Church to expand to Uptown Theater

McLean Bible Church plans to expand its church service in January to the historic Uptown Theater on Connecticut Avenue in Cleveland Park.

The Christian church said it plans to rent space at the Uptown for Sunday morning services, as it does in Rosslyn.

“If our plan is to reach Washington, D.C., the Uptown is a great location for it,” said Mike Hurt, director of community campus development at McLean Bible Church.

Cleveland Park residents are concerned about exacerbated parking problems. The area is congested and has little off-street parking.

“People’s concern is that … when the theater is full with church members, there will be a lot more cars in the neighborhood,” said Bruce Beckner, a local advisory neighborhood commissioner.

When the Uptown operates as a theater, he said, many of the visitors are close enough to walk. For church services, he said, worshippers from other areas will arrive in cars and fill up neighborhood parking spots.

“People in the neighborhood are very sensitive about parking issues,” Mr. Beckner said.

Mr. Hurt declined to speak further about the church’s plans, but the church Web site (www.mcleanbible.org) encourages use of the Metro. It even recommends a prayer guide for Metro riders with specific topics for prayer and reflection on Red Line stops through Northwest Washington and into Maryland.

In September, McLean Bible Church said it had hit capacity at its McLean location and planned to open as many as 10 community campuses throughout Washington to create “a spiritual beltway” within 10 years. The community churches would act as satellite locations. One community location is operating at the Rosslyn Spectrum Theatre in Arlington, and another is planned for Loudoun County.

The church said the Uptown branch will offer Sunday services and administer community service projects, small Bible groups and Christian education classes.

Other churches in the Washington area also meet in theaters. National Community Church has been gathering on Sunday mornings for service at Union Station for more than 10 years. It also meets at movie theaters at Ballston Common Mall in Arlington.

Across the country, more churches are using movie theaters as places of worship.

National CineMedia is a Centennial, Colo., company that provides cinema advertising and sets up alternative uses for theaters. It has 136 church clients across the country, including the Uptown.

A 2006 study by Leadership Network, a Christian research group in Dallas, found that theater churches operate in 36 states.