A Church Reaching Further : The Church in Ocean Park plays host to an unusual congregation: dancers, singers and anyone else willing to rent space

Is organized religion ready for the Bonedaddys?

And is a church that’s even willing to present the popular Los Angeles rock band ready to invite performance artist Cheri Gaulke, whose piece on theology has her acting out a mock crucifixion in the nude?

“I thought Cheri’s performance was an entirely appropriate piece to be happening in a church,” said the Rev. James Conn. “I thought it was the kind of cutting edge theater that this was the perfect venue for.”

Welcome to Santa Monica’s The Church in Ocean Park, a United Methodist establishment that plays host to performance artists, rock bands, Windham Hill recording artists, New-Age themed entertainers, dance troupes, folk singers and anybody else willing to rent church space. But don’t mistake this busy Westside community center for a nightclub.

“This church,” Conn said, “is a church for people who have, for one reason or another, decided that organized religion is not for them. They have rejected the church in its traditional forms but want a sense of community and connectedness with the church community.”

Situated only a block from Main Street in Santa Monica--where buildings are routinely transformed into their trendiest possible incarnations--The Church in Ocean Park maintains a quiet and humble presence. Behind its traditional church decor, a visitor might expect to find a once-a-week collection of parishioners shifting uneasily in pews, occasionally coughing through monotone sermons. What they’ll discover, instead, is a center for activities ranging form Overeaters Anonymous meetings to a karate class for children, along with dance, theater and musical diversions.

As patriarch and driving force behind The Church in Ocean Park, Conn, 44, counts himself among those alienated by traditional forms of religious worship. As a result, Conn has revitalized the once moribund church by taking it into unchartered areas. He choose another unusual path by being elected to the Santa Monica City Council in 1981. He became mayor in 1986 and served in that position until last Tuesday.

Conn sees his role and that of the church as responding to the needs of the Ocean Park community. Groups such as the anti-nuclear Westside SANE/Freeze, which has an office in the church, Alliance for Survival and other left-of-center organizations often hold fund-raisers there. “Rainbow, not Rambo,” a dance presentation recently performed there, is emblematic of the activities the church showcases. Conn believes the country as a whole is more willing to give a voice to conservative issues, and he wants the church to reflect a more progressive vision.

“One of our goals,” Conn explained, “is to provide space for alternative culture in this community.”

Santa Monica resident Dona Dirlam, 41, first attended a dance at the church 7 years ago. “I got spiritually involved there after seeking something political. I have been able to get both there,” said the woman whose favorite church events are the poetry readings and performance art.

When Conn took over the church’s operations in 1973 at the request of a bishop of the United Methodist Church, he inherited a dwindling congregation of about 15 people who wanted to see the church resume normal operations after being closed for a year. Determined to get the community more involved, he made the church more accessible by offering space at rock-bottom rates. After re-establishing the church, the grounds, which include three buildings and a preschool in the basement, were upgraded.

Church administrator Judy Abdo joined Conn in 1973 after seeing a flyer for an activity at the church. She was elected to the Santa Monica City Council as part of the Santa Monicans for Renters’ Rights ticket, the one on which Conn originally ran. Now in charge of financial management and scheduling for the church, Abdo echoes Conn’s sentiments, stressing that the space is for people who otherwise wouldn’t have a forum. Events at the church have drawn from three to 200 people, and the house is often full on weekends.

“We like to encourage groups who can’t be in legitimate places due to money,” Abdo said. The rental fee for the hall is based on the expected audience, and then set at $1 a person. On weekends the fee is a standard $200. Audiences pay $2 to $3 for regular events, and performers have a say in what is charged.

Folk singer Ross Altman, 41, has performed at the church once a year since 1986. “It’s a wonderful place for a concert because it’s the best audience in the world. They clap like it’s Carnegie Hall,” he said.

“Even though I don’t go to church there, I still feel a part of the community. It’s ecumenical. I’m Jewish and they celebrate the Jewish holidays. They celebrate holidays from all religions. It’s like no church I have ever encountered.

“Some churches just have music as spice, as decoration, but The Church in Ocean Park really enjoys singing. They really value art and integrate it into the life of the church,” Altman said.

Despite the apparent ideological bent, Abdo maintains that The Church in Ocean Park is as open a forum as possible. “We don’t censor or ask subject content. We have a short list of rules that have to do with cleaning up after the event and paying the fee. We won’t rent to people who will put a strain on the building,” Abdo said.

Sometimes events can cause controversy within the church. Once, a women’s program considered too anti-male by some female church members raised some questions. Yet controversy is fine with Conn if it has a purpose, such as performance artist Gaulke’s treatment of religion. Conn invited Gaulke to perform.

“We’ve been rather supportive of performance art because it’s probably the edgiest kind of art form around. I thought Cheri’s piece was profoundly theological,” Conn said. He added that usual religious taboos, such as nudity, aren’t an issue “if it’s in the context of a theatrical presentation, if it fits the piece.”

This openness and tolerance is what makes The Church in Ocean Park uniquely attractive to its members, whom Conn says are mostly single adults about 30 to 40. Psychotherapist Marie Poll agrees, saying the church’s inclusive atmosphere offers a refreshing change from the isolation many Angelenos experience. “People in L.A. seem to be very lost in finding places,” said Poll, who recommends the church to those who feel lost in the city.

Another value of the church, according to Poll, is that it offers a stage to unknowns. At least one of the hundreds of performers who have passed through the church has gone on to stardom. In the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, the church had a theater/improvisation group where actress Betty Thomas regularly performed. “She was in the middle of running a piece when she was picked for ‘Hill Street Blues,’ ” Conn said.

Church plans include more activities like the theater group, but Conn’s main concern rests with the church’s service to the community. He cited the network of assistance programs, including a family crises center and a homeless outreach organization, as vital church functions. “We want this to be a healing community as well as a venue for the arts,” he said.

Besides the various self-help organizations, such as Alcoholic’s Anonymous and Cocaine Anonymous, other groups either organized or housed by the church include a support group for Katya Komirsaruk, the young computer hacker now in prison for destroying a U.S. Defense Department computer system; a poetry group; a Bible study meeting and a women’s spiritual group.

“This is a rare community,” Conn said of Ocean Park. “People here are not really willing to commit themselves to institutions.” But the community is responding: 50 to 60 people usually show up for the 10 a.m. Sunday service, and about 600 people are on the church’s mailing list.

The Church in Ocean Park is at 235 Hill St., Santa Monica. To book acts or find out what events are scheduled, call (213) 399-1631.