The building that is currently home to First Revival Temple in Saint John could become a Frenchy's store. CBCA Saint John church is closing its doors, but its new tenant could come from an unlikely source if a zoning application is approved.
First Revival Temple is selling its building at its Westmorland Street after years of struggles with declining membership. After a year of debate and a painful discussion with his congregation, Reverend James Bustard put the building on the market.
But it's already found an interested buyer — the Frenchy's franchise, currently located just off Old Rothesay Road.
'We had a lot of dreams we wanted to fulfill here.'
—Reverend James Bustard"I dread the day when you see a new sign outside the building, when it's sold," said Bustard.
"I put a lot of time into it and you hate to see something that took so long to get built up to finally dwindle away to another establishment or whatever," he said. "So, it's heartbreaking and I lost a lot of sleep over it and probably still will."
The First Revival Temple has been at its current location for 16 years.
This branch of the Pentecostal church was started by Bustard's father, who died in 2005. Since then, the congregation of more than 50 has dwindled down to 12.
"The hardest thing is letting go of the building, letting go of a lot of memories. We have a lot of dreams we wanted to fulfill here, which we won't see fulfilled," said Bustard.
Frenchy's manager Carol Liebel said the desired move also comes down to numbers.
"Over the years, the numbers have been dropping and we find the more visible the location, the more customers you have," said Liebel.
The store has applied for a zoning change to relocate to the new address. The city still needs to re-designate the space as commercial. A final vote is expected in two weeks.
Staff said they're looking forward to a larger space and more access to people in the neighborhood as well as commuters.
Meanwhile, the church has no plans to reopen its doors. But pastoral counselling will still be available and the congregation may meet in members' homes.
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