A church known for social justice and feeding the hungry almost permanently shut its doors after a legal dispute with an occupant.
Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, closed for four months and lost more than half of its funding. Director Beth Foster thought the church had come to its end.
The St. Andrews Center board voted to show the building to other people. And the Mercy Junction Justice and Peace Center Council discussed giving the building back to St. Andrews.
But a couple of supporters wouldn’t let it die.
Terry Davis, co-director, gave the building a fresh coat of paint and made some repairs. Other volunteers swept the floors and cleaned rooms. Mercy Junction Council Elder Joan Flores kept telling Foster that she could continue.