Update as of February 16, 2022
We Closed on the Property at 702 N. 30th Avenue!
Glory to Jesus Christ! The Lord Bless you!
Dear Faithful of Holy Cross,
Exciting news! After nearly a year of our search to purchase new property, on February 11, 2022 we closed on the 702 N. 30th Ave., Hattiesburg location. The property is two blocks north of USM and four blocks west of Highway 49. There is a lot of remodeling work to do going forward, but we have moved in and our services will now be at this location. Through GiveSendGo.com, we were able to raise $20,000 for the down payment of the loan, and now any additional funds raised will be used for our remodeling. If you would like to donate to our New Property Remodeling fund, please visit https://www.givesendgo.com/holycross. Thank you!
The property was formerly a Christian Science church. Below is a photo of the interior (nave) after the pews had been removed. There is a very large area in the rear for Coffee Hour, and the building contains three restrooms. Click here for a photo of the exterior. We'll post more photos as the remodeling proceeds!
More photos will be posted soon as our remodeling progresses.
In Christ,
Fr Alexis
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Update as of December 18, 2021
The Lord bless you!
Yesterday I spoke with our banker, and Carolyn, who represents the 702 North 30th Avenue location that we're considering purchasing. The bank will back us for an 80/20 loan. This is less coverage from the bank - the Barkley Road location was 85/15 -, so of course we will need more money for the down payment. The seller indicated that there might be some wiggle room for the price, but didn't say how much. They reiterated the asking price of $100,000.
If we'd like to pursue this further, we'll need to pool together to provide closer to the down payment of $20,000. Thankfully, we've gathered about $9,000 from mostly anonymous online donations through https://www.givesendgo.com/holycross. If each family or individual in our community pitched in an extra $200, we would be closer to making the down payment. Carolyn indicated that the property is not yet listed and prefers to sell to us. At the same time, they will be moving forward soon to list it on the market if we are unable to buy.
Please email me directly at arizonitisa@gmail.com and let me know if you can give towards this goal, or if you prefer, you can donate directly at https://www.givesendgo.com/holycross.
If you have any questions, please let me know!
In Christ,
Fr. Alexis
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Update as of December 14, 2021
The Lord Bless you!
I wanted to give an update on the property purchase at 332 Barkley Road, Hattiesburg.
Unfortunately, it's not looking as good as we all hoped. We were due to close on Oct 30th, but that date came and went. We were granted extensions, which have been a blessing. However, the issue we have is not being able to show a clear title, which our title/closing attorney discovered. When the original owner of the property passed away, she did not leave a will. Her husband gifted the property to the church, but this was not correct. The deceased owner had four children. In order for the title to be free and clear, we need a signed affidavit from each of the four. After a month of work and the best efforts from two attorneys and a private investigator, we have not been able to get in contact with those folks to secure the affidavits. Since we don't have clear title, we are not able to secure the loan from the bank. It is possible that at some indeterminate time in the future this could be resolved. However, this is very unlikely.
Meanwhile, we have been presented with an alternative purchase: a former Christian Science property located at 702 North 30th Ave., Hattiesburg. It's 7/10 of a mile from our current location, a 10-minute walk from USM and close to Highway 49. The building and lot are smaller than the Barkley Road property and the owners are asking more. The building is 1,350 square feet (although it feels much larger inside) and has three bathrooms. The lot is likely half an acre (max). The parking lot is paved and can accommodate 10-15 cars, possibly 20-25 if striped. There's a narrow grassy area on the east side of North 30th that we may also be able to use for parking.
Please click here for a pdf file I've prepared (it also includes several photos) about the 702 North 30th Ave. property (most folks at Divine Liturgy viewed the property this past Sunday). The response was overall positive. The sellers are asking $100,000. We might try for a lower number, not sure, but we don't want to lowball them. It's zoned r1-A, so we might have to apply for a conditional use depending on if they can show they've used the building in the last six months.
Please let me know what you think. I'd like to hear from you by this Friday, Dec 17th. You can reach out to me by phone or text at 601.310.2256 or arizonitisa@gmail.com. Unless the consensus is opposition, we should quickly move forward on the opportunity to pursue this property instead of the Barkley property.
In Christ,
Fr. Alexis
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Update as of October 9, 2021
Our Bishop has blessed the purchase of the church and property at 332 Barkley Road, Hattiesburg, and we are closing on October 30th! In our announcements of August 28th, we mentioned that Rusty (Joseph) Tisdale, our Acting Treasurer while the Alfords are in Africa, created a GiveSendGo account to help with fundraising of the purchase. Initially our goal was $2,000. We quickly exceeded that amount and increased it to $3,000 and have surpassed that amount as well! We will now raise our goal to $10,000. Thank you all for your prayers and support in this exciting endeavor leading to the growth of our Mission!
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Update as of September 11, 2021
Dear faithful of Holy Cross,
The Lord bless you!
Some great news about our possible purchase of the church and property on Barkley Rd. in Hattiesburg. (Click here for a Google Maps view of the property.) The appraisal is done. It appraised for a little over $62,000. The bank has also approved us for an 85/15 loan, meaning they will provide 85% of the sale price. This means we will need to provide $9,000. Our acting treasurer Rusty started an online fundraiser which has raised $2,700 (https://www.givesendgo.com/holycross). Overall, we are in an immensely positive position, thank God. The next step is the inspection, scheduled for Sept. 20th. This will give us the full scope idea of the building. After this, we can make our fuller decision together.
If you have any questions concerning the potential purchase, please email or call me (arizonitisa@gmail.com; 601.310.2256). I'm happy to talk with you!
In Christ,
Fr. Alexis
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August 28, 2021
Dear faithful of Holy Cross,
Joyous news! Through God's Grace, we've been presented with an opportunity to purchase and become the owners of a 2,000 square foot church in South Hattiesburg, just off Hwy 49. The interior and exterior needs work but we're ready! Click here for Google photos and map. It's about 12 minutes from our current space in the storefront. The Mission Council and I have worked together with Fr. Jason Foster, our Dean, to discern this opportunity and make a decision. After several weeks of negotiations, we signed the contract on the building on Thursday, August 26th.
The church was built in 1962 and sits on 1.4 acres. It already has a parking lot. There is a kitchen, two bathrooms, and two rooms that can be used for fellowship/classes. We are seeking financing from the bank, a necessary component of the possible purchase. Our bank has agreed to give us a 85/15 loan to cover most of the purchase. We would be responsible for covering about $9,000. Our mortgage payment each month would be $500 or less. Our acting treasurer Rusty started a fundraising site and in 24 hours, we already raised $1,000 (https://www.givesendgo.com/holycross). The bank has ordered the title search and is scheduling the appraisal. The inspection is set for September 20th.
If for any reason we find a problem with the appraisal and/or inspection, we are (as per the contract) able to walk away and back out. Additionally, our purchase is subject to approval by His Eminence Archbishop Alexander. All along this process, we have been in constant contact with Fr. Jason. He's been guiding us and helping us discern this opportunity. He has given his blessing for us to push forward and supports us taking this opportunity.
If you have any questions concerning the potential purchase, please email or call me (arizonitisa@gmail.com; 601.310.2256). I'm happy to talk with you!
In Christ,
Fr. Alexis