Name | Shubach World CATHEDRAL [1] | |
Gender | Male | |
HIST | Church taking over empty 'big box' Posted: Sunday, August 15, 2010 6:00 am | Updated: 11:10 pm, Sat Aug 14, 2010. By COREY DAVIS cdavis@theitem.com For the past couple of years, the "big box" building once occupied by Steve & Barry's - and earlier by Walmart - on Broad Street has sat empty. That will change at the beginning of the new year, when a Sumter church is scheduled to relocate there. The building will be the new home for Shubach World Cathedral, which is part of Shubach Deliverance World Ministries Inc. Dr. T. La'trell Penny is the senior pastor of Shubach. She said she has been preaching for more than 20 years and served as a pastor in South Carolina for the past 10 years. She added that her church purchased the building just a couple of weeks ago. "The building is paid in full, and there is no mortgage," said the 39-year-old Penny, originally from Brooklyn, N.Y. "This will allow us to really do some things for the church and for the community in broad." Penny said the building was something she and her church group had been looking into for sometime. "We had been looking at getting the building for the last two years, and my colleagues had been pushing me to get it," she said. "I give all the glory to God for making it happened." The next step for Penny will be to obtain a building permit, which Planning Director George McGregor said Thursday afternoon the planning commission hasn't received. Penny said the permit is in the works. "We know from a legality standpoint that we have to get a building permit, but we must get the blueprints for the building done first," she said. "Hardee Construction (Co.) is doing the renovation and handling the blueprints. Once myself and Hardee Construction come to an agreement on the blueprints then we will submit them, and I expect that should happen in the next couple weeks." Penny explained that one of the reasons for moving into the bigger building is that her current church on Broad Street can't hold the increased number of people who want to come and worship. "We felt like we had maxed out at our current building, and we got the new building for space," Penny said. "We have about 150 to 200 members at our church, and there are times where we have to turn away people because we don't have enough room. We are doing this to expand our ministry and cater to the needs in the community." Though there have been a number of churches with larger congregations that have popped up across the country over the years, Penny wants people in the area to understand that her church is different. Penny, who once was homeless, said her ministry is about helping those who are less fortunate and spreading the word of Jesus Christ to as many people as possible. "This is not going to be just another big pretty church in Sumter," Penny said. "We're not looking to reach out to just one group of people or one ethnicity. We're looking to cater to every race and every background. We want to reach out to every component of Sumter." Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen said he believes the church will be a good addition to the area, despite the fact that the city loses significant tax dollars when nonprofits, such as churches, move into large buildings. "As a mayor of the city, I prefer that corner to be general commercial, but as a citizen and a Christian, I love to see a church anywhere," McElveen said. With the building being empty for so long, Penny said she believes her church will attract more people to Sumter. "I feel our church is only going to an asset to the city," she said. "We believe it's going to bring traffic and new tourism to the area." This isn't the first time a large empty building in Sumter has been turned into a big church. Bethesda Church of God, which has been in Sumter since 1945, took over the former Lowe's building on Broad Street extension in May 2005. The Rev. Al Sims, senior pastor of Bethesda since July 1999, said the church has had a good experience since moving from its previous address on Camden Highway. "It has been a wonderful experience, and the advantage of having room is a great thing," Sims said. "The added space has helped in terms of hosting statewide organizations, and the building has been used almost every day. I still today get stopped by people about the beautification of the building, and I praise God for the good people of this area." According to Penny, Shubach had looked into buying the old Lowe's building before Bethesda purchased it. "We had looked at that building six or seven years ago when Lowe's first closed, but we felt like it wasn't the right time to buy it," Penny said. "We feel the idea of going to a bigger church came from God, and we're going to look at ourselves as a sister church to Bethesda. We are encouraged by what they have done." Reach Corey Davis at (803) 774-1295. Posted in News, Local news on Sunday, August 15, 2010 [1] | |
_UID | DA92E0ED772D41679143640688EE75E08EAA | |
Person ID | I258841 | Singleton and other families |
Last Modified | 4 Sep 2010 |
Family | World Cathedral SHUBACH | |
_UID | 7B62278BCBE24FF8A48CE60D50B4D8159761 | |
Last Modified | 2 Mar 2024 | |
Family ID | F174490 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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