MOBILE, Ala. (BNG, TAB) — Hillcrest Baptist Church, Mobile, has voted to gift its 4½-acre campus to Volunteers of America (VOA) Southeast in exchange for worshipping there free of charge until they choose to relocate. The once 300-member congregation has experienced a financial and membership decline, bringing it to a crossroad — merge, sell or foreclose. Hillcrest chose door number 4, a move that both organizations are pleased with. The decision saves Hillcrest up to $40,000 annually and will cost VOA about $100,000 in renovations. This is most promising move for the 40-person congregation since its first full-time pastor, George Mason, left for Wilshire Baptist Church in Dallas in 1989.
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