers of 1960/70s church design. Some love it, some don't. Consider the benefits. The chapel's incongruity vis-a-vis the neighborhood makes it very easy to direct people to the chapel. Indeed, many people know the building even if they are not aware of it's name or religious affiliation. The chapel's unusual architecture is itself a tool for outreach.
Sanctuary
The Chapel of Christ the King features a sanctuary on the upper level. The free standing altar and pulpit can be moved in conjunction with the chairs to create a variety of worship environments. Typically, we use two main formats: the traditional longitudinal and the monastic choir, depending upon the type of worship service and attendance. We can seat over 120 when pressed, but a small gathering of fewer than 12 is not swallowed by the space.
Acoustically, the sanctuary is a musician's dream. Music majors are periodically found practicing in the sanctuary--there was a dramatic increase in this type of use while the CAC was under renovation. The Neva Russicum touring ensemble from St. Petersburg, Russia, gave a fantastic concert of Russian sacred and folk music in the sanctuary in April 2001, and, in December of 2002, music major Tim Patrie gave his senior trumpet recital in it. At least three other music majors are considering giving their senior recitals in the space.

Glass doors were installed in Fall 2001, replacing the original solid wood entrance doors. Not only do the new doors allow much more light into the sanctuary, they also allow passersby to see into the chapel. It is much more inviting, and, at night, the light from within the chapel shines out upon the street. For the presider, it is an interesting experience to stand at the dais and make the sign of the cross not only over the congregation but also over the easily seen passerby. More than once, in the middle of the major elevation, has a pedestrian looked through the doors to see chalice and host held above the presider's head. What is this saying to the world?

We attempt to leave the sanctuary open as much as possible. It is to be a place of prayer--a refuge--a life boat (a.k.a. nave) for the tempest tossed.

Undercroft
The lower level of the chapel is our multi-use room. It features a kitchen, dining area, library, lounge area, and fusbol table (if someone would like to donate a bumper pool table, contact us). The undercroft has been the scene of many fellowship dinners. It has also served as a lecture/forum hall and cinema. Some students have discovered that it is a good place to study, using the large tables to spread out books and papers. This particular use always increases at midterms and finals. Some older computers are kept around for emergency word processing. Again, access is import. The space exists to serve students, faculty, and staff. In December of 2000, a combination lock was installed on the outside door to the undercroft so that greater use may be made of the facility while maintaining a degree of security. The most recent improvement was the February 2003 addition of a new 36" flat screen television (made possible by a parent's donation) and a PlayStation2 (made possible by the LSM@WVU).
In addition to serving the academic community, the undercroft serves the larger church. Several committee and task force meetings of Community Lutheran Partners, Inc., and ELCMA have been held in the space." (http://www.lutheranmountaineer.org/center/index.html)

Year of construction: 1968 Cross-listed waymark: Not listed Full inscription: Not listed

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