FARMINGTON — There’s no steeple, no pews but a store downtown has become a church with the opportunity to be “in the heart of all the activity of what’s happening in Farmington and on the university campus.”

For a second Sunday, the Rev. Ryan Goding led services for Summit Faith Community at 189 Main St., an empty space previously held by Curves.

The church uses a non-traditional approach to engaging people and encouraging them in their faith with a newly renovated space offering a welcoming atmosphere and modern feel with the use of technology, he said.

With no prior announcement, about 50 people attended the first service. The church opening is just the beginning but it comes after a couple years of building a “community of faith,” or core community, through small groups, Bible study and activities.

“We believe that our culture has lost a little bit of what it means to be a church, a community of faith,” he said.

The church seeks to provide an opportunity for open dialogue through the building of loving, caring relationships where people can express themselves and have their needs met, he said.

The mission also includes bridging the gap between the two cultures of Farmington, the college and the rest of the community, he said. Although the ministry seeks to make the church a picture of the kingdom, composed of people of all ages and races, Goding sees a “huge mission field” on the campus.

When his mentor, William Johnson of Pittsfield, spoke during an intervarsity fellowship public meeting held at the University of Maine at Farmington, the realm of questions asked “spoke volumes as to where the Lord was leading me,” Goding said.

The campus hall was packed during that meeting and quite a few, not necessarily involved in church, asked inquisitive, difficult questions about things like, “why do people suffer if God is a good God?” he said. He saw it as hearts open to hearing the answer.

Goding and his wife, Kylie, were living in the Pittsfield area and were settled in a healthy, vibrant church there. He was encouraged by another member to go into ministry and believed “God really wanted me to plant a church.”

He was ordained through the Christian Reform Church, a mostly Michigan-based denomination that helps with grant funding for this church.

In 2008, the couple sold their Pittsfield house and major possessions, liquidated their retirement accounts and came here where they bought a house, started doing Bible studies and meeting people, building a network, he said. Kylie leads a women’s prayer group and now provides a children’s time during the service.

“Our house is literally open seven-days a week and we encourage that,” he said talking about the groups that meet there. The Main Street church will also become a community center, of sorts. Open-mic nights, movie nights, play groups, all sponsored by the church, are being planned in the space.

While searching for a suitable church space, it came down to their “mission” when the downtown site was chosen.

“We felt it was what we were called to do and the best way to accomplish our mission,” he said.

A website, www.summitfaithcommunity.com offers more information about the church. The Godings can be contacted at at 778-4123.

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