Paramount presents Church: The Sequel: A rockin' soundtrack, cushy seats and coffee breaks in this theatre for the soul

Edmonton Journal
Saturday, October 21, 2006
Page: H6
Section: Ed
Byline: Elizabeth Withey
Column: ed 's cinema GUIDE: the show goes on
Source: The Edmonton Journal

The audience chatters in the dim theatre. Warm coats and scarves come off as people get cosy in their cushy blue seats. Anticipation is in the air: the show is about to begin.

Then, booming music grabs the crowd's attention, and words begin to flash across the massive silver screen down in front.

Gospel music lyrics, not movie credits -- we're in church, after all.

It's a Sunday morning on Jasper Avenue at the Paramount, where a congregation of more than 400 shows you don't need a steeple to bring in the people.

Since July, the old theatre at 102nd Street has been home to the City Centre Church, a Pentecostal assembly that ditched the traditional religious experience -- and venue -- in favour of hip worship.

Stuffy hymns and hard wooden benches? Gone with the wind. Instead, a religious rock band provides a live and lively soundtrack. In the drink holders? Cups of java.

Amen.

The CCC's modern approach to faith appeals to the young and holy; in fact, about half the congregation looks like they just walked over from Whyte in their ballet flats, skinny jeans and funky eyewear. Heck, if it weren't for the rugged wooden cross and communion table in front, you might not know this is a place of worship.

Aleece Schoepp and her sister, Stephanie, find comfort in the casual environment.

"It's not, 'These are the rules, this is how it's set,' " says Aleece, the older of the two. "We were both raised in traditional church, and this is so much easier to get up for."

CCC spokesman Mike James, 29, says the church attracts a younger crowd that doesn't want the conservative, often unwelcoming "fake church" experience.

"There's a real sense of community here," he says. "People are looking for that. They don't want the plastic stuff."

The CCC started on the U of A campus two years ago and moved into the Paramount this summer on a five-year lease. The theatre had been shut since 2003, after more than a half-century of showing first-run movies.

In 1952, Paramount opened as the largest theatre on the Prairies, with a capacity of more than 1,500. The opening movie was Jumping Jacks starring Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

In 1985, the building underwent major interior renovations in a desperate attempt to rekindle dwindling attendance. Every second row of seats was removed to make room for cushioned easy chair-style seats with padded arm rests. The grand reopening featured the film Cocoon.

But despite the renos, the one-screen theatre couldn't compete with the city's many multiplex cinemas.

The CCC saw the empty Paramount as an opportunity to help revitalize the downtown, and its central location as an attraction to the post-secondary students in the neighbourhood. It's not the first time that the Word of God has been preached from within its walls: in the 1950s, then-premier Ernest Manning used it for broadcasting his weekly Sunday morning Back to the Bible Hour radio shows.

Before the service on Sunday, twentysomethings pour in off the streets and into the lobby, clutching trendy bags and Starbucks delights. Matt Hewitt says the unconventional is inviting.

"It's easy for us to come in, because it's not your typical church," he says.

Curiosity drew a trio of MacEwan nursing students to the Paramount.

"We're going to go to church anyway," Martha Schellenberg, says. "We wanted to check out one in the area."

At 10:30 a.m., bass booms from the stage as worship begins. There's a rock concert feel to the service -- minus the waving of lighters and cellphones -- as parishioners sway to the music, raising their arms above their heads. Some dance and clap in the aisles; others sing along with the band.

Church administrator Julie Manolescu says most people think it's cool that the old theatre is being used as a church. Still, there is the odd naysayer who frowns at the unorthodox location.

"People might come in who are more liturgical and go, 'Whoa, this is not for me,' " he notes. "That's OK."

Chad Lorenz, 20, likes the Paramount's character but says it's the friendships that bring him back every Sunday.

"It's more about church 'the people' than church 'the building,' " Lorenz says. "It doesn't matter what the building is."

But for Jason Zasiedko, whose grandparents used to go on movie dates at the Paramount, praying in a reborn theatre adds a special touch to his spirituality.

"It shows me the church is not limited to the structure, the traditional cathedral," Zasiedko says.

"I can worship my God anywhere."