Zion Refuge Church Renovation

Our Story:

Zion Refuge Church was founded in May 13th, 1999, by Pastor Glenn Chappell. Pastor Glenn brings over 35 years of ministry and 17 years of pastoral duty to the church. Zion serves the inner-city region of Pontiac, Michigan, where the community is in great need of guidance, leadership, and especially the light of the Lord.
Zion’s mission, guided by Christ’s love, is to serve this spiritually under-served community and bring individuals to the Kingdom. In doing so, their focus is on the following:

• Family, to help build and strengthen their foundation in the faith.
• Independent personal studies for men, women and youth.
• Special needs areas -- substance abuse, those in need of outreach, purity/abstinence programs, vocational training, continuing education (such as GED/post education), etc.
• Providing meals and assistance to those less fortunate.
• Clothing pantry for those in need of clothes.
• Most importantly, to spread the word of Christ and bring individuals to the Kingdom of God.

Zion Refuge Church has been leasing space from Abiding Presence Ministries International, not having a church building of their own; Zion as a whole is in need of its own foundation to help expand the congregation. The church purchased a building formerly owned by the UAW three years ago. In doing so, Zion took on challenges to resurrect this building and make it a bright spot in a neighborhood that desperately needs it. A collection of individuals from areas outside the Zion congregation have been led by the Holy Spirt to Pontiac to help this church. We need more, we need the body. The goal is to involve more people and churches that are compelled by Zion’s story to assist getting this building worship ready and to serve the Community. Our hope is others will be led by the Lord as we all were to join in the cause of this congregation. Let God speak through our actions in helping expand the body of Christ!!
These challenges are listed below within the building summary and short/long term needs:

Zion Refuge Church needs guidance in the form of:

• Prayer and Love: This church needs the overall body of Christ to wrap its arms around them!

• Other Churches: Zion is in need of mentoring from other congregations experienced in planting churches, and help in finding resources to help educate the church leadership in running and maintaining the congregation.

• A tax attorney/ specialist: The city of Pontiac has saddled the congregation of Zion with a large tax bill, and needs advocates to take up the cause in fighting these taxes. We would like them to be eliminated, or at the least, reduced.

• Finding programs that can directly provide equipment, material, and monetary donations to help the church in its time of need.

• Finding key individuals or companies willing to donate their time and any specific skill sets to help get the building infrastructure repaired. Permits are needed and licensed help is required.

• Finding individuals willing to donate their time to visit the building to help paint, clean, etc.

Building Summary:
 
After sitting vacant for more than 7 years, the building was exposed to rampant vandalism and theft. The main heating system (boiler) isn’t functional due to missing copper lines. Without heat, some of the water lines burst due to freezing. Portions of the electrical system were stolen or ripped apart. The building is in need of general clean up and renovation.

Short / Long Term Needs:
Initially, the church has sectioned off approximately 4000 sq. ft. of the building to start holding services. To do this, there are some short- and long-term needs. This step is important for multiple reasons, the largest being that this begins their tax exempt status.
• Heating sources: Enough up flow forced air furnaces are needed to heat approximately 4000 sq. ft. (estimated 188,000 BTU’s total).
• HVAC specialists to design and install new duct work in conjunction with the existing.
• Electricians to clean up the existing electrical and offer help in getting any remaining deficiencies up to code.
• Plumbers to assist in getting the plumbing back up to par. The congregation has a highly talented plumber already engaged, but this is more than a one man job.
• Ceiling tiles need to be replaced and painted, and some light construction is needed to build some interior walls & finish them.
• Flooring needs to be stripped, buffed and waxed.
• General labor to clean the building interior and exterior.
• Prayer Warriors: Either attending Wednesday evening prayer sessions at the facility or offering their prayers remotely.
• We need a licensed architect to provide stamped/sealed drawings for the structure, both electrical and mechanical. Some original building drawings are available for a baseline to start from.
• The church needs a website. We need a web designer to step up to this task!
• We need corporations to sponsor the renovation. This helps bring much needed exposure to the cause.
• Lastly, as mentioned above, we need a group of people to take up the fight to eliminate or reduce the tax burden. We need people to be lobbyists at the local government and to advocate on behalf of the church. This is of the utmost importance.

Zion Refuge Church Facebook Link

https://www.facebook.com/Zion-Refuge-Church-1671054906462885/


Zion Refuge Church: 525 S. MLK Blvd. South, Pontiac, MI 48342

Pastor Glenn Alan Chappell
Phone: (248) [phone redacted]
Email: [email redacted]