TRUSSVILLE, Ala. (ABP) — It's a typical scene at the Regal 16 Cinemas in Trussville, Ala. Teenagers are milling around and loud music blasts from one of the theaters in the complex. A bus pulls up to the curb to drop off another load of teens.
Busy night at the movies? No, it's 9 a.m. on Sunday, and it's ReelTime, the new off-campus high-school ministry of NorthPark Baptist Church of Trussville.
ReelTime provided an immediate solution to NorthPark's need for space, church leaders said. But it has since become more than a space solution.
“First and foremost … ReelTime is about reaching teenagers with the gospel,” Senior Pastor Bill Wilks told The Alabama Baptist. “By moving our Sunday morning high-school ministries to the Regal Cinema, we are meeting teenagers on their own turf.”
“Very quickly we realized that this idea that God laid on our hearts … was a plan to reach out to the vast number of unchurched students in our area,” said Stephen Hall, NorthPark minister to high-school students.
Before ReelTime, the average youth-ministry attendance was 160. Moving to the movie theater saw an increase to 250 on the first Sunday.
The fast-growing church is working on an expansion of existing space for all its worship services, including the youth service, with completion scheduled for December 2006. But Hall noted the congregation is open to the possibility of keeping ReelTime in the theater.
“We could come back to the main campus then, but our decision rests in how the Lord leads. If God blesses at the Regal in a great way, we could continue to meet there.”
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— Susan Chaffin Goggins is a correspondent for The Alabama Baptist.