From cinema to church
<p>Ron Hessel, senior pastor for Summit Northwest Ministries, works on an electrical feature on the stage Monday in the auditorium of the former Post Falls movie theater that is slated to be open as the group's new church by the end of October.</p>
<p>Congregation members Don Roper, right, and Roger Schwartz work on the installation of a window in a door.</p>
POST FALLS - After nearly two years of hammering away at a remodel, Summit Northwest Ministries is finally on the verge of moving into the former Post Falls Theater.
The Seventh-day Adventist Church is tentatively planning on holding its first service at the site on Saturday, Oct. 26, pending any last-minute delays or finishing up work early, said Gary Miller, leader of the church's senior programs.
"It's exciting for us," Miller said. "We want to be a very visible church and we're community-minded."
Post Falls Theater was built in 1996 and opened in 1997.
The church has added 7,000 square feet of space, making it a 25,000-square-foot worship center on 3.8 acres.
"We've spent $1.5 million remodeling it," Miller said. "We've added an elevator and lighting and put in a different sound system (among other improvements)."
Miller said two of the former four theaters in the building will serve as the church auditorium.
"The second theater has been left unrestored and, as we need space, we'll take out a partition in between and double our capacity," he said.
The project didn't come without some surprises, Miller said.
"The rotted out roof was a shock," he said.
Miller said most of the remodel has been paid by the 205 adults who attend there, but the church also took out a loan. Both sub-contractors and the congregation have worked on the project.
Summit started in 2004 and originally met at the factory outlets in Post Falls before renting a building in Newman Lake, Wash., near the border.
Multiple churches in transition have rented the theater building over the years, but Miller said Summit doesn't plan to rent it out for additional income.
"We hope to develop our programs in the near future so that we're using the building most of the days of the week," he said.