MESA, Ariz. (AP)- Mechanical monkeys and lifelike elephants that blow bubbles in its children’s space have helped make a Chandler megachurch one of the ``Seven most innovative church buildings in America,’’ according to MinistryToday magazine.

Cornerstone Christian Fellowship is cited in the magazine for a wide range of cutting-edge designs and practices aimed at young families already savvy and accustomed to high technology in their lives. It also features the play area Studio 14, which simulates a Nickelodeon TV set and serves as a place to teach Bible stories to children.

The new sanctuary, occupied beginning Easter 2007, features a video wall along the front of the sanctuary, with a 36-foot by 19-foot center screen flanked by two 16-foot by 9-foot screens. Special lighting becomes dazzling with the help of fog emitted from machines on stage where a band plays contemporary Christian rock music and where Pastor Linn Winters delivers edgy sermons like last summer’s sermon series, ``Bringing Sexy Back.’’

Images constantly change on the screens during the five weekend services for a church that draws about 6,000 worshipers, until numbers dwindle with the summer heat.

``Cornerstone’s leaders are upfront about reaching young families disgruntled with church, and their new building’s design shows it,’’ MinistryToday reported. A cafe serves Starbucks coffee, includes a bookstore, has Wi-Fi access and space for people to hang out, meet with others and do personal business.

Rick Calcutt, the executive pastor/creative arts, said the innovations were the dream of the senior pastor, Winters, who launched the church 12 years ago. ``He said it was going to be a place where we would do just about anything that is not illegal or unbiblical, so that we could begin a conversation with people about Christ,’’ he said.

In 2002, Cornerstone’s congregation occupied its first building on its 21-acre campus just south of Loop 202. The original worship center gave way to its present sanctuary, which will be expanding soon from 1,300 seats to 2,200. New classrooms are being added. The church even has a Web site, cornerstonechandler.com.

``One of our key focuses is children,’’ Calcutt said. ``We know we attract a lot of families who have small children.’’ The goal is to ensure that ``the time the kids spend in church and in the classrooms are to be as exciting as what the parents are experiencing in the worship center,’’ he said.

So when children go into the nursery, for example, they see a large fake tree with monkeys hanging on branches, the elephant blowing bubbles, and bright colorful images all around them.

``We are trying to make it engaging for the children in the nursery as they walk in,’’ he said. ``It is not your plain classroom with just primary colors. It is a lot more exciting.’’

Nearby, in the elementary building, Studio 14 includes a movie house where children in grades first through fourth come together for a ``Bible show, learn about Jesus and then split into small groups for learning and activities,’’ Calcutt said. ``All the classrooms, hallways, the whole building are just exciting and themed experience for them.’’

Added Calcutt, ``We are pushing the envelope and pushing to the edge and always trying to use the best technology for exciting things to engage people in the conversation about Christ. And people have responded. We have doubled in size in 14 months.’’

The seven church campuses cited by the magazine also include Parkway Christian Church in Surprise, which has a ``fire, water and rock’’ theme and bare timbers.

Both campuses were constructed by Rowland Companies of Scottsdale.