news-record.com

The big, sprawling church in the shadow of Four Seasons Town Centre hasn’t stayed on the market long. A buyer has made an offer for Asbury United Methodist Church.

One of the real estate agents handling the sale says the buyer has declined to be identified, but Shalom Community Christian Church has planted its signs in the lawn, which also sports a big “under contract” sign.

Shalom’s Web site now lists its address as 2227 Pinecroft Road, which was Asbury’s old address.

The Shalom congregation, created as an interracial church in 1999, has been meeting on the campus of Bennett College for Women, where the senior pastor, the Rev. Eric Cole, is an assistant math professor.

Cole could not be reached for comment Monday, but several former Asbury members happened upon him at the church building this weekend.

“He’s revved up, excited about being there,” said former Asbury member Joan Hipp, who stopped by the church Saturday when she saw cars in the parking lot. “He told me that the loan had been approved, but the closing date hadn’t been picked. We wanted somebody who could get out into the community and reach people like we wanted to do. That means a lot, especially to me.”

Cole also held a service there Sunday.

“I drove by there on my way to church, and there were very few parking spaces left in the front at 9:30 (a.m.),” said Nancy Harper, also a former Asbury member. “I feel great about it because I was very concerned that a contractor might buy the property and tear it down and build something else. It’s close to a school, it’s close to a mall, it’s close to a theater, it’s close to the highway.”

The Asbury congregation, which held its last worship service in June, didn’t have a mortgage but couldn’t afford to pay the pastor or the utility bills. The 22,000-square-foot campus, listed for $875,000, includes a main sanctuary, a floor mostly earmarked for Sunday school or nursery classrooms, and a commercial stainless-steel kitchen.

“It’s already built out; it’s a turn-key situation for another church to come in — the sanctuary and the Sunday school classrooms,” agent Richard Montana said of the building’s selling points. “They’re not having to recreate the buildings.”

Over the years the predominantly white, aging Asbury congregation had dwindled from more than 300 members to fewer than 40 people most Sundays in the increasingly diverse community. An African American assistant pastor was brought in to help connect with the neighborhoods around them, but pews remained largely empty. This summer the property was turned over to district United Methodist officials, who say money from the sale of the church will be plowed into both existing and new ministries.

Shalom is part of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) denomination. Cole, who has a master’s in divinity from Duke University and a doctorate of ministry from United Theological Seminary, is the author of the book “Are You Ready for a Miracle?” Over the past decade, Shalom has rented space for its ministry, including at Canterbury School. Its Web site (www.shalomword.org) lists commitment to the Greensboro area, including ministries to refugees and the homeless.
 

Contact Nancy McLaughlin at 373-7049 or nancy.mclaughlin@news-record.com