MUSCATINE, Iowa — Driving along the U.S. Highway 61 Bypass, some people may cast an eye toward the large parking lot across from Hy-Vee and wonder why so many people feel at home visiting God inside the steel and concrete confines of what used to be a strip mall.

But for the more than 1,000 people who attend services in the former ShopKo store, a “steel jungle” became more like a Garden of Eden once they realized the advantages of making it their church home.

For those who operate the evangelical Christian church, moving there was a good choice — but it wasn’t a choice that came without reservations at first.

“We wanted a piece of land with trees surrounding the church. At first we didn’t really want to come here to this steel jungle,” said Calvary’s senior pastor Dan Schoepf, who has served the church for 31 years. “Soon we realized that all of the space, the busy intersection and the large parking lot were a great advantage.”

Calvary Church, formerly called  Calvary Baptist Church, was originally on the corner of Fourth and Cedar streets and moved to 2900 Mulberry Ave. — now home to the Muscatine School Administration Center — in the mid 1960s.

In 2003, Calvary took a giant leap of faith by purchasing the strip mall at 501 U.S. Highway 61 Bypass W. The building  once housed such businesses as Econofoods, Rent-A-Center, Sears, K’s Nails, ShopKo and Quality Cobbler. Now, it’s home to various church groups that utilize the former storefronts.

Calvary has expanded services to reach out to all types of people in all age groups.

The former Econofoods building at the north end  is a student ministry center. Other parts of the building are meeting spaces for divorce care, “financial peace,” and other groups that discuss men’s and women’s issues as well as growth in marriage, family, church and work.

Many people attend the Saturday night service. Children attend the KidzTown program in the KidZone, which is a portion of the building that  has been remodeled into a small town with themed rooms.

So many children attend that the church employs matching electronic nametags that children and their parents wear for safety purposes.

Growing pains

The move to the church hasn’t come without its share of growing pains, though, and just a little unease at bountiful space that surrounds them — space that houses dozens of rooms and 53 toilets.

“I do get kind of embarrassed to say that we have 180,000 square feet,” said Schoepf, 57. Someday he’d like to see a hallway constructed that connects all of the offices and meeting rooms from the inside.

But though there may be a hint of unease at the more than ample space, it’s reaped rewards when it comes to membership.

With additional space has come a congregation that has grown more than five times in number since moving to the new location.

Before the move, Calvary had about 200 members. That number has grown to about 1,100, including children.

However, Schoepf adds, just because the  church has “changed the packaging,” its message and core beliefs are still the same: promoting a faith-based environment where people can find a sense of belonging.

Inside the church there are no religious symbols on the walls. Schoepf said this is because symbols can sometimes become the center of worship.

There is also a large auditorium with theater seating and a stage instead of a sanctuary.

Finding yourself

“No perfect people allowed” is one of the favorite slogans of Andy Landers, worship arts pastor.

“This is a place that is welcoming to everybody, especially those who are hurting, wounded, messed up, screwed up — like most of us are,” Landers said. “It’s a place to feel safe, to be yourself and to be found.”

Landers admits it’s likely that many churches claim that “everybody is welcome,” but at Calvary there aren’t unspoken rules that may have become associated with churches throughout history.  At some churches, members may be expected to wear their “Sunday best” and read music straight from hymnals.

Though Landers doesn’t have a problem with that, he believes there is more to be said for Calvary, which accepts members in jeans and T-shirts and expands musical horizons to different mediums.

“It’s all about the message; who

cares how they package it?” said Landers, who can be found on stage during services, banging out a new tune on piano or strumming a guitar to a classic hymn. The lyrics are projected on a big screen, which is also used for other visuals.

Mission

Both Landers and Schoepf say that the mission of Calvary Church is to involve people with their community and promote an environment where people will have a sense of belonging and create a place where people can know each other and serve each other in a large-group experience.

They say that is what has allowed the church to grow so rapidly.

“We want to be more involved with our world than ever before. We want that to be natural, part of our DNA,” Schoepf said. “We want to practice who we are when we leave this place.”

Schoepf compared the coming together of people at Calvary to a play in a football game

“This is the huddle. We come here to encourage and challenge each other. Then we break and go into the game, which is the rest of the week.”

Landers said Calvary is not a mega church. He should know, because he has performed music at mega churches across the country. Those experiences were what he calls a “massive production” where he got on stage to perform and was told he had seven minutes to do his show.

“We are not one of those produced, plastic experiences and that doesn’t represent who we are — and if it ever does, I’m out,” Landers said.

For more information call Calvary Church at 563-263-3367 or go to its Web site at www.calvaryonline.org

Editor’s note: This story is one in a month-long series the Muscatine Journal is printing in March. The stories will focus on local people, groups and businesses that have overcome economic obstacles and other personal adversity to help make the community better and create better lives for themselves and those around them.