Chicago megachurch opens doors and basketball courts to thousands of worshippers

By MICHAEL TARMAssociated Press Writer CHICAGO (AP) – The new House of Hope looks more like a superstore or sports stadium than a church. Instead of a steeple, it has a 30-foot neon marquee that on Sunday flashed the words “It’s time to celebrate!” as nearly 10,000 people streamed in for the inaugural services. Inside, two large video screens flank the giant stage so parishioners seated on the far bleachers could see the preacher. Strip away the thousands of chairs and floor covering and three regulation-size basketball courts, with locker rooms and concession stands, are ready for games. It’s so big, the Chicago Bulls plan to use it for basketball camps later this month, and the church hopes to raise money by renting it out for concerts and conventions. “This is a great day,” church member Lakesha Milsap, 30, said as she attended one of the first services there Sunday. “We’re so blessed to have this church.” The 203,000-square-foot, cream-colored House of Hope on Chicago’s South Side replaces the Salem Baptist Church’s old house of worship, a brown brick building with twin steeples that still stands nearby. The congregation and it’s leader, the Rev. James Meeks, have been an anchor for a neighborhood pocked by economic struggle. Boarded-up storefront lines several streets, and derelict factories form a skyline, but the church has campaigned to turn things around. It started a tutoring program for neighborhood children, created a prison ministry and plans to use the new church for a neighborhood activity center. When Salem Baptist was founded in 1985, the congregation had fewer than 200 members. Today, it has some 22,000 and is among the nation’s largest, said Michelle Pullen, its membership director. Houston’s giant Lakewood Church is larger, boasting more than 25,000 worshippers, and the New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colo., is also large with 11,000. “The congregation was growing too quickly and the other church was just too small,” said Salem Baptist member Maurice Allen, 47. “Anyway, too big is better than too small.” Though not everyone agrees. A few blocks away at the tiny brownstone Paradise Temple Church, Gloria Gregory was among the fewer than a dozen other parishioners who climbed the crumbling concrete steps Sunday morning. “I could never get used to thousands of people at a service,” Gregory said. “Our church has a personal touch, an intimate feel.” With an old fan sitting in an aisle to cool the small chapel, Pastor John Lang said he wasn’t concerned that the fancy new megachurch would entice his congregation to leave. “If they do pull anyone away, God will send us a replacement, I’m sure,” he said. He wished the new church success. “That’s a major acquisition for saving souls, and I hope they’re successful,” he said. “The more churches we have, and the less dope dealers and houses of ill repute, the better off our community.” The driving force behind the new megachurch has been Meeks, who as a state senator and chairman of the Legislative Black Caucus, has powerful allies. When he was planning the design for the church, he consulted with Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf, Pullen said. Sunday morning, Illinois Senate President Emil Jones and state Treasurer Judy Baar Topinka both attended the opening services to congratulate him. Jones said the church would provide not only spiritual guidance, but an economic boost to the area by drawing new restaurants, hotels and other businesses. The bulk of the loan for the new building came from the Evangelical Christian Credit Union. “This will go a long way toward improving the quality of life on the South Side of Chicago,” Jones said. Some neighboring businesses complained about the traffic snarling nearby streets as parishioners tried to find room to park, but they still supported the church’s efforts. Pete Tritsardis, who owns the Cal-Harbor diner two blocks away, said he was losing customers. “They’re just driving by because they can’t see any place to park,” he said. “The church isn’t a bad thing, but parking’s a major problem.”