Church Moves From Big Screen to Horsham

For the last 13 years, the only pews Riverside Community Church's congregation have come to know were the cushioned seats inside the Regal Cinemas in Warrington Township.

The church, which, according to Pastor Ezra Strickhouser planted its seeds at the theater in October 2000, took root and grew to include 180 to 200 parishioners, has left the rented space for its own building.

"We, in some ways, pioneered that," Strickhouser said of the inclusion of church services at movie theaters. "We found that it worked. The right thing never came along."

That is until February, when Strickhouser and other church representatives began discussions to purchase the former home of Grace Presbyterian Church at 239 Columbia Ave., in Horsham. In November, the church closed on the 18,000-square-foot property, which was purchased for $400,000.

The new building is being financed over 15 years and the church "hopes to pay it off early," Strickhouser said. 

"It's cheaper for us," he said of the mortgage and utilities compared to the cost of renting space at the Regal. 

After closing, the church and its congregation–including plumbers, electricians and contractors–worked over the next month cleaning up the property, removing excess items left behind and readying the very traditional space for a much more contemporary crowd of church-goers consisting of "old biker guys with tats and beards," Strickhouser said. 

"We're trying to reach unchurched people," said Strickhouser, who has been on staff with the church for six and a half years. "The worship is all modern. It's all drums and bass and guitars. No choirs."

As such, Strickhouser said the existing pews will be moved out of the worship hall to make way for about 240 chairs. 

At least initially, he said the church, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, plans to keep some of the traditional elements, including an organ. 

"Some things we can really use to our advantage," he said, adding that other items "get in the way" of the message and the "strategic choices" the church has made to break away from traditional teachings to meet people where they are, regardless of their religious background or how they are dressed.

Since beginning, Strickhouser said Riverside pastors have "planted" other area churches, including one in West Chester, one at the Germantown Academy and one in Souderton. With the new building in Horsham, Strickhouser said parishioner Brian Dobak is part of the "next wave" and will be starting his own church soon.

"We try to start people with good momentum," Strickhouser said. 

Besides causal worship services, Riverside Community Church offers Sunday school classes for kids, nursery service for tots during church services, addiction recovery meetings during the week, and men's and women's groups, according to Strickhouser.

The new building–which includes various classrooms, a recently renovated upstairs meeting room, as well as a mirrored space with poles formerly used as a dance studio–offers seemingly endless possibilities for even more programs and services.

"We're excited about what's going on," Strickhouser said, adding that he hopes the church can begin offering hot meals to community members in need soon after its first service on Sunday. Riverside Community Church wants to "be an asset to the community."

To learn more
Riverside Community Church will host its first worship service at its new building, 239 Columbia Ave., in Horsham on Sunday at 10 a.m. To learn more about the church, click here to visit its Web site, or here for its Facebook page. Pastor Ezra Strickhouser can be reached at ezrastrickhouser@gmail.com.