By Stephanie Graveson
Special to The SUN
![Photo courtesy Grace Church Members of Grace Church meet with Ross Aragon Community Center staff members and Mayor Ross Aragon to present the town with a plaque commemorating 10 years of partnership between Grace Church and the center. The church was also instrumental in providing the recent upgrades of professional lighting and projector systems at the center. From left are center staff members Laurie Gutierrez, Traci Bishop and Cheryl Bowdridge, Mayor Aragon, Pastor Dale Marks, Stephanie Graveson, Anne Broyles and Pastor Jason Rose.]()
Photo courtesy Grace Church
Members of Grace Church meet with Ross Aragon Community Center staff members and Mayor Ross Aragon to present the town with a plaque commemorating 10 years of partnership between Grace Church and the center. The church was also instrumental in providing the recent upgrades of professional lighting and projector systems at the center. From left are center staff members Laurie Gutierrez, Traci Bishop and Cheryl Bowdridge, Mayor Aragon, Pastor Dale Marks, Stephanie Graveson, Anne Broyles and Pastor Jason Rose.
This past week, as a way of saying a special “Thank You,” Grace in Pagosa commemorated a 10-year partnership of holding Sunday morning church services at the Ross Aragon Community Center.
Grace in Pagosa pastors Dale Marks and Jason Rose, along with ministry staff Stephanie Graveson and Anne Broyles, presented a commemorative plaque to Pagosa Springs Mayor Ross Aragon, facility director Cheryl Bowdridge, program coordinator Traci Bishop and administrative assistant Laurie Gutierrez in celebration of this 10-year partnership with the community center.
“It’s a great partnership we have with Grace Church,” said Mayor Aragon.
Grace has been leasing space every Sunday morning at the Ross Aragon Community Center, 451 Hot Springs Blvd. in downtown Pagosa, since 2003. Grace in Pagosa first met in several of the smaller group rooms in the center until growth required them to move to the larger multipurpose room the center offers.
“Since becoming senior pastor in 2011, I have been encouraged by the partnership we’ve had with the community center. The staff are always a joy to work with and the initiative and foresight they’ve taken to install items such as the large scale room curtains that transform the multipurpose room into an elegant banquet hall are simply wonderful. It creates a warm and inviting format for our Sunday services and other events,” said Marks.
This fall, Grace in Pagosa and the Ross Aragon Community Center partnered together to install two new 5,000 and 7,500 lumen projectors, as well as world-class trussing and stage lighting. Both the Festival of Trees and the Hazel Miller Concert were able to utilize these upgrades with wonderful results.
“The Community Center is truly an amazing resource for our town,” said Rose. “I really enjoy working with Cheryl Bowdridge and her staff. As facility director she and Mayor Aragon really understand everything that the community center is for our town. I appreciate the relationship we have with them and pray it continues for a long time to come.”
With the newly-installed professional stage lighting, the center can now be transformed with ease into an elegant meeting place for banquets, large parties, concerts and weddings. With the upgrade of the two new projector systems, the center is now a highly efficient place for conventions and large-scale community meetings.
The staff of the Ross Aragon Community Center and Grace in Pagosa look forward to the continuation of this partnership.
Grace in Pagosa will hold their annual Christmas Eve Celebration Service at 5 p.m. Dec. 24 at the Ross Aragon Community Center. All are invited to attend this family friendly evening.
