OVIEDO, Fla.,None — The foreclosure crisis isn't just impacting homeowners.
An historic African-American church in Oviedo could soon have to close because it's behind on its mortgage payments.
The Mission Road Church of God just received an eviction notice from Bank of America. The church said it's trying to work with the bank, but the lender isn't budging.
Ollie Davis says she grew up inside the Mission Road Church of God.
In fact, her grandmother donated land for the church's first building 76 years ago.
"I was about 10 years old when I started going to church down there," said Davis.
Her kids, grandkids, even great grandchildren all go to the church, but now the church may be forced out.
It all stems from the two-story building the church built a few years ago.
The Rev. Larry Perkins conducts Sunday services there for about 300 people. His vision, though, was to use it as a community center.
"Church just can't be church. It must be about touching the lives of people," said Perkins.
But problems during construction pushed costs over the $1.3 million loan the church got from Bank of America.
The church spent $700,000 of its own to finish construction and had nothing left to make payments on the loan.
Bank of America says the church owes $1.8 million, but the church doesn't even have enough money to finish the sign out front.
"Just to see this whole thing crumble just because of this issue, I just think this doesn't make sense," said Perkins.
Perkins is pleading to the bank for an affordable settlement, but a bank spokesperson told WFTV it's tried to resolve the issue before and time is up.
Perkins isn't sure where they'll go.
"We are the church, but this is our home," he said.
And Davis prays it stays that way.
"This church means everything in the world to me," she said.
Late Tuesday afternoon, a Bank of America spokesperson told WFTV the lender is planning to talk with the church again about a possible settlement.
WFTV
