Centennial Hills church turns 16-theater cineplex into event center

Construction dust is cleared, for now, at the new Truth Christian Ministries International worship center, but some spiritual building is planned this weekend.

The nondenominational church is planning an in-house event called the Impact Youth Conference , set for Thursday through Saturday at its new building, 5101 N. Rainbow Blvd.

Christian band Press Play is slated to perform at 7 p.m. Thursday to kick off a weekend of seminars and programming aimed at enriching young Christians, pastor Kevin Boyd said.

Speakers ranging from pastors to entrepreneurs and events such as a dance workshop with a member of the Jabbawockeez dance group are planned.

The conference will be one of the first major events hosted in the center's new building, also dubbed the TCMI Christian Event Center, a 62,000-square-foot space originally home to the Rancho Santa Fe Movie Theater.

It took about nine months to transform a heavily vandalized 16-theater cineplex into a center suitable for a sanctuary, classrooms, a cafe and small church store, Boyd said.

"It's funny -- I used to come to this theater a while back," he said. "It looked like a big Easter egg when we got it."

Aside from upgrades and restoration, which included turning three theaters into an 800-seat sanctuary, the pink, purple and orange color scheme inside and outside the building were eliminated.

Truth Christian Ministries International is using about one-third of the space in the building.

"We have a lot of room to grow into," Boyd said.

Boyd said the church considers the roughly $750,000 Phase One portion of construction done. Plans include building a larger sanctuary as the congregation grows and updating office space on the second floor.

The first local Truth Christian Ministries International service was hosted in early June, and small events have been performed in the concert-style sanctuary.

The building is available for other Christian or goodwill-based events, Boyd said. A weekly car show is hosted Sundays before services in the center's parking lot. A community yard sale is planned for September.

A second annual Truth Christian Ministries International Harvest Party is slated for near Halloween. Grand opening festivities also are in the works, Boyd said.

"Our vision is to do a lot with the community," Boyd said.

The Impact Youth Conference is a chance to get the Truth Christian Ministries International name out there, church member Saran Kong said. The conference is called a youth conference but all ages are welcome, he said. "This is for anyone looking for a church and who wants to supplement their spiritual needs," he said.

The Press Play concert is set for 7 p.m. Thursday and costs $25. Programming is set to start at 10 a.m. Friday and Saturday . The entry fee is $30 for the weekend.

Congregation excitement for the potential of the new space is palpable, Boyd said. "Everybody seems really happy . The morale seems to be through the roof," he said.

Regular services are hosted at 7 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Sunday. For more information, visit tcmii.com or call 396-3189. For more information about the conference, visit impactlasvegas.com.

Contact Centennial and Paradise View reporter Maggie Lillis at mlillis@viewnews.com or 477-3839.