By Cindy Barstad, Watertown Public Opinion

Watertown, S.D. -- A 900-pound projection screen unloaded by crane at the Goss Opera House and Gallery in Watertown, SD will divide its time between a church outreach ministry and community presentations.

The Cornerstone United Methodist Church’s outreach, called “Encounter” and the Goss will share the cost of the $10,000 project.

Unloading the screen, rolled up in a wood crate for delivery, 23-feet-long unrolled, from the street level through an upper window of the building was “quite a project,” according to Dallas Anderson, national facilitator of the Mission America Coalition.

Anderson is a member of the Cornerstone’s evangelism committee and helped coordinate getting the screen to the Goss.

Paul Kimball, a discipleship pastor at Cornerstone, will lead the outreach ministry, which has its first meeting using the screen scheduled for September 16. 

Kimball said the weekly ministry services will begin with fellowship at 9 a.m. in an information table setting, followed by an interactive worship service.  He said the nontraditional style of services may include music, drama and dancing.

“We hope to shake things up a bit,” Kimball said. 

For now, the screen will show multi-media elements complementing the live worship services, but Kimball said the ministry may air broadcast worship services on the screen as well.

The Ministry, which operates under the umbrella of Cornerstone, is not a new church but it does have its own identity, according to Anderson. 

“We have the freedom to do a lot,” he said.  “We hope to attract people who won’t show up to a regular church.” 

Anderson said the ministry is not intended to compete with other churches in the area.

“We’re just one member of a community of faith,” he said.  “We would love it if every church would grow because of Encounter.”

When not in use by the church, the screen may be used for other community activities and private parties held at the Goss