Reaching The God Given Dream - 1266 Words

We all have to start somewhere, and it often involves risking what others don’t think is reasonable. Reaching the God-given dream involves trying something that’s beyond our ability to complete. Through the actions of preparing for something amazing, something amazing begins to happen in us. But, you will never see it until you give it a try. During the first thirty years our church existed, we met in eighteen different locations. We rented or leased what we could find or afford. We rented schoolrooms, community centers, and storefronts. Then in 1997 we bought an old movie theater that was our home for seventeen years. It may sound as though we just made a decision and did it. It was more complicated than that. It always is. It†¦show more content†¦When we bought the building, it was named â€Å"The Four-Star Theater.† It was an original United Artists theater. The four stars were for the founders of United Artists: Charlie Chaplin, Douglas Fairbanks, M ary Pickford, and D.W. Griffith. Major movie premiers were shown there. We found black and white photos from the city archives that showed grand openings with spotlights shooting up into the night leading Hollywood’s elite to the big event of the evening. Premiere events at the Four Star included The Lost Horizon in 1937, Grapes of Wrath in 1940, Julius Caesar in 1953, and The Magic Christian in 1970. Gone With The Wind was screened for the press there, three days before it’s grand opening. The theater had history. It began as a major theater in the city and over the years had become a place to see obscure movies, Indy films or foreign films. At one point it was a place to see porno movies, and finally it was a place to see movies for $1 that actually were available at Blockbuster to watch in your own home. Then, we bought it, and it became a church; a place for the transformation of lives—it was known as a place to take your friends who needed to find Jesus . After meeting in the theater for several years we outgrew it. We had maxed out the children’s ministry area, the parking was always a problem, and we held four or five services a weekend. We looked for a larger place for our church to grow. It was