Cedar Rapids Ruhl&Ruhl REALTOR, Peg Cretin certainly went out of the ordinary with the listing of the Church on Fire Christian Center. With a recent deal under way the property is now pending, but Ruhl&Ruhl wanted to share an article ran in the “Cedar Rapids Gazette” on July 2, 2011.
The article reads – Cedar Rapids Realtors still are in negotiations and sales are not yet final, but the 200-some members of Cedar Rapids’ Peoples Church Unitarian Universalist have planned their final service at the historic downtown building with expectations to relocate to the northwest side of town.
With the sanctuary at 600 Third Ave. SE under contract to be sold in August and the Peoples Church planning to relocate to the building that once housed the Church on Fire Christian Center at 4980 Gordon Ave. NW in mid-July, the last day of services under the familiar wooden rafters is set for Friday.
Once they’re moved in to their new church, church leaders intend to integrate stained glass, pews, art and other mementos from the original Peoples Church, which was built in 1875 into the Gordon Avenue building. The plan, according to Rev. Tom Capo, is to have the old church sold and the new building bought by August, although nothing is final until all the real estate documents are signed, he said. “We hope to have those negotiations finalized next week,” said Capo.
Capo said the Gordon Avenue space became available when the pastor of the Church on Fire Christian Center decided to close its doors and do “community ministry” rather than “parish ministry.”
Last summer, the Peoples Church was close to selling its building and relocating its membership. Steve Emerson, president of Aspect Architecture, was expected to take ownership of the property for $705,000 in July, but the deal fell through, Capo said.
He wouldn’t elaborate on why the building didn’t sell at that time. It was originally listed at $795,000. “When we thought the deal was done, it was not,” Capo said.
And so the church went back on the market and leaders continued looking at other possible locations for its members.
Capo would not provide details of the Church of the Fire Christian Center purchase until the sale closes. The congregation will move to a temporary facility if something holds up the permanent relocation, he said. “We have learned in this process that we need to be open to all kinds of experiences and dream what we want for our future,” Capo said.
Church leaders began looking for a new church more than a year ago when maintenance needs mounted and rising costs to fix the aging building seemed greater than the cost to relocate. The final straw, Capo said, was the discovery of mold growing in the children’s area and the insurance company’s requirement to take out an entire wall to remedy the issue.
“We don’t have the money to do that” he said. “And there are not many parents who want their kids to go some place where there is a lot of mold.”
The new building has more square feet and more classroom space. Capo said he doesn’t expect to lose any congregation members in the move, but to gain some. “Moving is a little stressful,” he said. “I’m hoping we will see some of the folks who will come back after the stress is gone and we’re back in the community.”
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