The distinct smell of coffee wafted through the room as the comforting sound of modern worship music began to play. Some people raised their hands together in worship, as others sat, listened and reflected.

Last year, the pastors at Rimrock Evangelical Church put into action their desire to start a church service in downtown Rapid City. Ecclesiophobia is defined as “the fear of churcha��. Many people have suffered from this phobia and it can stem from a number of different things. Some are afraid of being judged, others may be afraid they are not good enough, while still other people may just not like the atmosphere of a church or “church-peoplea��.

“I am excited to be a part of a team that will move the full message of the gospel forward. Specifically to the people who are less drawn to the traditional church,” said Pastor Nick Ewing.

The service is called Rimrock Downtown. It is held every Saturday night at 5:30 p.m. The church is in the process of finishing up a new building called The Exchange where Rimrock Downtown will take place. It is currently being held at the church on Highway 44 while they put the final touches on the new place. The goal for the new building is to have a very modern and sleek look to it. It will have a coffee bar, big screen TV’s, glass walls, and seating of about 125 people. The desire is to give off a relaxed and comfortable feeling.

The message is called “iworship”. The focus of the messages will be to talk about all the different things people worship besides God. It will be based from the book of John and talk about how people were worshipping different things when they met Jesus than what we “worshipa�� today. People worship a variety of things; education, money, power, appearance, food, partying, etc, and the only way to find complete peace and joy is in worshipping God.

“This is an opportunity to share the message with the “un-churcha�� and draw Rapid City folks up to the hill,” stated Mike Hays.

Along with the scriptural message and laid back atmosphere, the worship at Rimrock Downtown moved many people. The worship songs were modern and heart-felt. There are many different people who brought their talents together to make a phenomenal worship team.

“Ultimately, we want to see God’s will be done. We want people to know His goodness and love. Personally, my passion is to see that displayed in a laid back, non-judging, worship experience, through personal worship and biblical teaching. It is really an opportunity for people to see Christ’s love in a different way,” said worship leader Karie Schmidt.

All of the people that are leading this up have the same desire. This is to share God with the people of Rapid City and to show that His grace and love is lavished out on each of us.