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April 3, 2007

Groves pastor leaves, church closes doors

By Amy Moore

The News staff writer

GROVES — A pastor who wanted to turn a closed department store into a church is gone and his would-be sanctuary is on the market.

The Rev. Benji Mullens is no longer leading Christian Life Community Church, the church that made news when it bought the old Super K Mart building on Twin City Highway.

According to several former parishioners, the church experienced a breakdown in the hierarchy which led to problems within the ministry.

“There were some problems in the pastoral ministry, but I will not elaborate,” Dr. Jim Williams, a former church member, said. “Now the church is pretty much disassembled but there are small groups still functioning.”

A church member who asked that her name not be printed in The News, confirmed that the building is up for sale, but that the church still owns the building.

The congregation was never able to meet at the building on Twin City Highway, as it was in the process of being remodeled from a department store to a house of worship. Instead, Christian Life Community Church was meeting at Port Neches-Groves High School on Sunday mornings.

Former worship leader for the church, Donnie Robbins, said the problems in the church may have begun with the contract with the high school.

D. Sosa, Groves City Manager, said the church bought the 166,000 square-foot-building, which is set on 26 acres of land, after Hurricane Rita and began public utility service with the city at the end of January 2006. The agreement the church entered into with the city stated that the renovation of the building needed to be completed in three or four years to keep it’s tax exempt status as a religious building.

“We just don’t know right now what the status of the building is because Mr. Mullens is gone,” Sosa said. “If the building sells, it goes back on the tax rolls because it’s zoned commercially and it could become retail again.”

Rumors among former church members ranged anywhere from the building being put up on the real estate market to already having been sold to Parker’s Lumber, which was not confirmed.

“I don’t really know,” Robbins said. “Parker Lumber was waiting to buy it if we didn’t before. I assume they’ve negotiated for a while because when we bought it, it took months.”

In 2004, when private investors from Washington State expressed interest in the building, the earnest money contract set the price of the building at $3.3 million.

“I have nothing but good will for Christian Life Community Church,” Williams said. “It’s a sad day for any church when one fails. I hope to see it turn around another day.”

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