MOOSIC - Less than a year after he co-founded Hope Church, the Rev. Glen Riexinger presided over services held in a cramped room with basketball hoops, pink walls and a buzzing heater that drowned out most of what he said.
"You could either hear or be warm," joked the Rev. Riexinger.
Even the most optimistic people had questions about the church's future in the mid-1990s, he said, as officials searched for a permanent, serviceable home.
They found one at a warehouse building in 1996. And on Sunday, the church marked its 20th anniversary.
Starting at about 9:20 a.m., masses of people filed into the church - in Cee Kay's One Million Auto Parts Plaza - for the celebration, which began with Sunday school and ended with a banquet.
The celebration is meant to allow members of the church, which is a congregation of the Presbyterian Church of America, a chance to "reflect" and "be thankful," pastor Steve Wilson said.
"It's more of a celebration that God has kept us here for this long," he said.
Member and celebration coordinator Cheryl Straka said the multipurpose building is "nontraditional" in the sense that the "sanctuary" - which doesn't contain pews - can sometimes be turned into a "banquet hall."
But she was quick to note it's not about a building's appearance. Rather, she said, it's about the "people, or body of Christ, who make up the church."
"We have people from all walks of life and various ages," she said. "People do drive some distance to get here, but it's worth it. We love the church. We love the service."
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