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94 year old sanctuary's fate uncertain
Comments 0 | Recommend 0The future of a 94 year old sanctuary in Orange remains uncertain.
City council voted unanimously today to end talks with the church on whether the city should buy the property.
Church bells ring through downtown Orange, but there is only silence at one landmark.
"God's given us that church, and for generations we've taken care of it and our generation should not destroy it," says Addie Wallace, a congregation member.
Addie Wallace has been a member of the First Baptist Church in Orange for 58 years. She wants to ensure the bricks laid one by one by former members won't be lost.
"I'm not opposed to the move, I'm opposed to the fact they want to sell the old church," says Wallace.
"What we do, continue to do with our investigation, is come up with a recommendation to our church as soon as possible," says Alan Sanders, also a member of the church.
Alan Sanders is part of a committee put together by the church to find a use for the property that includes the 1914 sanctuary. The congregation voted in April to move to Little Cypress, and since the hurricane damaged the original grounds, they've also moved their services.
"Not to minimize the importance of the sanctuary, but we will be looking at a recommendation for the entire property," says Sanders.
"Our church is congregational. We present proposals, talk about it, debate it, prey about it, then we vote. And that's how the church decides," says Sanders.
The committee met with the City of Orange to talk about any future interest it might have in the property, but Friday council decided to end the discussions.
The committee is still looking at ways the building might be used, and it hopes to avoid dividing the congregation.
"I'm going to fight to keep it, I don't know how long I can hold out to do that, I don't know," says Wallace.
Members of the church have been meeting at Little Cypress Mauriceville High School since hurricane Ike damaged the downtown building.
The 117 acres for a new sanctuary are located on Martin Luther King drive in Little Cypress.
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