Up a dirt road and secretly cradled in the majesty of Utah's mountains sits a new stone and cedar church - hardly the ideal location for a congregation that wants to add to its numbers.
"Conventional wisdom says that when you build a new church, you build it on the busiest intersection in town," said the Rev. Mark Heiss, pastor of the United Methodist Park City Community Church, which recently moved to the new building from a downtown location."But God is very much part of nature and we wanted to take advantage of that," he said.
Indeed, everything about the new building seems to take advantage of its mountainous locale.
Floor to ceiling windows let sunshine bound into the church's sanctuary, playing off oak floors and pews finished in the wood's natural color. Worshipers are surrounded by beautiful scenery, with clear views of forest areas from almost every seat in the sanctuary.
"We have a favorite hymn called, `This is My Father's World.' I think our sanctuary reflects that belief," the Rev. Heiss said.
Beyond the towering sanctuary and the reverence it evokes is a down-to-earth ministry that attracts as many as 400 people to weekly services.
The Rev. Heiss says his Sunday messages are informal and based on parables or stories related to scripture because "that's how we learn and remember best."
His presentations are even informal enough for the congregation to stop in the middle of prayer and watch moose forage their way up a hillside.
"One Sunday, a member stood up and shouted, `There are moose out there!' All 200 of us stopped praying and walked over to the windows and watched for five minutes," he said.
The church attracts skiers and mountain bikers who leave their equipment in the foyer and worship in the sanctuary. "It's not surprising for me to be the only one with a tie on," the Rev. Heiss said.
Other instruction also caters to contemporary views about religion, he said.
Six times a year, about 20 members of the congregation spend a night at a monastery in Huntsville. There, a church instructor teaches the group "centering prayer," a technique of meditation that develops personal spirituality.
"We're living in an age when religion seems to be a group process. But I think more people are seeking a more personal connection with God, and this type of prayer is designed to do that," the Rev. Heiss said.
Members of the congregation also help community programs like Alcoholics Anonymous, the Salvation Army and the Crossroads Urban Center. Besides volunteer hours, the church gives 10 percent of all that it gathers to such programs.
The Rev. Heiss said he and congregation members would like to develop a team of trained individuals who could support Park City families during times of crisis. "We'd support not just members of our church but also the community when death or illness hits home. After training we could also support those involved in spouse or child abuse," he said.