• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
Subscribe
Program Guide
Watch Live

CCX Media

Skip NavigationMenu
  • News
    • Close
        • CCX News
          • CCX News Home
          • News Stories
            • CCX Daily Newscast
          • CCX Media Schools
        • Feature Segments

          • Business Matters
          • School Spotlight
          • Standout Student
          • Weekend Showcase
          • Newsmakers
        • News Tip

          Send us a story idea or news tip!
          Facebook Instagram Twitter
          Watch Live
          CCX1 | CCX2 | CCX3
        • Apple News
    • Close
  • Sports
    • Close
        • CCX Sports
          • CCX Sports Home
          • Sports Tips
          • Hall of Fame
          • Upcoming Event Coverage
          • Play of the Week
        • Sports Coverage

          Adapted SportsAdditional SportsBaseballBasketballFootball
          GymnasticsHockeyLacrosseSoccerSoftball
          Swimming & DivingTennisTrack & FieldVolleyballWrestling
        • Social Media

          Facebook Twitter Instagram
          Watch Live
          CCX1 | CCX2 | CCX3
          Shop/Order
    • Close
  • Cities
    • Close
        • CCX Cities
          • CCX Cities Home
          • Cities Stories
          • In The Community
          • Our Town’s Story
          • Community Resources
          • CCX Media Schools
          • City Meetings
        • Your City

          Brooklyn Center Local News and Events
          Brooklyn Park MN Local News and Events
          Crystal
          Golden Valley
          Maple Grove
          New Hope
          Osseo
          Plymouth
          Robbinsdale
        • Social Media

          Facebook Twitter
          Watch Live
          CCX1 | CCX2 | CCX3
    • Close
  • Create
    • Close
        • CCX Create
          • CCX Create Home
          • Channels
          • Resources
          • Meet The Create Team
          • CCX Create Virtual Tour
        • Get Creative

          • Launch Your Creative Vision with CCX Create
          • Free Classes
          • Contact Us
          • Polka Spotlight
          • Diversity Minute
        • RueShare

          • Member Login
          • Member Guide
        • Social Media

          Facebook Twitter Instagram
          Watch Live
          CCX1 | CCX2 | CCX3
    • Close
  • Subscribe
  • Program guide
  • Watch Live

Former Bowling Alley Makes Unlikely Transformation into Cornerstone Church

9:55 PM | Thursday, March 29, 2018

Cornerstone Church Crystal has transformed a bowling alley into a worship space and gathering place for the community. This weekend they will host their first Good Friday and Easter services in the space that used to be Doyle’s Lanes and Lounge at 5000 West Broadway in Crystal.

A history of unconventional spaces

This month, Cornerstone Church Crystal will celebrate its 70th anniversary. The church met for the first time as Olivet Baptist Church at Franklin’s Creamery in April of 1948. Shortly thereafter, they met in a Methodist Church building at 30th and Lyndale Avenue North.

In 1984, the church purchased the old Crystal Heights Elementary School at 3420 Nevada Avenue North in Crystal. They added on a sanctuary a few years later. Since it was an elementary school campus, the church leased space out of the facility to various charter schools.

In 2016, a charter school operating out of a Maple Grove church named Beacon Academy requested to buy the property and the church felt like it was the perfect opportunity to purchase a building that could better fit its needs.

“Beacon Academy made an offer and we sold it without having any idea where we were going to end up,” says Steven Olan, asst. director of student ministries at Cornerstone Church Crystal.

Could a bowling alley be a perfect fit for Cornerstone?

The church wanted to stay within a five mile radius of their old location and find a building that would serve the community. Doyle’s Lanes and Lounge was up for sale and seemed like the perfect fit.

“We saw an opportunity that an establishment that was so important to the community could still be that, but different,” says Olan. “So we bought a bowling alley and transformed it into a church.”

The church embraced the building’s bowling alley origins. They saved pins and gave them away to church members as a keepsake. A church member salvaged wood from the lanes to make signs and tables that are used throughout the church. Bowling signs, shoes and memorabilia decorate the church’s administrative office.

Creating multipurpose rooms

The church closed on the location in May and started construction over the summer. The congregation met for the first time in the new space in September. Organizers hoped the new space would be welcoming and inviting, with members congregating by an entryway fireplace, near the café, and in wide spaces throughout the church.

“We don’t want you to hang out, we want you to be connected,” says Olan.

The church added new windows to the space, bringing in much-needed natural light. The kids space is decorated to look like a Northwoods adventure, with rooms named after Up North locations like “Gooseberry Falls” or “The Cabin.”

Preparing for the future

The church says people have been curious about the transformation. People have stopped by out of curiosity and have stayed for a service. The church hopes on Easter Sunday and in the future, their new space can continue to show how new life can transform an old space.

“This church is connected to a community, and we love that feel that we can offer to people,” says Olan.

Sponsored
Shannon Slatton, reporting

Crystal

Related Stories

Brooklyn Park Theater Company Looks for New Home:  At Elision Playhouse in Crystal, a smattering of… Read More
New Apartment Building Planned in Crystal:  The city of Crystal is expected to get something… Read More
Minnesota High School Grad Rates Reach Record High: How Local Districts Fared:  Osseo Area Schools has… Read More
Crystal Approves Contract for Twin Oaks Park Upgrades:  One of Crystal city's parks will receive… Read More
Hennepin County Braces for ‘Largest Tax Levy Increase in History’: Commissioner:  Hennepin County… Read More
AmeriCorps Seeks Tutors for Next School Year:  The school year is winding down, but AmeriCorps' search… Read More

Footer

NAVIGATE

  • CCX Media
  • NEWS
  • SPORTS
  • CITIES
  • CREATE
  • Job Opportunities
  • Meet the CCX Media Team
  • ABOUT CCX MEDIA
  • Annual Programming Reports
  • CABLE COMMISSION

SUBSCRIBE

Get email updates for daily story previews. “Week in Review” video links, and programming previews.

Subscribe Today

CONNECT

HAVE A NEWS TIP? CALL OUR TIPLINE AT:  763-533-1710
Send us story ideas and comments!
Get in touch with us
  CCX MEDIA     SPORTS
 NEWS                SPORTS
SPORTS.           SHOP/ORDER

LOCATION

CCX Media
6900 Winnetka Avenue North
Brooklyn Park, MN 55428

Main Phone:  763-533-8196

CCX Media serves the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis, Minnesota, including Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.
Copyright © 2025 CCXMedia | All Rights Reserved. | Privacy Policy | Accessibility Statement
Web Design and Development by CEL Marketing PR Design and BizzyWeb | Log in