by Ardeana Hamlin
of The Weekly Staff
ORONO — Going to church in Orono now has a “cool” factor going for it. “Every Sunday I hear kids say to their parents, ‘I love going to church at the movies,’” said Lead Pastor Buddy Eckman of The Rock Church.
In March, the church began a partnership with Spotlight Cinema in the shopping plaza on Stillwater Avenue to hold Sunday morning services in the movie theater. It serves parishioners in Orono, Old Town and Veazie, and usually draws approximately 75 worshippers to the Spotlight each Sunday morning. On Easter Sunday, more than 125 attended the service.
“It’s appealing because it’s nontraditional and we like that element,” Eckman said of The Rock Church holding services at the Spotlight.
The Rock Church also has locations in Bangor, Scarborough, Sullivan and Southwest Harbor.
The expansion to Orono, Eckman said, was prompted by the fact The Rock Church of Bangor, founded in 2005 by Kirk Winters of Glenburn, is running out of space at its Ohio Street location.
Each Sunday, more than 800 people attend services at the church, making it necessary to conduct several services, Eckman said. The goal, he said, is to have a Rock Church in every county in Maine.
“We welcome everyone regardless of their personal circumstances,” Eckman said. “We want them to hear of the love, grace and forgiveness of Jesus.”
Eckman, who has been a pastor since 2009, said he grew up going to church in Ohio. “I started my walk with God while I was in high school,” he said. He was reading the Bible when he began to understand that he was supposed to be a part of The Rock Church.
Eckman said holding worship services at the movie theater provides everything the church needs — seats, great acoustics and an inviting environment.
Theater manager Nate Anderson agreed. The theater is easy to get to, it’s clean, and there is lots of parking, he said. A conference-party room also is available for church use as a Sunday school classroom. It’s a partnership that benefits both the theater and the church, Anderson said.
“We want people to know we are here in the area,” Eckman said. “The vision of The Rock Church is to turn people in Maine into wholehearted followers of Jesus and to apply his teachings in their lives. People experience a genuine Jesus at The Rock Church. People love to be here to worship God and be a part of what he’s doing.”
Establishing its own building to house The Rock Church of Orono is a future goal. Meanwhile, church services are held 10-11 a.m. Sundays at the Spotlight Cinema. A fellowship time with coffee and refreshments is held after the service. A grand opening and family day will be held in the fall, the date as yet to be determined.
For information, go to TRCbangor.com or TRCbangor.com/orono.