BANGOR — The Anah Shriners voted overwhelmingly Monday night to purchase the former Abundant Life Church on Broadway.
Local Potentate Jesse Thomas said more than 350 shriners showed up for the vote, with only one opposed and two abstentions.
“The offer has been made and accepted, and we needed a vote from all the Shriners to accept that and move forward,” he said. “It’s an overwhelming majority. It will happen.”
The sale might not be finalized for another 60 to 90 days.
According to Thomas, the local shriners will relocate to the more than 25,000-square-foot facility, leaving behind the Main Street building that the Shriners purchased in 1981. Shriners are an international fraternal philanthropic organization.
The major benefit of the former church is extra property that will enable the Shriners to host larger events, he said.
The former church offers approximately 400 parking spaces compared to about 40 at the current site. It also comes with more than 22 acres compared to less than an acre on Main Street.
“The building isn’t that much bigger. It’s well built, but the property around it is one of the biggest pluses,” Thomas said.
Abundant Life, then operating as Grace Church Bangor, closed in August, after a decline in attendance and donations.
Thomas said Tuesday he could not reveal the offer price. The city’s assessment department estimates the church’s value at $2.9 million.
Thomas identified the church property’s current owner as Brea, Calif.-based Evangelical Christian Corp.
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