NewsLocal News

Actions

Lansing church faces roadblock after fire

Posted at 12:09 PM, Nov 11, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-11 12:09:15-05

LANSING, Mich. — Inside the sanctuary, music played, members sang and spirits were high for Unity Spiritual Center’s Sunday service. They moved to The Fledge, after their building caught fire on September 8th.

"There are certain things that should never happen in life and one of them is that your church home should never be destroyed," said Minister Sharon Ketchum.

Now they face another roadblock after their temporary office space was tagged by the city as unsafe- a trailer in their church parking lot.

"They red-tagged us on a Friday that it was unsafe to go into our offices. So there I was with Sunday coming up in two days with no place to go," said Ketchum.

Another roadblock in their path towards a permanent church building was a zoning violation because the trailer is in a residential area. They now have two weeks to move their things and find somewhere to go.

"I got a permit for a construction trailer because we're under construction,” said Ketchum. “ I didn't know that means you can't occupy, which means you can't sit down and have an office in it. It was not in my wheelhouse of knowledge about what kind of trailer you can have while you're under construction. It was ideal because of the workmen there- very often they're asking me a question.”

Ketchum says they are now being extra careful and leaning on each other to get through the next challenges. They are currently looking at a few different options for an office space. The church plans to vote on whether to restore the current building or relocate in two weeks.

Want to see more local news ? Visit the FOX47News Website.

Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.

Download our free app for Appleand Android

and

Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.

Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.

Follow us on Twitter

Like us on Facebook