Friday, Dec. 05, 2008

Church brings sports bar back to life

By RHONDA AGHAMALIAN

For the News-Mirror

What is likely the only coliseum-styled building in the Mansfield area is now home to a very appropriate tenant: a church.

Life Family Church moved into 2271 Matlock Road in October, holding its first service in the new building Nov. 16. The church had previously held worship services in members’ homes and at the Cinemark movie theatre off of U.S. 287.

"I was intrigued by the building and the location," said Clay Wilkinson, the pastor.

"I always knew if I was going to build a church, I wouldn’t want it to look like a church," he said. "I’d want it to look like a health spa, or something else you’d want to come into."

Wilkinson, a former banker, founded the church in the spring of 2007, marking his first attempt to "plant" a new church. Previous gigs included a three-year stint on the pastoral staff at Westchester Community Church in Grand Prairie; creating Camp Eagle, a youth camp and retreat center located in the Texas hill country; and working for Promise Keepers, a national men’s ministry.

Wilkinson said that church membership is close to 100 and growing by the month. Most of the members are Mansfield or Grand Prairie residents.

The church’s new home was originally the site of a sports bar that has been closed for more than a year.

"It’s a fine building that was not finding a user," said Scott Welmaker, director of economic development for the city of Mansfield. "I would think that a use like this would be a real asset. While a church takes the property off the tax rolls, the church members will hopefully go to some nearby restaurants and retail facilities and do some shopping.

"We certainly wish them the best of luck there," he said.

Although Life Family Church is sponsored by the Baptist General Convention of Texas, Wilkinson said that the church experience is characterized by a contemporary, non-denominational feeling.

"We’re trying to take the church back to the basics and simplify it," he said. "I wanted to create a church that I wanted to be in, that I wanted my whole family to be in. One where the whole point is that we don’t have it all together, we’re all fellow strugglers."

The 10 a.m. Sunday morning service features contemporary music, lots of videos and casual dress.

"Most of the time I wear flip-flops, shorts and a Red Hot Chili Peppers shirt and it’s not a problem," said Jason Mitchell, who joined the church after attending the first service held at the movie theater.

Mitchell said he appreciates the church’s welcoming, non-judgmental environment.

"To be able to go to church and be myself….it’s better than any church I’ve ever been in," he said.

Mitchell is also a drummer in the church’s "praise band."

Wilkinson said that music and visual arts play an important role in the Life Family Church experience. Church members, including a husband-and-wife team made up of a Neiman Marcus employee and an architect, are working with Wilkinson to repaint and decorate the church’s interior.

"We believe in the arts," he said. "We serve a creator, so we ought to be creative."

In addition to the Sunday morning worship service, church activities include a children’s ministry and in-home group meetings, where members discuss family-related topics or study the Bible. Wilkinson said that future activities may include a monthly after-church meal and music-and-coffee gatherings in the church’s outdoor lobby.