Local church setting down roots at first permanent location

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Blessed Hope Community Church broke ground on Sunday at a celebration ceremony in Webster where their new facility will be.

The church has met in three previous locations including Harmony School, Spry Middle School, and most recently, AMC Theaters, where it became known as the “Church at the Movies.”

It’s a title Pastor John Wurzbacher said he is proud of because of how many people in the community his church has been able to reach by hosting services in such a unique location.

“We’ve been a portable church since then, setting up and tearing down, and this is going to be our move from portable to permanent that will give us an opportunity to set some deeper roots in the community, to set some deeper roots in the community here, and show people that we are here to stay,” Wurzbacher said.

Pastor Wurzbacher said that during the pandemic, BHCC was shut down for seven and a half months, much longer than most churches because theaters were among the last businesses to reopen. During that time, church services continued to be hosted online.

The church raised $113,000 for construction, and will continue to fundraise while the new building is being built.

Wurzbacher said that he is expecting to host his first service in the new building by the end of summer, or early fall.