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Church Glad To Make Room For I-275

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 20, 2007

TOWN 'N COUNTRY - In 2004, when state officials told staff at the Iglesia Missionera Assembleia de Dios that their land was needed to make room for the Interstate 275 expansion, their reaction wasn't one of gloom, but of gratitude.

The 5,000-square-foot church on Lemon Street was built in 1965 to hold 180 people, but with the church's growing popularity, by 2000 it was having trouble accommodating its 500 members and would never fit the 1,000 people attending the Sunday worship services today.
Church staff was approached by the state Department of Transportation and told they would be compensated for the loss of their land.

The money they received made the new church at 10651 Anderson Road possible. The mostly Hispanic church is known in English as Missionary Church Assembly of God.

'Eventually we would have left anyway because the church was experiencing major growth,' church secretary Jose Reyes said. 'It was a blessing we were able to have funds to relocate the church with the money that we got from the government.'

For the past three years, the Iglesia de Dios Pentecostal M.I., 5800 N. Church Ave., has allowed Iglesia Missionera to use its location temporarily, but staff and members are more than ready to move in to their new home.

The church is on 5 acres, and crews recently began paving the parking lot. The congregation is hoping to move in by mid-October.

Angela Delgado

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