Home sweet home for The Least of Saints

The Least of Saints Ministry has found a new home and for Pastor Scott Greene, it could not be a more perfect place. Formerly a bar, the new home, 219 N. Second Ave. W., is not set up with the traditional pews, aisle and meeting area. Instead you will find tables and chairs, a pool table and yes, even a bar.

“When the ministry first started, this was the first place that came to mind, but it wasn’t available,” Greene said.

He said that he would ride by on his motorcycle and think a bar would make a great place for a ministry. Along with a bar, it also served as the Salvation Army headquarters for more than 70 years, which also seemed fitting.

“It just seemed like the right place to preach the gospel to like people,” Greene said. “I love this place. When you walk in everybody that has ever been here, they seem to be pretty amazed that it is still a bar but is now a place of worship.”

Since moving in mid-November from their previous location at the former car dealership on West First Avenue, Greene has seen an increase in the amount of people attending the ministry’s 5 p.m. Saturday service. He said it averages about 20 people a night but at a recent visit by Santa and Mrs. Claus, well more than 150 people packed the building.

Building a comfortable place for people who do not feel comfortable in a traditional worship setting was Greene’s goal with Least of Saints. To go along with the non-traditional location, a typical service includes Christian rock and blues music, the joke of the week and rads and bads, more commonly known as joys and concerns.

“It’s where (people can tell) anything from birthdays and anniversaries or a family member is ailing or a blessing that God has given you through the week,” Greene said.

At the conclusion of the service, on congregation is invited to hang around, play pool, enjoy some food and have fellowship through conversation. Greene said sometimes they are out by 6:30 p.m. but other nights they are not closing the doors until 9:30 p.m. The topics discussed during that time do not always revolve around the ministry, but it gives people a time to talk about similar interest or what is going on in their lives.

Greene said when he started the ministry about a year and a half ago, he felt there was a huge need for a non-traditional church in the community. Just this short time later, his ministry has found what he hopes to someday be its permanent home where people really feel like they belong.