For lack of financial support, a 147-year-old African-American church—the oldest such church in Indianapolis, the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana—is closing its doors. It will be taken over by a company that will redevelop the church and its adjoining parking lot into two hotels.
The pastor of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church was forced to sell the property built in 1869 after a fundraising effort to pay for the estimated $2 million cost of building repairs came up way, way short.
"It wasn't even a drop in the bucket of what we needed," the Rev. Lewis Parham said.
Last fall, Bethel church was approached by multiple potential buyers, Parham said. However, the church refused at that time.
Earlier in August last year, Bethel hosted a community discussion that drew only 20 church members. Church leaders told them that much needed church repair would cost $2 million. The amount would be used to put a new roof, fix the foundation, adjust the floor joists and replace the electrical system.
Church members expressed confidence they could raise that amount.
The church made direct appeals to friends and family members. It also created a page on the GoFundMe fundraising website. Parham said he was told by a Texas organisation to expect $300,000 within five months once the GoFundMe page was active.
However, the church received only a $100 gift card from an Indianapolis resident and $11,000 in donations from church members, the pastor said.
"We were totally disappointed," Parham said. "People want the building to stay, but people don't want to do what it takes to keep it here."
The buyer of the property, Indianapolis-based SUN Development and Management Corp., plans to build a replica of the church on what is now the church's parking lot. The company declined to reveal how much it paid for the property.
The pastor said the church will transfer to a still undetermined location, where "the evangelistic efforts we make would be more successful," and where there are residents with young families.
Church historian Olivia McGee-Lockhart said the building has been a landmark for many visitors to the city.
She expressed hopes that the church's history of social justice and dedication to improving the quality of people's lives won't be lost when its members move to a new location.
