In November 2007, a new church that prides itself on being "casual" and comfortable" held its first service in Westbury. The Point Community Church currently holds services at AMC Loews Raceway 10 on Corporate Drive and is, according to lead Pastor Todd Bishop, a place of Christian worship with a "casual dress and serious faith." Recently, The Westbury Times interviewed Bishop, to find out a little more about the Point Community Church. Here's what he had to say:

Westbury Times (WT): Where did you get the idea to start the Point Community Church? What was the need?

Todd Bishop (TB): God would be the easy answer but I guess you could say it came out of my own faith journey. I have always been part of churches where most of the attendees would wear suits. I totally do not like suits. On a typical day you will find me wearing jeans and flip-flops. One day a friend visited a church we were at and left because she was not dressed up. I think that people should be able to come as they are to church. In our world today we are on information overload. We get bombarded with emails, phone calls, newspapers, job assignments, etc. - we get so much information. I think that churches need to teach for life transformation - in other words, why does this biblical truth matter and what does it mean to me? I believe [there] is a great need to be able to make faith matter. Many people leave church after a certain period in their life for multiple reasons. I want to be able to provide a reason for not leaving the faith or church. I hope the Point will be able to do this.

WT: Where did the name the 'Point" stem from? Does it bear significance?

TB: The name simply means we want to "get to the point." We promise a 65-minute life-changing service that will cause anyone to explore the possibilities of faith. We do not want to waste people's time. We want to respect their schedules while giving them a great opportunity to discover God, develop friendships and devote their lives to service. We have a buzz phrase: "We are shorter than a movie with life-changing results." On a side note, today, most movies run an hour and a half to two hours; we are much shorter than a movie.

WT: Who is the Point geared at?

TB: We are really targeting a certain mindset. People young and old. Religious or non-religious. I would probably have to say our "target" would be the unchurched - those who do not attend church, and the dechurched - those who don't like church. They may like God or believe in him but for some reason they just don't want to go to church. We want to make church fun and exciting. We accept all and refuse none. All are welcome to attend the Point.

WT: What sets you apart from other congregations? How do you feel the Point is different?

TB: We consider ourselves to be a casual church with a serious faith. Casual dress, casual environment. But we definitely take the Bible seriously. People may come out of curiosity at first but I really hope that they will see the value that churches bring to a community. One of the core values of the Point is to "expect the unexpected." I think when anything becomes predictable it becomes boring. I believe that the church is the hope of the world. With that in mind I never want to become so predictable that boredom sets in. I think it is kind of like a movie - if you know the ending it is not as exciting. In the same way, we want people to be excited, not always knowing what comes next. Each week we hope to provide something different.

WT: Why should people attend a Point service?

TB: The greatest reason why I hope people come is because they are looking for something - something that gives the monotony of life meaning. Something that brings lasting value. Maybe someone may just want to explore the claims of Christ and "watch" from the sidelines. That is fine with us. We want people to feel part of an extended family!

WT: Currently, services are held at the Westbury Loews Raceway theater. Are there plans to relocate to your own building in the near future?

TB: Not presently. We are excited about meeting at Loews Raceway. It automatically becomes a very casual environment. You can bring a cup of coffee into the service or even eat a doughnut. The general manager Rob has been amazing. We are privileged to be able to work with Loews/AMC. Our next phase would be the rental or purchase of office space in Westbury. Eventually, however, we would like to build a beautiful Starbucks-like coffee house that also has a meeting space for services.

WT: Tell us a little about yourself. What is your background?

TB: I served as a youth pastor for 12 years in Hudson Falls (for five years) and in Valley Stream (for over seven years). I have seen significant growth in both locations. In Hudson Falls, I led the youth from six students to over 75. In Valley Stream, I have been honored to lead the youth ministry to a weekly attendance of more than 160 students in three different youth services. About a year and a half ago I started to get this urge to try something different. I always felt like I was good at starting things from scratch. Everyone has something they want to give their life to; for me the Point was it. I started reading books on church planning and attended conferences on how to start churches from scratch. I began to educate myself and study church trends in an effort to launch a great church in Westbury.

The Point Community Church currently meets monthly at AMC Loews Raceway. The next service is scheduled for Sunday, Jan. 20 at 10:15 a.m. Beginning Sunday, Feb. 17, however, services will be weekly at the same time and location. "Services are sensitive to people's busy schedule - come at 10:15 a.m. and leave by 11:20 a.m. - still in time to accomplish some errands," said Bishop.

For more information on the Point Community Church visit thepointcommunitychurch.com, call 724-1841 or email info@thepointcommunitychurch.com. Information can also be obtained by writing to the Point Administrative Office, 74 South Grove Street, Valley Stream, NY 11580.