A new church is forming in Winchester with the goal of making connections as well as reducing the number of unchurched people in Clark County.

Revive Community Church is set to have its first service Sept. 17 in the George Rogers Clark High School auditorium. Senior pastor Aaron Hackworth said the church is hosting monthly “hang-out” times at the high school to meet people and spread the word in Clark County.

“It was a calling,” he said. “I felt the need of the city.”

After doing some research, he said the statistics showed half of the people in Clark County have no connection to God, he said.

The Winchester location will be a revival of the church itself. Hackworth said he was leading a church in Irvine, which ended to move and rebuild in Winchester.

“We started building relationships here,” he said. “We’re excited to get started. We’re still … getting established.”

Hackworth said Revive is affiliated with Immanuel

Baptist Church in Lexington, though it’s not using the denomination in its name to avoid preconceived ideas or bad experiences, he said. He said he’s also looking for people not involved in church, rather than attracting those who are already members elsewhere.

“We believe we have to be a forward-thinking church,” he said.

Until September, the church is hosting informal sessions at 6 p.m. on the fourth Sunday of the month at GRC, mainly to meet people, ask questions and start seeking a purpose.

“I feel that’s the role of the local church: to create a sense of purpose,” he said. “I really believe if people are given the opportunity to thrive, they do. If failure and money are not an obstacle, what could you do in the community? I think when people find a purpose, we’ll see that number (of unchurched people) change.”

For more information, go to www.myrevive.church or search on Facebook.