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Pastor says House of Restoration learned of possible sale from news reports, urges council to honor lease agreement
Summary
Pastor Kevin Ringer told Orange Village Council his congregation entered a three-year lease-purchase with NewSong and was surprised to learn—via a reporter—about a proposed sale or development; he asked the council to honor the agreement and to improve communication with residents.
Pastor Kevin Ringer of the House of Restoration told the Orange Village Council that his congregation signed a three-year lease-purchase agreement with NewSong and has been fulfilling its obligations while working in the community.
“We entered into a 3 year lease purchase agreement with Nusong,” Ringer said, adding that the church has been paying utilities and completing repairs at the building. Ringer said the congregation provides programs for autistic children and adults and partners with local schools and community groups.
Ringer said members of his congregation first learned that the property might be sold or developed from a newspaper report rather than from the property owner or developer. “We were kind of taken aback,” he said. He asked the council to “honor the agreement that we had” and to treat the congregation with “common decency,” saying the group wanted to remain in Orange Village.
Several council members expressed sympathy and concern about how residents and the church were notified. One councilmember said transparency had been lacking and asked, “Where was the transparency on this, and why was there such an urgency to vote last week?” Another member acknowledged the communication breakdown might have been between the property owner and the developer rather than the council and apologized to Pastor Ringer for the confusion.
Mayor (addressing the congregation) acknowledged the church’s role in the community and said the village will explore options to help the congregation remain in Orange Village. “I want to look to work with the congregation to pursue an opportunity to find a way to continue for them to be in Orange Village in some manner,” the mayor said.
The council did not take a formal action on the property during the meeting. Council members said they would seek additional information from planning and zoning records and from the property owner and developer and will follow up with Ringer and his leadership.
