ALLENTOWN, Pa. — An Allentown church that has been in operation for more than 250 years officially has changed hands, and negotiations are ongoing to retain a museum on the property.
Zion’s Reformed United Church of Christ has deeded its historic property at 620 W. Hamilton St. to Resurrected Life Community Church, a news release said.
Zion’s was put up for sale amid declining membership and financial struggles and held its last service in fall. It preserved the Liberty Bell Museum, a separate non-profit organization located in the building.
- Zion's Reformed United Church of Christ in Allentown officially is no more
- The congregation deeded the historic property to Resurrected Life Community Church
- The building is home to the Liberty Bell Museum, a separate non-profit organization
"After several months of conversation, deliberation, and discernment, Zion’s Consistory recommended the sale of the church to Resurrected Life Community Church," Tim Flores, president of Zion's Consistory, said in the release.
RLCC said it will take on the challenge of preserving the church and making it financially viable. It said it also will “redeploy the space to meet the critical community needs of downtown Allentown and the surrounding area.”
It confirmed discussions are underway with the Liberty Bell Museum, which will continue to operate while negotiations are ongoing.
RLCC said its congregation and some of its programming and service work have outgrown its current location at 144 N 9th St. That includes support of a non-profit sibling organization, Resurrected Community Development Corporation, which provides early education and child care.
The expansion will let those buildings at 9th and Turner streets undergo a major rehabilitation this year.
“Both Resurrected Life and RCDC are grateful to Zion’s for their incredible generosity and commitment to ensuring the future use of their facility addresses the undeniable educational and social needs of children and families living in Allentown,” the Rev. Dr. Gregory James Edwards, founder and senior pastor of RLCC, said.
“We are excited about seeing children and families learning and growing in the heart of the city and the ultimate impact this will have on the future vibrancy of Allentown."
RCDC will move its corporate headquarters to the former Zion’s property and continue to provide bilingual, bi-cultural day care, after-school, summer and family programs to more than 500 families living in the highest-poverty ZIP codes of Allentown (18101 and 18102).
It also will become the home of the James Lawson Freedom School of the Lehigh Valley, which provides children and youth in grades K-12 an opportunity to interrupt summer learning loss.
Once the rehabilitation of the 9th and Turner Campus is complete, RLCC said it will focus its energies on renovations to the 620 W. Hamilton St. building.
The non-profit Liberty Bell Museum on site offers exhibits, lecture series, historical reenactments and events and has been open since 1962.
According to its website, the museum will open the “Let Freedom Ring!” exhibit on Feb. 16.
