Church buys former Kettering Cinema

The former Kettering 2 Cinema at 1441 E. Dorothy Lane in Kettering has been sold and will be reborn as a church.

The Shelter Community Church, which has outgrown its building at 1541 John Glenn Road in Dayton’s Belmont neighborhood, plans to renovate the 12,680-square-foot building east of the Wilmington Pike intersection and open as a house of workship in May or June.

The 150-member congregation is affiliated with the West Carrollton Church of the Nazarene. Pastor is Ryan Riddell.

Built in 1966 on 2.8 acres, the twin-screen theater closed in 2006 with a final double feature of “King Kong” and “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.”

It was purchased in the 1970s by Chakeres Theaters, which set a sale price of $1.9 million after closing it seven years ago.

Mark Peebles, a member of the Shelter clergy, said weekly services at 11:15 a.m. Sundays will continue at the John Glenn Road location until the reopening in Kettering.

“We’re taking bids on doing a two-phase renovation of the old moviehouse, which is an empty space. Phase one will include leveling the floors. We will have a dedicated and secure area for kids, so parents will be confident about leaving them there during services and other activities. Faamilies and kids are our priority,” Peebles said.

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