MUSKEGON, MI – The Muskegon public school district has acquired a long-shuttered Catholic church, but will not be responsible for almost $40,000 in back-taxes owed by the most recent owner.
In December, Muskegon Public Schools purchased the former St. Jean Baptiste Catholic Church, 1292 Jefferson St., according to district superintendent Matthew Cortez. The district has not decided what to do with the building adjacent to the high school campus, but “there is always that chance” that it could be torn down, Cortez said.
The church building was previously owned by Praise Place, a nonprofit operated by gospel star Bishop Marvin Sapp, that intended it as a second location of Sapp’s Lighthouse Full Life Center Church.
But Sapp had not registered the building as a tax-exempt religious institution, according to Donna VanderVries, the county’s director of equalization. At the time of purchase, the ministry owed $38,791.51 in unpaid taxes, interest, and fees, according to the Muskegon County Treasurer’s office.
“The district is not at risk at all for having to pay those taxes,” said Gary Langlois, the broker who negotiated the sale on behalf of the school district.
Instead, Langlois said, the amount owed was withdrawn from the final sale price - $140,000, according to public documents – and placed in escrow.
The amount owed was paid off on Jan. 22, according to the treasurer’s office, but it was not immediately clear whether the title agency, Grand Rapids-based Sun Title, or Sapp’s ministry had paid them off. Calls to both entities were not returned.
The 132-year-old St. Jean church building and rectory sit on 1.2 acres abutting the northwest corner of the Muskegon High School campus. It was established as a Catholic church in December, 1883, and permanently closed by the Diocese of Grand Rapids in April 2015 due to “extensive repair needs” on the physical building, according to a commissioned assessment at the time.
In January 2017, the Diocese of Grand Rapids sold the church to then-Grand Rapids-based pastor Sapp, who announced at the time plans to hold services at the church later that year. According to documents acquired by MLive, Praise Place paid $112,500 for the buildings, and began holding worship services in April 2017.
The tax issue arose when the ministry did not apply for tax-exempt status with the county.
“You’re not automatically exempt,” said VanderVries, addding that Praise Place didn’t file an application for an exemption until March 2019.
VanderVries said her office conducted a review of the property last summer to ensure compliance with rules for tax exemption, including utilizing the entire property. It was discovered portions of the church, including the rectory, were not in use, and Praise Place was granted a partially-exempt status.
According to the treasurer’s office, the church owed $18,184.06 for 2018, and $20,607.45 for 2017, which included taxes, monthly interest, and individual forfeiture fees.
It is not clear when the Lighthouse church ceased to operate at the St. Jean campus. Sapp relocated to Fort Worth, Texas, last fall, MLive previously reported. He remains on the board of directors for the Lighthouse church that continues to operate in Grand Rapids.
MPS superintendent Cortez told MLive that the district has not yet decided how it wants to use the building. Possibilities include developing the land for athletic facilities, or working with organizations or private individuals who are interested in portions of the lot, such as purchasing just the rectory, he said.
It depends, in part, on the future of the district’s overall structure, which will be determined when a two-part, $89-million bond proposal passes before voters in May, he said.
For now, the district wants to stabilize the aging building, and has already used the building at least once for a school choir candlelit caroling session around Christmas.
At the time that it was sold by the diocese, all liturgical objects were removed from the building, said Annalise Laumeyer, director of communications for the Diocese of Grand Rapids. Cortez said that during his most recent visit, the building felt like an empty hall, save for historic stained glass windows.
Laumeyer told MLive that the diocese’s chancellor and chief financial officer, Michael Lown, has been in touch with the school district about saving the windows.
“We’d be interested in removing and retaining the stained glass windows, depending on the district’s plans” for its use, Laumeyer said.
Cortez added that he’d support returning the windows to the Diocese.
“I don’t have any interest in destroying historical artifacts,” he said.
Read more:
Local parish announces permanent closure of St. Jean Baptiste campus in Muskegon
133-year-old church closed for nearly 2 years sold to Marvin Sapp
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