Toledo Muslim Community Center to move into former Armory Church

5/4/2018
BY NICKI GORNY
BLADE STAFF WRITER

A new religious community is set to move into the facility formerly occupied by the Armory Church, which lost ownership of the property in a foreclosure earlier this year.

The Toledo Muslim Community Center is under contract to purchase the property at 3319 Nebraska Ave., for its appraised value of $925,000, according to spokesman Zeinab Khalil.

The Armory Church, located at 3319 Nebraska Ave., is under contract to be sold.
The Armory Church, located at 3319 Nebraska Ave., is under contract to be sold.

TMCC serves the spiritual, educational, and recreational needs of an estimated 1,000 individuals — primarily families and college students — at 5045 W. Sylvania Ave. Ms. Khalil said it is too early to know when the community will shift activities to the former church, where purchase plans fulfill a years-long search for a new space that would accommodate a growing community.

“While we love the current space we have, our community has simply outgrown it,” Ms. Khalil said in a statement.

The new facility will particularly enable TMCC to better serve community youth, she added.

“With the additional space, we will be able to increase our youth-programming capacities significantly to empower not only our community but the wider Toledo community, especially those in nearby neighborhoods,” Ms. Khalil said. “We are very excited for this, because Toledo youth are at the heart of our communities and city. Our doors are always open to all, and we look forward to learning more about our diverse Toledo communities' needs.”

The property came onto the market after Armory Church, formerly known as St. James Holiness Church of God in Christ, fell behind more than $3 million on a mortgage. Its lender foreclosed in December, sending the property to a sheriff’s sale in February. No buyer came forward at that point, and the congregation continued to worship there for several months amid conversations about the future of the property.

Armory Church Senior Pastor William James could not be reached for comment on Friday.

SunBridge Schools began leasing space at the facility under Armory Church to operate its fourth, fifth, and sixth grade classes. Board Chairman Steve Mitchell said that this arrangement is expected to continue under TMCC.

Contact Nicki Gorny at ngorny@theblade.com or 419-724-6133.