Jeremy McClung’s prayers have been answered.

The 30-year-old married father of two is in the process of forming the Muskoka Community Church – a new style of church that proved to be a huge success when he was living as a minister in Winchester, Virginia.

“People in younger generations are looking for something different,” he said, adding that the Grace Community Church in Virginia was located in a vibrant growing community. “When I joined there was around 80 to 100 people and it grew to about 600. It has a real atmosphere of excitement and growth. I think (church-goers) saw it as something that had relevance to their everyday life. We had a full rock-style band that played our worship music. There was no organ.”

McClung’s hope is not only to have a good band and great sermons, but also to provide a safe place for anyone to grow spiritually.  

“We want to be a place where the least likely people can show up, feel comfortable and discover what Christianity is all about,” he said. “We want to be a place where roughly nine out of 10 people in Huntsville who don’t go to church can come and feel instantly at home. That is what the music, the location, and the unorthodox methods are all about ¬– connecting with everyday people. I want (the church) to be known for the way that we humbly serve the community, the way we love people and the way we use creativity as a way to connect people with their creator.”

McClung, who was born and raised in Fort Erie, Ontario and moved to Virginia after receiving his bachelor of arts in Bible and religion/educational ministry from Huntington University in Indiana, recently made Huntsville his home with the intention of starting the Muskoka Community Church. His desire to start a new kind of church stemmed from an experience he had while watching a show at the Algonquin Theatre two years ago.

“I had this subjective experience of God saying, ‘You need to start a church here,’ he said. “If I was going to give up my house, job and friends, I wanted to know it was real. So my wife and I started praying hoping it would become clear to us.”

Over the next eight months nothing really happened. However, it was when he went to “plan and pray” in the Virginia mountains that he received his calling. A couple who had noticed his vehicle licence plate, which read, ‘Virginia for Canada,’ approached McClung and told him that they were from Huntsville.

“After months and months of thinking about starting this church it was so shocking to meet these people from Huntsville,” he said. “I told them about what I had been thinking and they said they thought there was a good possibility there was a niche in Huntsville for this kind of church.”

McClung went on to say that after that experience, he and his wife went into a “transition period.” It was too late in the year to take his son out of school, and so it took about a year for McClung to put his plans into action.

“I got financial support from other churches, including my church in Virginia,” he said. “We’re trying to get connected in the community; there are no outsiders coming to force this on others. We just want to find people who are interested.”

While McClung has already held one information session to try and generate interest in the new church, another is being held on Sunday, May 25 in the community room at Robinson’s Independent Grocers.  

McClung stated he is currently scouting out places where members of the Muskoka Community Church can meet on a regular basis.

“I’m planning to start services in the fall,” he said. “I’m a Canadian returning home and I’m happy to be here. The biggest obstacle was me thinking it wasn’t my imagination getting me here. Although it wouldn’t be the worst place to move.”

Aside from making the church unique that a full band performs during services, he wants to incorporate the arts and media into church services as much as possible.

“I have a unique vision for a nature ministry. I think people connect with God better in wilderness than, say, in a building. Personally, when I want to connect spiritually, I go into a natural environment. I want to offer regular hikes, canoe trips, basically groups that meet outside to experience God.”