Bullet Holes in the Old Building, a Gift of a New One: How One Raleigh Church Housed Another

• Ship of Zion Church in Raleigh, North Carolina, met in an old house on Blount Street for nearly 13 years.
• Hope Community Church raised money to buy and renovate a building on Lee Street for it.
• The old building showed signs of violence, including bullet holes.
• More than 200 people attended the first service in the new building.

A struggling Raleigh congregation has a new home thanks to another church’s fundraising. WRAL reported that Hope Community Church bought and renovated a building for Ship of Zion Church.

For nearly 13 years, Ship of Zion met in an old house on Blount Street. Pastor Chris Jones said: “It was kind of rough.” He added: “When we came there, there was a lot of gang activity, a lot of drug dealing.” The building bore signs of violence, including bullet holes. Recalling a shooting, Jones said: “If we hadn’t been standing in the pulpit, we would have gotten shot.”

Hope Community Church raised the money to buy a building on Lee Street and renovate it. Pastor Mike Lee said: “You don’t need a building to have a church, but it sure is nice, isn’t it.” Of the decision, Lee said: “we thought about it for four seconds. It was a good investment for a church.”

More than 200 people attended the first service in the new location. Jones described how he reacted to the offer: “First, my mouth fell open. That felt so good to us. We cried.”

Buildings are one of the hardest things for a small congregation to secure, and one of the most valuable things a larger church can share. In Jamaica, many small churches meet in homes, shops or rented halls in tough neighbourhoods, and a safe, suitable building can change what they are able to do. Established congregations with money or property to spare could consider helping another church buy or fix up a building. Any such gift should be properly documented: whose name goes on the title, and on what terms, should be settled from the start so that the generosity is not undone by a dispute later.

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