Lutheran megachurch broadcasts live worship streams at Newton movie theater

Popcorn won’t be served during communion, but the Capitol II Theatre is not opposed to occasionally offering the cinema snack to viewers of the Lutheran Church of Hope worship streams, which are now being broadcasted every Sunday at the downtown Newton movie theater.

Craig Armstrong, the economic development specialist for the City of Newton, has been a member of the church for the past year and has watched a number of the worship streams online following the pandemic. Working alongside Capitol II and the church, he was able to facilitate a means to get worship to Newton.

Using the projected movie theater screens for each stream, worshipers will be able to participate in Sunday ceremonies remotely through the comfort of movie theater seating. Armstrong said the setup is similar to the “Hope Local” site in Clear Lake, which also utilizes its local movie theater space to preach gospel.

Dawn Bleeker, owner of the Capitol II, told Newton News in an interview a few days before opening day that she and her staff are excited to host the services, which will be held every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. with doors opening a half-hour before. It’s a unique offering in Newton and it’s a first for the local movie theater.

“They’re trying to reach people who don’t already have a church, and I think this is a nice venue — and a different venue,” Bleeker said. “People might feel more comfortable coming to a different type of setting than a traditional church building. From what I know, there’s already been interest in this area.”

Lutheran Church of Hope is based in West Des Moines, which is where most of the worship services take place. Armstrong said there are about 150 people in Jasper County already affiliated with the church, which has between 20,000 to 30,000 total members in the Midwest.

The mission of the church is to connect with people and “share the everlasting love of Jesus Christ.” Hope Local sites, like this new one in Newton that launched Oct. 30, are an effort to bring the gospel to those who do not live near the current West Des Moines campus and would like to worship.

“It’s the next best thing to being there,” Armstrong said. “Whereas they might be very uncomfortable walking into a church door — and having everybody stare at them like ‘Who’s that?’ — now you’re walking into the theater and being greeted immediately with that five-star hospitality.”

There is no fee to participate in the Hope Local site in Newton.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext 560 or at cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com