By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
MACHESNEY PARK — A restaurant that closed amid the coronavirus pandemic will be the new home for GPS Faith Community, a congregation that has spent the past decade worshiping at space inside an industrial park along North Second Street.
GPS Faith Community celebrated its final service at 10714 N. Second St. on Sunday. It plans to start service in mid to late October after making some renovations to the former On the Curve, 11189 Forest Hills Road. This Sunday’s services will be held at Puri Pavilion at Rock Cut State Park and it will be held online Oct. 10.
The church’s new home puts it closer to neighborhoods and could help it better connect with its community than it could in the industrial park.
“The space is just perfect to transform into a church and into a space to be a community building,” Pastor Brandon Nelson said. “This is not our space we’re stepping into: It’s for our community. It’s for anybody that longs to connect with each other and to find God’s love.”
On the Curve, which was previously Hawk’s View restaurant, closed as a casualty of the coronavirus pandemic, Village Administrator James Richter II said.
“They were really our sole casualty,” Richter said. “We didn’t lose any other restaurants.”
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The restaurant’s banquet facility is perfectly suited for church services, Richter and Nelson said.
GPS, which stands for God’s People Serving, was birthed from Grace Lutheran Church in Loves Park. It was initially located at the AMC movie theater in Machesney Park before moving to rented space along North Second Street.
“It was time to find a home,” Nelson said of purchasing the former On the Curve.
GPS Faith Community is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It’s designed to be inclusive, diverse and contemporary in its worship style.
“No matter what your background is, God’s love is for you. We are open and welcoming and we will empower you in all forms and fashions of life and ministry,” Nelson said. “We love to serve our community. We love to be a part of it and care for all people.”
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This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on Twitter at @KevinMHaas.