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Churches in need of space turn to local theaters. 'Our incense is the smell of buttered popcorn'
By Colette M. Jenkins
Beacon Journal religion writer
POSTED: 12:48 p.m. EST, Feb 06, 2009
Salvation is being offered at two local theaters on Sunday mornings before the first screenings begin.
''Our stained glass windows are on the movie screen and our incense is the smell of buttered popcorn,'' said the Rev. Jonathan Herron, pastor of Catalyst Church. ''The church is not the building. It's the people.''
Last Sunday, the people of Catalyst began meeting for 10:30 a.m. worship service at the Regal Cinemas, located at 5339 Darrow Road in Hudson. The move places the nondenominational Christian church in a group of about 300 congregations in the nation that currently use movie theaters for religious services.
The growing trend was considered a novelty 25 years ago, when Granger Community Church in Indiana began worshipping in a movie theater, according to Barry Brown, director of worship solutions with National CineMedia Inc. The corporation, which oversees non-movie rentals in AMC, Cinemark, Regal and other cinema chains, formed its worship solutions division two years ago to help the growing number of churches looking to rent space in movie theaters.
Nationally, CineMedia's church clients have grown from three in 2001 to more than 180 in 35 states across the nation. Five of those churches are in Ohio — Origins Church in Mason; Christian Life Center in Dayton; Momentum Church in Valley View; Kent-based Catalyst and Canton Baptist Temple. The latter has used Regal Interstate Park Cinema 18, located at 1089 Interstate Parkway in Green, as a satellite campus since Sept. 7. The satellite location is called The Summit.
''From a real estate standpoint, movie theaters are typically located in the middle of the marketplace where there are high traffic patterns and high visibility,'' Brown said. ''The theater auditoriums have comfortable seats and a big screen and they allow for growth because congregations can start in a smaller space and move into a larger space. And they can use multiple spaces for adult and children's services.''
Psychologically, the environment is familiar and nonthreatening, especially to new worshippers and people who are not drawn to conventional houses of worship. The goal at both Catalyst and Canton Baptist Temple is to reach the unchurched.
''People aren't intimidated by the environment. Most of them are relatively familiar with movie theaters,'' said the Rev. Tom Hogsed, high school pastor at Canton Baptist Temple and campus pastor in the Green location. ''The biggest reason for us to launch our satellite at the movie theater was overhead costs.''
Economically, the rental of auditoriums in movie theaters costs less than purchasing land and constructing a building. Locally, the cost of rental is less than $600 per auditorium per week, which is typically locked in with a yearlong agreement. Maintenance, including cleaning and snow removal, is the responsibility of the movie theater.
Volunteers from the church show up early at the movie theater to set up sound equipment, video projectors, supplies for children's church, refreshments and anything else needed for the worship service. They are also responsible for tearing everything down after the service.
Both Catalyst and Canton Baptist Temple use two auditoriums, one for the adult service and one for a children's service.
During a recent survey conducted by National CineMedia, 74 percent of the pastors representing the corporation's church clients reported an increase in attendance since moving services to a movie theater. The survey also showed that 74 percent of the churches use more than one auditorium for Sunday services and 94 percent offer a children's ministry.
Canton Baptist Temple is an independent Baptist church located at 515 Whipple Ave. NW in Canton. Established in 1937, it attracts about 1,500 worshippers each Sunday.
Services at the Green campus are 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. The exit time for the church is 11:45 a.m. The Summit attracted 150 people to its first service in September. Currently, a core group of about 75 people attend regularly.
Catalyst, which was launched in 2006 with 10 people, grew to a congregation of nearly 200 during its first year, while worshipping at the Kent Stage. Its offices are still located at 125 S. Water St. The location is also used for outreach and financial peace classes at 7 p.m. Tuesdays.
The church is affiliated with the Seattle-based Acts 29 network and the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, based in Winona Lake, Ind.
Last Sunday, Catalyst drew a standing-room-only crowd to the 120-seat auditorium at the Hudson theater. In keeping with the theater theme, a popcorn bucket was used as an offering plate.
''It was a way to show good humor and help communicate to everyone that we're all on the same journey together,'' Herron said. ''We're still trying to wrap our minds around this concept, but we know that at Catalyst and The Summit we are trying to create a comfortable place where nobody feels they are going to be put on the spot.
''There are a half million people in this area that don't go to church. We believe they might go to the movie theater because it is a familiar place,'' Herron said. ''Our next challenge is going to be figuring out how to direct people toward working in the community.''
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.
Salvation is being offered at two local theaters on Sunday mornings before the first screenings begin.
''Our stained glass windows are on the movie screen and our incense is the smell of buttered popcorn,'' said the Rev. Jonathan Herron, pastor of Catalyst Church. ''The church is not the building. It's the people.''
Last Sunday, the people of Catalyst began meeting for 10:30 a.m. worship service at the Regal Cinemas, located at 5339 Darrow Road in Hudson. The move places the nondenominational Christian church in a group of about 300 congregations in the nation that currently use movie theaters for religious services.
The growing trend was considered a novelty 25 years ago, when Granger Community Church in Indiana began worshipping in a movie theater, according to Barry Brown, director of worship solutions with National CineMedia Inc. The corporation, which oversees non-movie rentals in AMC, Cinemark, Regal and other cinema chains, formed its worship solutions division two years ago to help the growing number of churches looking to rent space in movie theaters.
Nationally, CineMedia's church clients have grown from three in 2001 to more than 180 in 35 states across the nation. Five of those churches are in Ohio — Origins Church in Mason; Christian Life Center in Dayton; Momentum Church in Valley View; Kent-based Catalyst and Canton Baptist Temple. The latter has used Regal Interstate Park Cinema 18, located at 1089 Interstate Parkway in Green, as a satellite campus since Sept. 7. The satellite location is called The Summit.
''From a real estate standpoint, movie theaters are typically located in the middle of the marketplace where there are high traffic patterns and high visibility,'' Brown said. ''The theater auditoriums have comfortable seats and a big screen and they allow for growth because congregations can start in a smaller space and move into a larger space. And they can use multiple spaces for adult and children's services.''
Psychologically, the environment is familiar and nonthreatening, especially to new worshippers and people who are not drawn to conventional houses of worship. The goal at both Catalyst and Canton Baptist Temple is to reach the unchurched.
''People aren't intimidated by the environment. Most of them are relatively familiar with movie theaters,'' said the Rev. Tom Hogsed, high school pastor at Canton Baptist Temple and campus pastor in the Green location. ''The biggest reason for us to launch our satellite at the movie theater was overhead costs.''
Economically, the rental of auditoriums in movie theaters costs less than purchasing land and constructing a building. Locally, the cost of rental is less than $600 per auditorium per week, which is typically locked in with a yearlong agreement. Maintenance, including cleaning and snow removal, is the responsibility of the movie theater.
Volunteers from the church show up early at the movie theater to set up sound equipment, video projectors, supplies for children's church, refreshments and anything else needed for the worship service. They are also responsible for tearing everything down after the service.
Both Catalyst and Canton Baptist Temple use two auditoriums, one for the adult service and one for a children's service.
During a recent survey conducted by National CineMedia, 74 percent of the pastors representing the corporation's church clients reported an increase in attendance since moving services to a movie theater. The survey also showed that 74 percent of the churches use more than one auditorium for Sunday services and 94 percent offer a children's ministry.
Canton Baptist Temple is an independent Baptist church located at 515 Whipple Ave. NW in Canton. Established in 1937, it attracts about 1,500 worshippers each Sunday.
Services at the Green campus are 10:15 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. The exit time for the church is 11:45 a.m. The Summit attracted 150 people to its first service in September. Currently, a core group of about 75 people attend regularly.
Catalyst, which was launched in 2006 with 10 people, grew to a congregation of nearly 200 during its first year, while worshipping at the Kent Stage. Its offices are still located at 125 S. Water St. The location is also used for outreach and financial peace classes at 7 p.m. Tuesdays.
The church is affiliated with the Seattle-based Acts 29 network and the Fellowship of Grace Brethren Churches, based in Winona Lake, Ind.
Last Sunday, Catalyst drew a standing-room-only crowd to the 120-seat auditorium at the Hudson theater. In keeping with the theater theme, a popcorn bucket was used as an offering plate.
''It was a way to show good humor and help communicate to everyone that we're all on the same journey together,'' Herron said. ''We're still trying to wrap our minds around this concept, but we know that at Catalyst and The Summit we are trying to create a comfortable place where nobody feels they are going to be put on the spot.
''There are a half million people in this area that don't go to church. We believe they might go to the movie theater because it is a familiar place,'' Herron said. ''Our next challenge is going to be figuring out how to direct people toward working in the community.''
Colette Jenkins can be reached at 330-996-3731 or cjenkins@thebeaconjournal.com.
Comments
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Posted 08:52 PM, 02/06/2009
Can you buy popcorn for the show?
Akron, OH
Posted 09:42 PM, 02/06/2009
The irresistible, delectable "food" delivered to attendees is the Word of God, preserved over the ages in the Holy Bible.
"He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD." Deuteronomy 8:3
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=5&chapter=8&version=31
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