Local church fights to keep its home

A local church is fighting to keep its home. Leaders says its impact community is too much to give up.

Family of Faith Community Church serves Spokane and is a haven for many recovering drug addicts.

The church's pastor said the property owner, Spokane Christian Fellowship, wrongfully terminated the lease the church has been under for five years on May 31.

In May, the church was served termination letters for its contract.

KREM 2 reached out to Mark Hamilton with Spokane Christian Fellowship to learn more about this dispute on several occasions but he has not responded on the record.

Church leaders said they have not done anything wrong and will not be leaving.

Family of Faith Community Church wears many hats in the community.

On Tuesdays, it provides food to many who cannot afford groceries. The church is also a place for worship and provides housing for recovering addicts with no other place to go.

Pastor Nik Ehli said he used to be one of these addicts, selling meth on the streets of Spokane.

"I thought the only way out was going to be committing suicide and Spokane has a lot of pretty tall bridges and I figured that would be the way I go," said Pastor Ehli.

Then he met Pastor Danny Green, who could relate. In fact, most of the congregation can relate in many ways.

"We've got a lot of people that are recovering addicts – you know that have been out there robbing, stealing, killing and destroying and that's what our whole church is about," said Pastor Green, referring to changes many have made from a troubled past. "I'm a recovering alcoholic, drug addict myself, and I know that God has done amazing things in my life and he's doing amazing things in this ministry.”

That's why one of the things that is so important to the church is something it calls "ROAR," which stands for Reaching Out Advocating and Recovery.

This was something Pastor Ehli was able to be a part of thanks to Pastor Green.

"I don't think there is a pastor in this town, in the city, in the state, maybe even not in this country, that could handle a guy like me," Pastor Ehli said. "My life is just amazing and I attribute all of that to what God is doing through Family of Faith Community Church."

The church has stood on Grace Avenue in Spokane for five years.

Pastor Green said the intent of the church was always to buy the property from the owners, but everything changed when he was served a termination letter. The letter notified the church that it had failed to comply with requirements of the "option to buy real estate" portion of the leasing contract.

"Oh my gosh, it was just like a right hook to us, to this ministry," Pastor Green said.

According to court documents, Pastor Green claimed he let Hamilton with know several times of his intent to buy the property.

Pastor Green and the congregation even got a loan from the bank for $800,000 and raised the remaining $145,000 dollars needed to purchase the property.

Pastor Green claimed all this was done on time but Hamilton has not yet commented on the record.

The church is now working with a lawyer.

"What's unfortunate here is the impact that Family of Faith Community Church has on the community and the number of lives that they touch and change, essentially being displaced when they have a contractual right to the property," said Jeff Whalley of Whalley Law, attorney to Family of Faith Community Church.

Many in the congregation are praying the church can stay for the good of the community.

"If we're not here, the next me that comes along, where are they going to go?" Pastor Ehli said.

"Just like Moses, you know Moses in the old testament, he was like, ‘Let my people go,' but here we are saying, 'Let my people stay, just let our people stay.'"

According to court documents, Spokane Christian Fellowship is now under contract with a nonprofit called Spokane Classical Christian Ministries for the property where Family of Faith Community Church stands.

Documents also claim that Pastor Green said this nonprofit has been bullying the church to leave the property.

Until the issue is resolved, the court has allowed Family of Faith Community Church to stay on the property.

The next court hearing is on July 20.