Zion United Church in Liverpool has another potential buyer.<\/p>\n
Stephanie Sereda hopes to transform the church into a year-round makers market and event space.<\/p>\n
Sereda and her husband moved from Ontario to make Western Head their home in the fall.<\/p>\n
She says the opportunity to take a decommissioned church into a community and cultural space is a dream come true.<\/p>\n
\u201cA big part of it was also things we would do for the community,\u201d said Sereda. \u201cBecause I\u2019m an events planner by nature I like to create opportunities for people to connect and engage.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sereda sees the church as a place where anything is possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the part that appeals to me the most is it\u2019s a flagship building in our community. It\u2019s been around since the 1800s, it tells a story and I\u2019d like to preserve as much of that story as possible in what we\u2019re going to do with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sereda joins Xaver Varnus as the two potential suiters looking at the church, at this point.<\/p>\n
Varnus wishes to move the pipe organ from Varnus Hall in Brooklyn, established in the former Pilgrim United Church, to the Zion United Church.<\/p>\n
Moving the venue would allow him to increase capacity to 300 audience members.<\/p>\n
The Zion United Church will be listed this week and all offers will be reviewed by the closure working group headed up by Ray Baker.<\/p>\n
Baker says the working group will then present the offers to the congregation to vote on who will get to purchase the church.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not necessarily the offer that comes in with the greatest monetary value,\u201d said Baker. \u201cThat is an important factor but more important is also what the future use of the church would be. We\u2019d like it to continue to be an area where we support the community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Baker is pleased both expressions of interest in the church are community focussed, but says any recommendation made by the congregation about the sale will need to be approved by Regional Council 15 of the United Church in Halifax.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we have a good offer financially, and a good reason for selecting a particular buyer I\u2019m pretty confident that they will approve it.\u201d<\/p>\n