Some might call it an answered prayer that Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church is getting its foot traffic back.

The 150-year-old, green-hued building with signature red doors is ramping up programming this holiday season with a pop-up bookshop and a concert. The programming is an initial step in reimagining uses of the church on the road to restoration after a period of being mostly vacant.

“We’re getting people set in a way that this beautiful building will become a community anchor for furthering the restoration and the preservation of Mount Vernon,” said Jack Danna, who chairs UNITE Mount Vernon Inc., the group that acquired the church in July.

The Ivy Bookshop pop-up runs throughout December. Ivy owner Emma Snyder said she was excited to partner with the church, which is a space she always found interesting. The bookshop has held other pop-ups, including at Kenilworth Mall.

“One of the many really extraordinary things about books is that they are about everything and so they can be anywhere,” Snyder said.

The pop-up begins in the snug vestibule of the building, with bestsellers of the season and recommendations for great gifts. The main sanctuary is sprinkled with book displays that have an introductory, historical fact about the building.

As they wander through the books, visitors can give their suggestions about the church’s future on a postcard.

Tara Anne explored the church for the first time at the bookstore pop-up, but she has taken plenty of pictures of the outside before.

That’s not surprising. The church is one of the most recognizable buildings in Mount Vernon, overlooking the Washington Monument. Anne, a 20-year resident of the city, said it is significant that the church is open to the public at any capacity, given its robust history and central location in the neighborhood.

“We don’t have to rebuild this. Why don’t we do something great with it?” she asked as she contemplated books and admired the church’s stained glass windows.

The congregation at Mt. Vernon Place United Methodist Church continues to worship every Sunday at the church, and in the first few months of next year, a day care will return there, Danna said.

In partnership with Nagrama Productions, a holiday concert featuring Clayton Bryant is coming to the church Thursday. The building will also be a stop on the Maryland House & Garden Pilgrimage tour in the spring.

The church, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, is in a lot better shape than board members thought, Danna said. The roof needs to be fixed, but a complete restoration is not anticipated. They’re also in the process of getting the heat repaired, making the church more compliant with the Americans With Disabilities Act and establishing a development plan.

The purchase of the church was backed by Elizabeth Bonner, vice chair of UNITE and a principal in The Agora, a publishing company that moved to Baltimore in the 1990s.

Bonner said, in addition to finances, the church project needed a “nucleus of people who are very committed to making it happen.” It also helps that Bonner, a preservationist and developer, is not afraid of an old building, having restored mansions in Baltimore. The Agora owns several historic buildings in Mount Vernon.

UNITE also received a $250,000 state grant. Since spring, Danna estimates the nonprofit has raised $75,000 in cash and received roughly $12,000 worth of people’s time and services.

Stabilizing the building could cost up to $2 million over the next couple of years, and a full rehabilitation falls in the $5 million to $10 million range, Danna said. The nonprofit has gone through a request for proposals to identify a design team, but it hasn’t announced its pick. In the meantime, the goal is to keep the building active and provide a larger benefit to the community.

“Having a revitalized Mt. Vernon Place Church will give us hope and further belief that Mount Vernon is continuing on the momentum to be a stronger and healthier community,” Danna said.

The Mt. Vernon Place Church wouldn’t be the first house of worship to consider community-centered opportunities in its space.

Two miles away in Charles Village, St. John’s United Methodist Church has for years housed community-oriented events at what’s called Space 2640. The rentable area is coordinated by a collective of Baltimore residents. Jason Churney, a member of the collective, said it’s important to “use the strength of the building itself and why people like to be there.”