When the members of Oehlhoff United Methodist Church closed their doors as a worshipping congregation in June 2016, the Trustees of the North Coast District of The United Methodist Church were assigned as the property’s trustees. “Our main concern was to ensure that the building would be occupied as quickly as
possible by a ministry and community-minded organization,” says Mary Soirefman, Trustee of the North Coast District. “We were aware of the Cuyahoga Land Bank so we reached out to them to see if there was interest in receiving the property.” As part of its mission to return vacant and abandoned properties to productive use, the Cuyahoga Land Bank works collaboratively with organizations throughout Cuyahoga County to actively advance their missions and find unique property uses that benefit our community’s most in-need citizens.
“We wanted a community group to utilize the building, one that could carry out a positive social mission in the neighborhood. We were pleased that the Cuyahoga Land Bank was able to identify a group that can make a difference in this community.” says Soirefman.
After careful consideration, the property was transferred to Envision Cleveland. “We had worked with Envision for a couple of years, helping to fulfill its mission of providing support for disadvantaged families and ministry-related services,” says Kim Steigerwald, Acquisitions Manager for the Cuyahoga Land Bank. “There is a large refugee population in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood that will also be able to congregate in this new church. It’s a great building and they are going to be able to do wonderful outreach in the community there,” says Steigerwald.