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If you’ve noticed extra activity at Cornerstone Community Church of God on Belleville Avenue, it’s because the congregation is having to move. The move is due to their lease ending December 31.
Cornerstone Community Church has called the building home for over 25 years. The church, originally built as a Universalist Church in 1883, had not been used as a church since the 1970’s.
Cornerstone began serving the community there in 1997. The church is active in doing events for the community and supporting mission work in other parts of the world.
The church property is managed by the D.W. McMillian Trust.
Cornerstone Church Clerk Dru Rush recently had a meeting with Dan McMillian, of the Trust, to make sure nothing had changed since their last discussions.
“We were told several months ago that they were wanting to move forward with selling the property,” Rush said. “An offer to purchase the property was made to us, but at the time we couldn’t meet their offer.
“Shortly after that, we had someone offer to purchase the property and allow us to continue to have services there, but their offer was not accepted”.
It was stated that the “vision” for the future of the building was for someone to restore it to its original state, and that it service the community.
“We have some idea of what the ‘new vision’ is,” Rush said. “But it doesn’t include a place of worship”.
Rush said that previously the church had asked that should the building be offered to others for sale at a lower price, that we would be notified as that might allow us to stay there. McMillian told Rush last week that the building was offered to the interested party at the same asking price as was quoted to Cornerstone.
McMillian revealed to Pastor Bill Flynn and Rush in a recent meeting that the facility would be opened up to new possibilities, but not another church. The owner did not reveal who the new buyer is or what the building would house in the future.
“Cornerstone Community Church is not closing, “Rush said. “We are having to relocate due to our lease ending. We will continue to serve the community as we have for over 25 years, just from a new location.
“It’s in God’s hands, and he’ll take care of us.”