By By JESSICA SIEFF / Niles Daily Star
GRANGER, Ind. – Attending a service at the Granger Community Church in Granger, Ind. for the first time is like stepping into the center of a big idea. That idea – which has brought the church and its faith to people across Michiana – takes form in a barrage of multi-media presentations and an impressive blend of ministry and the arts.
Now, the formula that has been cultivated at GCC by founder and senior pastor Mark Beeson and his army of staff, volunteers and members is again reaching out and reaching towards the Niles community.
The church has announced its plans to expand into three additional multi-site campuses and movie theaters in Elkhart, Niles and South Bend. The first campus slated for launch is at the Encore Park 14 Cinema in Elkhart in September, according to www.gccwired.com. Campuses in Niles and South Bend are to follow.
Church … at a movie theater?
According to Butch Whitmire, pastor of creative arts at Granger Community Church, the church is planning on working with existing theater groups to utilize their facilities. The theaters would be used to present the church's weekly service on the big screen. The church operated out of a movie theater before it moved into the facility at 630 E. University Drive and states that the process works.
"It would actually be the entire service from the Saturday night before," Whitmire said.
At the church's facility in Granger, members who come in towards the end of one of the regular service times can see the service being broadcast live on televisions in the church's self-described "Starbucks-esque" coffee bar.
Recordings of the Saturday night service would be delivered to the campuses overnight in preparation for the morning. "We'd actually have the whole facility," Whitmire said. The church would utilize multiple theater rooms, so if one is full, the service can be broadcast in another. At the Granger facility, children are treated to specialized rooms that are geared towards specific age groups. Whitmire said that different theaters would be used for different age groups of children as well.
"Niles so far looks great. And Niles is a target community because so many of our people are driving to us already," he said.
"I'm excited because I grew up in Niles," he added. Whitmire, who has a degree in marketing from Michigan State University, graduated from Brandywine High School in 1984.
The idea of going multi-site crosses multiple lines in this day and age. While Granger Community Church already has a strong membership they have even stronger expectations for the future. The church states that by 2010, "we will be a church of 10,000 people gathering, 5,000 members participating and 3,000 servants leading." But even with what seems to be an unwavering membership – once again the state of the economy and rising gas prices come into play.
"As churches around the county consider going multi-site, the idea of one church in many locations continues to morph," reports Outreach Magazine in their special look at America's Most Innovative Churches for 2008. Granger Community Church was number three on the list of the top 25.
By creating multi-sites that reach out to those members who may travel anywhere from 30 to 60 miles round-trip, the church can make attending service a little more convenient for those members while reaching out to new ones.
Those who currently don't attend regular services and may never have been to the Granger facility, Whitmire said will find, "a church that is changing their community."
Indeed, churches like Granger Community Church are creating a whole new perspective on the church service experience. In addition to grabbing a latte and perusing the bookstore at the Granger facility (both aspects that Whitmire said could be recreated at the multi-site locations), those who attend services will see live musical performances, dramatic skits and passionate sermons geared toward that which influences and affects people today.
Of course the core mission is not only to entertain – but to educate.
"You're going to see teaching methods that people understand," Whitmire said.
Services can be seen now online at www.gccwired.com. Whitmire said checking out those videos is a good way to get an idea of what will be seen at the theaters. He added that response to the multi-site set for Elkhart has "been amazing."
As for Niles, "I think the biggest thing for us is finding the right pastor," he said. "Once that happens, we'll see progress."
While Whitmire said that Wonderland would be the theater that the church would utilize for its multi-site campus in the city, a call to Moore Theaters, the parent company of Wonderland, was not returned by press time.
The church is hopeful to announce the launch date for Niles soon.