Crookston is gaining another church after the unfortunate closing of Joe’s Diner in the fall, as the Freedom Church in Grand Forks has leased the building on the corner of North Broadway and West Second Street for future church services.
The church was originally holding meetings and sermons in the Valley Technology Park but had to vacate the building after the church had grown too large for the space they rented in it, and the city had found other uses for the space. “We had to vacate that place, the city had other purposes for it, and we were too big for it. So, we had been looking around at buildings, and we were looking at a different building that day Joe announced that he was shutting down the diner,” Crookston Campus Pastor Joel Schwarz explained. “We were looking at a different building at the time that didn’t work out so well, but our realtor said, “I saw this post on Facebook that Joe is shutting down. Why don’t I find out who owns that building,” So we told her to look into it, and she did. She found who the owner was and got a hold of him. He was surprised a church wanted to come into it, and we looked at the space, and it was one of the better spaces for a church in Crookston.”
With this lease, the church is looking to create a satellite/campus church here in Crookston while keeping close relations with their original church in Grand Forks. “It’s a second church. We consider ourselves “One Church, Two Locations,” The church in Grand Forks is the big church that was started about 14 years ago. About four years ago, they had the idea to plant a satellite church here in Crookston, so we’re still partnering with that church,” Joel Schwarz explained. “So, it’s a satellite, and we’re very much involved in what they do, and they’re involved in what we do, so we are part of that church in Grand Forks.”
While the church has leased the building and started moving into it, it is not ready to hold any services yet as there is still much more renovating that needs to be done for it to house a congregation and other members of the church. “We were hoping to be ready for a Christmas Eve service, but that’s not happening. We’re still building up platforms and making renovations. It’s a really great building, but going from a restaurant to a church, is still a work and has challenges,” Schwarz explained. “Our hope is to be open by the end of January, but we don’t have a hard date yet. It depends on when we get contractors, electricians, painters, and all that stuff done first, but the end of January is our goal.” The church has had a lot of help from volunteers from the Grand Forks Freedom Church in moving into their new building but is also getting help from Valley Electric for electrical work and reaching out to other local businesses to help renovate.
Schwarz noted that at first, the church will just hold Sunday services as it adjusts to its new location but plans to add other events throughout the week similar to the main church in Grand Forks. Such as their “I Encounter” service, where they meet once a month with their Worship Team and band for an extended worship. However, the church is excited to get involved with the other churches in the area with events such as the recent “Common Ground” event.
If you would like to learn more about the Freedom Church, you can visit their website to see announcements and updates about their new location at North Broadway and West Second Street at www.hellofreedomchurch.com. If you have any questions, you can email them at info@hellofreedomchurch.com.
