Praise and popcorn?

By KatieRose Keenan
For the Times

Driving through the parking lot of the Franklin Mills mall, you wouldn’t notice anything out of the ordinary at first: a Bally’s Total Fitness center, Sam’s Club, a movie theater.
But there’s something about the movie theater. The sign with scrolling red words isn’t advertising movie times; it lists the times of church services. The white crosses on each side of the doors make it clear that this isn’t a theater.
It’s a church.
Bethel . . . The Church @ Franklin Mills has been growing steadily in the three and a half years since it left a cramped building in Burholme and bought a long-abandoned General Cinema theater next to the mall.
"We only had forty parking spaces in the lot," the Rev. Rob Tarnoviski recalled of the previous church at 7114 Oxford Ave. "With only fifteen minutes between each service, this would cause problems for the people leaving one service as well as the people coming in for the next service."
The theater has been a perfect — if unconventional — solution. Bethel’s congregation today is close to 1,000, a healthy increase from the 700 worshippers when the church left Burholme, and an almost stratospheric increase when compared to the 120 or so congregants who existed when Tarnoviski, a Northeast Philadelphia native, arrived as senior pastor 12 years ago after graduating from the Bethel Seminary of the East.
That growth had placed a tight squeeze on seating and parking at the Burholme church. For about two and a half years, the church leadership searched for a new home, preferably within a short distance of the Oxford Avenue location. But that search proved futile.
"There was nothing around, so we made the decision to expand our search," said Tarnoviski. "We took a poll of our members to see who would be willing to come the extra distance. About ninety percent of our members said they would make the trek with us."

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The expanded search led Tarnoviski to Franklin Mills, where the 10-theater building had been vacant since 1998, when General Cinema moved to a posh 14-theater megaplex on the mall property. For Bethel, the abandoned theater was an answered prayer. The location was perfect, with abundant free parking, and many members already frequented the mall to do shopping.
But there was a problem: The movie theater was in shambles.
"The place was a disaster when we first found it. There were bullet holes and shattered glass on the floor. Also, kids had broken in and set fire to the place," Tarnoviski said. "To look at pictures from that time and compare them to its present state is just unbelievable. It’s a transformation."
With the aid of about 200 volunteers, the church gradually renovated most of the 45,000-square-foot complex and turned it into something immaculate. But it came at a high price.
"We spent just under two-million dollars in renovations. We leveled most of the floors so they no longer slanted. Only three of the ten theaters haven’t been finished," the pastor said.
Bethel has found ample use for those seven renovated theaters, as well as the rest of the building. The lobby, with its brightly painted walls, serves as a welcoming center for first-time attendees and longtime members alike. There are signs that point the direction to just about everything in the expansive building, from the information desk to the children’s classrooms.
"I want people to feel welcome and comfortable the first time they enter Bethel," Tarnoviski said. "It can be intimidating walking into an unfamiliar church for the first time; you’re not sure where anything is and you may feel uncomfortable asking. We put signs up so people would immediately know where everything is, and to make them feel more relaxed."

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The church has creatively tied the theater motif to the religious experience. The lobby has the refreshment stand and café-style seating, enabling worshippers to enjoy a cup of coffee before and after services. On the other side of the lobby is a small resource center where religious books and CDs can be purchased.
Tarnoviski conducts his services in the main 600-seat auditorium, where stadium seating and cupholders are a comfy and interesting alternative to pews and hymnal racks. Huge video screens give churchgoers a better view of the stage, as well as the words to songs that are part of the service.
"Most people grew up on video and TV," Tarnoviski explained. "So what better way to reach them than through a media they are familiar with."
The theater building also includes five children’s rooms and a nursery. Parents can drop off their youngsters before services so they can be taught about God on their own level, while the adults attend Mass. All of the children’s caretakers are certified and have cleared background checks.
"I want the children to have fun at Bethel. I don’t want it to be where the parents have to drag their children to church," the pastor said. "I want the children to say to their parents after every class, ‘Can we come back next week?’"
Older children have a place as well for their services. And a lounge for the junior and senior high school members is outfitted with an Xbox game system, TV screens and a pool table.
Actually, these contemporary and seemingly laid-back touches are reflective of Bethel’s uniqueness in bringing religion to the people. Bethel . . . The Church @ Franklin Mills has a very easygoing approach to worshiping God and teaching the Bible. Unlike other denominations that are bound to church canon or are sticklers for age-old teachings, Bethel’s mission is to relate the Bible to modern society. The Bible also is the only resource the church relies on when it comes to teaching about God.

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"We are all about getting to the heart of the Bible. There are not a lot of typical practices here at Bethel," explained Tarnoviski. "We try to mesh the church and our lives with what Jesus taught to create a practical approach. Jesus broke tradition in so many ways."
Tarnoviski breaks tradition himself with his casual dress and down-to-earth attitude. He often conducts Mass in jeans. He insists that congregants address him by his first name.
The pastor likes to note that his church does no fund-raising campaigns; Bethel is supported by whatever congregants want to offer.
"We do not do any other sort of fund-raising here at Bethel because we don’t want our members to think we are after their money," Tarnoviski said. "We also only ask our regular members if they want to put money in the offering basket during Mass. If you are a first-time attendee, we tell you not to give an offering; we just want you to sit back and enjoy your first experience at Bethel."
The growth of the membership in recent years has been accompanied by broader ethnic diversity. The small congregation in those earlier days, largely all-white upon Tarnoviski’s arrival in April 1996, has become robust in number — about 1,000 — and includes about 45 percent Latino and African-American worshippers.
The congregation also is largely composed of "unchurched" people — as Tarnoviski describes them — who are in their late 20s and 30s.
"Most of our members are ‘unchurched.’ Growing up, many of that generation were forced to go to church and viewed it as a chore, therefore not going when they became adults," Tarnoviski said. "These are the people we try to target by creating a non-judgmental environment so that they feel welcome."
Bethel’s success, however, has not been achieved without its share of challenges. Many of the original members eventually stopped attending services at the Franklin Mills location, deciding the trip to the Far Northeast was a burden. It took Bethel two years to resuscitate and solidify its current membership.
As part of its ministry outreach, Bethel works diligently to meet the needs of those congregants, the pastor said. The church offers various types of counseling and aid, from support groups for those battling addictions to food collections for members who have hit hard times.
"We are all hurting and can be imperfect," said Tarnoviski. "But if we can help each other to overcome that, we will all keep getting a step closer to what God wants us to be." ••
Bethel . . . The Church @ Franklin Mills has services at 6 p.m. Saturday and 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. on Sundays. For information, call 215-824-3000 or visit www.fmchurch.net