Business After Hours set for The Annex

The Alliance Church will be hosting the Chinook Area Chamber's first Business After Hours event of the new year. The Alliance Church, located at the corner of Highway 2 and Indiana Street, moved in to an additional facility last fall.

Pastor Dennis Findorff said, "Our congregation has been wanting to have an open house to let locals see our new Sunday school and office facility. The Business After Hours seemed like a good way to introduce the community to The Annex." The Annex is located at the corner of First Street and Indiana in what was once the L&L Pizza location.

Findorff gave a little history of how the congregation acquired the building and its new role for the church. He said, "For some time we rented space in Wallner Hall for our Sunday school classes. That was good space for us but not really easily accessible from our main sanctuary. I'd hoped that someday the old L&L Pizza facility would be available as it is just up one block from our main building."

The building was owned by Barry Murnion who used the back portion to store materials for his construction business and leased the front portion to the Chinook Chamber.

The church bought the building about two years ago. Findorff said the remodel work began in late summer and early fall of 2014.

In September of this year, the church officially began using The Annex for Sunday school classes, meetings and the pastor's office. The reconfigured building has an office for the pastor, a reception area, bathrooms and a 'mini-kitchen,' a resource/work room and three classrooms for Sunday school. A large room at the west end of the building is used on Sunday mornings for Kids' Church while the adults worship at the main sanctuary down the hill.

The Business

After Hours event

Findorff said, "The plan for the event isn't totally completed but we will have food and drinks, give away some door prizes and have activities for the kids. It will be very family-friendly."

He said there would also be a slide show of the remodeling process from the time the building was purchased until it was completed and the church began using it.

Findorff added, "The main goal of the evening is to welcome the community to see the changes and how we are using The Annex."

The main entrance for The Annex is off Second Street and that is where guests should enter for the Business After Hours gathering.

The event will be held Thursday, January 14, from 6 to 8 p.m. Business After Hours is open to the community and all are welcome to attend.

Mark your calendar to attend and check out The Annex.