There have been several examples in Albert Lea of former church buildings being converted for other uses during the years. There are also examples of buildings once used for something else that are now churches. One of the best examples of this type of conversion is at the Albert Lea Vineyard Church, 419 Adams Ave.

Some area citizens may recall the upper level of this large brick building being used as an indoor roller skating rink. Other people may also remember this place as a cash-and-carry furniture business. And more recent memories are based on this location with the large enclosed ramp being a local bowling alley.

This large, two-level structure on Adams Avenue between College and Court Streets was reportedly constructed for Aleidus “Vic” Vietor about six decades ago. Vietor was the owner of Albert Lea Transfer Co., where the motto was “You Call, We Haul.” The building was used for his firm’s operations, by several business ventures and as a storage facility by several other firms.

In the early 1950s, the upper level became Carl’s Roller Rink for a few years. Access was by an inside stairway. About 1955, the name changed to L & L Roller Rink. Then in the 1970s, the upper level and a portion of the lower level became Jerry’s Cash and Carry Furniture, which was owned by Jerry Wayne.

A city building permit was issued in 1982 for the upper level to be remodeled as a bowling alley. It’s at this time the long enclosed ramp extending all across the length of the building’s north side was constructed. This is one of the very few structures of this type in the area. As a result, the Albert Lea Bowl with its eight lanes became a popular recreational center for both league and open bowling. In later years this bowling alley was replaced by Holiday Lanes on the city’s east side.

In 1997, a city building permit was issued for the remodeling of the upper level of this building for use by a church. However, the first occupant was not the Vineyard Church, but a religious group called Love International.

What is the history of the Albert Lea Vineyard congregation? As an answer, here is summary furnished by Matt Hundley, the pastor:

“In 1988, about 12 families from Albert Lea began attending the Austin Christian Fellowship. Some of the families knew each other through a home Bible study, and the others were playing on a softball team together. These folks were drawn to the ACF because of the worship style and the desire for more freedom regarding the gifts of the spirit. In 1991, these families became the Albert Lea Christian Fellowship. They met for the first time at Lakeview School in February 1991. Scott Wood was the first pastor. In May of 1993, the fellowship adopted into the Vineyard movement and became known as Vineyard Christian Fellowship. In 1997, the church moved into an old theater in the Broadway Building. By 1999, it became necessary to relocate to the present facility on Adams Avenue. … My family and I moved here in May 2000. After two months as interim pastors, Robin and I separately felt the Lord tugging at our hearts to stay and complete the work we had started. In August of 2000, we were called full time to pastor the Vineyard Church.”

Hundley said there are about 500 Vineyard church groups in the U.S. and another 500 elsewhere in the world. He added that the local congregation has about 150 members.

Hundley is from Cedar Falls, Iowa, and graduated from the University of North Iowa in 1992, and taught school in nearby Waterloo for seven years. He is now a substitute teacher in the Albert Lea schools and full-time pastor of the Vineyard Church.

His wife, Robin, is a fifth-grade teacher at Lakeview Elementary School and works with the children’s ministry at the church. They have four children: Chandra is a junior at the University of Iowa, Sarah is a senior and Madison is a freshman at Albert Lea High School, and John is a seventh-grader at Southwest Middle School.

Hundley said that the ramp is a handy feature for the church because it is handicap accessible. Yet, there’s a slight slope.

“We’ll help out as needed,” he added.

There are facilities in the church portion of this building for the religious education of younger children and youths. One group known as E.D.G.E. is for third- to fifth-graders, and F.U.E.L. is for sixth- to 12th-graders.

A sometimes overlooked feature of this church is the fact that it occupies the entire upper level of the building (the former bowling alley), plus about a quarter of the lower level that’s used for the youth groups and for storage. (Another quarter of the lower level is used by Greg Stegenga’s Grass Service and the remainder is used for storage by several local businesses.)