Some start-ups are clever, some are smart, some are ugly and some just go medieval in the business world.
The latter would be Lumen Christi Church Design in Ann Arbor. The brain child of a pair of Catholic school teachers who now design the interiors of churches and houses of worship across the country.
Shawn Jana and her partner Michael Coster, Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor residents respectively, teach at local Catholic schools in Metro Detroit. They stumbled upon interior church design when Coster began turning an old gymnasium into a chapel. The project grew to the point where he stenciled and painted religious works for the inside, along with other elaborate touches and features.
"That just sort of happened," Coster says. "We thought it would be the end of it."
The next thing he knew, he and his friend Jana were being asked to do similar works locally, creating elaborate alters and religious interiors. Their reputation and work load grew to the point where it takes up most their spare time.
Their design firm is now working on chapels, rectories and other religious buildings all across the nation. They are even helping create a modern monastery in Arizona into something a bit more medieval.
At this rate Lumen Christi might become full-time gigs sooner than they ever imagined. Hiring an additional employee or two are also on the table, as long as the work continues to roll in.
"If there is a need out there we'll try to fulfill it," Coster says. "It's our little way of giving back to the church."
Source: Michael Coster, co-founder of Lumen Christi Church Design
Writer: Jon Zemke
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