Visitors at the Friday evening Renovatus meetings for youth and young adults at the Eagle Rock church find more than a program with special features. Renovatus, which is Latin for renewal, is about creating a spiritually-enhancing atmosphere.
Curtains enclose the fellowship hall where meetings are held. Semicircular seating conveys a sense of inclusiveness; dim lighting relaxes. A low corner table, floor cushions and burning incense are set up to receive prayer requests.
Another table offers an assortment of cookies plus the makings of hot chocolate. Background music, pleasant conversation and fellowship combine to provide a multisensory, spiritually-oriented experience.
A praise band opens the praise service. Doors that lead to the parking lot remain open, releasing some of the sounds of many young adults praising God, supported by spirited music. (Pastor Danny Chan, associate pastor and Renovatus coordinator, noted that a woman in the neighborhood heard the band music and came to one meeting, then returned the following week.)
When Renovatus began more than a year ago, about 30 people started attending the meetings. Currently, according to Chan, between 60 and 70 attend regularly. Every week, he noted, “there are new faces. About 10 ‘regulars’ are from the community.”
At one of the earliest Renovatus meetings, flame graphics looped on the visual canvas symbolized on two screens the evening’s theme, “God the Eternal Flame.” More recently, the one-year anniversary of Renovatus was celebrated as a Middle Eastern wedding feast, with participants enjoying a full catered meal of Middle Eastern food. Typical of such a meal, guests sat on cushions instead of chairs and ate without utensils.
“The purpose of this meal, and of all our services, is outreach," said Chan. "We had more than 100 people come, many of whom were visitors from the community. During the meal, I shared many references in Scripture that speak about our relationship with God in the context of a wedding; terms such as the bride of Christ, the Bridegroom, the parable of the wedding feast, and more.”
A church member and her husband — who had previously not been able to relate to church — have been attending each week for the past several months. “Thank you so much for the work that you do in Renovatus,” she told the pastor. “Renovatus has touched me and my husband, and I thought it would be impossible to get him to join me in church again. Once again, I realize that nothing is impossible for God!”
