THOUSAND OAKS : Mormons to Open a New Meeting Place

After seven years of planning and construction, the Mormon church in Thousand Oaks will open a 45,000-square-foot Spanish-style building to serve much of the church’s expanding membership in the east part of the county.

The elaborate $7-million facility, which includes everything from worship halls to a basketball court, was built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to act as a periodic meeting place for the local church division, called a stake.

The church’s 2,650 local members, who had long been divided into two smaller chapels, met together in the new building last month for their first combined service. On Saturday, the church will open the building to the public for the first time.

“It’s really a thrill to have this building open,” said Gary D. Snyder, president of the stake that covers Moorpark and most of Thousand Oaks. “It marks a great accomplishment for us, and signifies the continuing growth of our membership in this area.”

Inside the building, a chandelier-lit entryway leads to a main chapel that can open to accommodate 1,400 people. A second chapel can accommodate about 300 people.

Down long hallways around the building are entryways to a host of other facilities including classrooms, offices for church leaders, kitchens, libraries, and a family research center where people can trace their roots. There is also an entertainment area that includes basketball and volleyball courts and a performance stage.

Most rooms are wired to a satellite dish, housed in a shed behind the site, which connects the facility to church headquarters in Salt Lake City.

Each Sunday, an average of 1,200 members from various units of the stake will meet at the new building. Regular Sunday services continue in the existing temples in Moorpark and Thousand Oaks.

Snyder said study classes, Boy Scout meetings and other church-affiliated events will be held at the new building periodically throughout the week.

Saturday’s open house, which will include music from the church’s new pipe organ, will be held from 1 to 5 p.m. at 1600 Erbes Road, Thousand Oaks.