Curtain up... for church services (From Bournemouth Echo)

Curtain up... for church services

8:00am Saturday 6th February 2010 in

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THERE seems to be a trend of buildings other than churches being used as places of worship in recent years – with cinemas, DIY centres and even a bingo hall having been pressed into service in Dorset.

Now a theatre in Ferndown is being added to that list.

The Barrington Theatre in Penny’s Walk will become the meeting place of Hope Church from March 7 in an attempt to further spread the Christian message to the people of Ferndown.

Ferndown already has some great churches serving its community, but with a population of over 20,000, Moordown Baptist Church (MBC) believes the time is right to establish a new church there.

Pastor Mike Mellor will lead the new church with about 20 other members of MBC and hopes to attract people from the Ferndown and West Parley area who don’t currently go to another church. “Meeting in a theatre might appeal to those who would find it difficult entering a ‘religious’ building,” Pastor Mike told me. “Certainly in my own pre-Christian days I would be averse to going into a church building, but would have been quite at home in a theatre.”

No stranger to preaching outside the traditional church setting, Mike previously served as a staff Evangelist with the Open Air Mission in Bournemouth before joining the pastoral team at Moordown in November, 2008.

For further information on the church, which will meet every Sunday at 10.30am in the theatre, visit hopechurchferndown. org.uk.