“People in New Castle are very traditional,” Minto said. “A lot of people stayed away from our site because they thought we were a cult. I was told years ago that there’s this mentality here that if you don’t have a steeple and a cross and pews, people will run. They’ll think that you’re Jim Jones and you’re going to make them drink some Kool-Aid.

“We had people ask us all the time, ‘What do you do over there in that building?’ So we thought this would be a good move for us. It has given us a sense of legitimacy, and really, we also wanted to be more a part of the community, down in New Castle, as well.”

Minto, who spend about eight years as a police officer in upstate New York before answering the call to ministry, said that experience helps to shape his evangelistic vision for the area.

“I have a heart for prison ministry,” he said. “It probably goes back to my police days. I understand a lot of them, their mentality. This city is filled with drugs and alcohol and people who need the Lord. We’re hoping to impact in some way a group of people who have been incarcerated and help them get on the right path.

“Really, that sums up our entire vision as church. Right now, we’re a group of people who want to learn, love and reach the people of this city the best way that we can.”