Five Bismarck churches which have undergone major building projects recently will open their doors on Sunday afternoon for the community to see their renovations.

First Presbyterian Church, St. Mary's Catholic Church, Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Trinity Lutheran Church and McCabe United Methodist Church are participating in a "church walk" open to the public. People are invited to start at any of the churches and spend as much time as they wish during the hours of 12:30 to 4 p.m., except for St. Mary's, which will be open from 12:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tours will be offered and refreshments will be served.

Each of the churches has undertaken a major renovation or building project in the past few years:

3 First Presbyterian at 214 E. Thayer Ave. dedicated its renovated space in November 2005. A former exterior courtyard was enclosed to create a new entrance on the church's south side that now serves as a reception area. The church offices and its child care program spaces were reorganized and the parking lot improved. The sanctuary was carpeted and the chancel was redesigned for better function. A new bell choir room was also created.

3 St. Mary's, Broadway Avenue and Eighth Street, dedicated its new space in August 2003. The project enclosed an alley space between the church and rectory to make a new gathering space on the east side of the church, lined with pillars and featuring skylights and new French doors and windows. Besides adding air conditioning and reconfiguring rooms shared with St. Mary's Grade School, ramps were added and aisles widened.

3 Good Shepherd Lutheran, Washington Street and Divide Avenue, dedicated its new space in March 2005, which included an expansion of its worship area on the west face of the building, where a pair of wedge-shaped additions created room for the church's music library, more office space and an enlargement of the altar area. Sound and lighting were upgraded and a new north entrance added. Improvements to the interior also included a retractable video screen, new carpet, windows and pews. New altar furniture was created by Grand Forks artist David Badman.

3 Trinity Lutheran, Third Street and Avenue A, took its first worship space and recreated it as a community center, complete with original stained glass windows and glass-enclosed balcony space as a meeting room. The church also added a weather-protected drive-up entrance on the northwest corner. The core of the interior space was redesigned to meld three separate buildings from the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s into an integrated, functional space.

3 McCabe United Methodist, 1030 N. Sixth St., held an open house in November 2005 to celebrate the completion of its large construction and addition project, which included a large new fellowship space and offices to the southeast above a large lower-level youth area, including study, gathering and gym space, the addition of a music wing on the northwest corner and a new covered drive-up entrance on the west face of the building.