Scrawled across the blank white space in the basement of 210 E. Main St. are the hopes and prayers of people of Relevant Church — the most recent tenants to inhabit the space for the past three weeks.

On Wednesday morning as pastor Muta Mwenya looked around the church, he said he did not initially see the potential in the space formerly inhabited with offices, ancient carpet and wall-to-wall white paint.

He still shudders as he looks around and sees  what is left to be done, including adding in some carpet and finishing a space that will be the church cafe, just across the hall.

Mwenya credits his wife Christine for seeing the potential in the space.

There are a lot of things about the nondenominational Christian church that is different from most people’s traditional sense of church.

Excited to be part of Niles

Besides having a place to call their own, Mwenya said that he was eager to be part of the Niles downtown.

“We are just excited about all the new things happening downtown,” Mwenya said.  “New businesses coming into town and young professionals moving into town, and we are just excited to be part of that process.”

With a growing number of new business taking root along Niles Main Street, Mwenya said he also hoped to encourage members of the church to go out in the community and not only shop local, but also enjoy the many things that the downtown area has to offer.

“I am really trying to get people to come and just feel the city,” Mwenya said. “It is so beautiful. We have got beautiful parks. We have got great movies and good businesses.”

A benefit to being downtown is also being more visible. People who now visit the downtown can see the new church.

Not an average church

Until three weeks ago, Relevant was a mobile church. After each service, Mwenya typically had a limited amount of time to vacate the provided location, making for a hasty setup and tear down.

Even at its new residency, Mwenya said the church is not your traditional steeple and stained glass window setting.

The church setting encourages people of all faiths or even of no faith to join in Sunday morning session at 10 a.m. or meet with a smaller group throughout the week.

“We always say authenticity is the only requirement,” Mwenya said. “They realize that they can truly just be who they are.”

Perhaps one of the most rewarding parts of Mwenya’s job is when he looks out across the sea of faces and sees people of all different backgrounds and faiths coming together.

“You see people from all walks of life melted together, because that is the type of church that we wanted,” Mwenya said.

This weekend, Mwenya and a handful of volunteers will be working together to continue to spruce up the church. Part of that process will be painting over the words written over the wall. Congregation members were asked to write on the wall the first Sunday that they occupied the building.

“We are leaving all of that up and just painting over it so this place is always covered in prayer,” Mwenya said.