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Two churches to open in unique venues Sunday

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Two south-side venues are getting new life as houses of worship starting Sunday.
 
Roughly a mile away from each other, the former Remington’s property was converted by Edmond, Oklahoma-based Life.Church and the shuttered Palace theater is now home to Springfield-based Life360 Church.

At 1655 W. Republic Road, Life.Church is opening its 31st church — its first in Missouri — after six months of renovation work, according to a news release. A permit on file with the city estimate the renovation cost at $2 million.

The opening comes nearly a year after Ridgecrest Baptist Church sold the 30,000-square-foot Remington’s building to MMXVII Holding LLC, an entity tied to Life.Church. Terms were not disclosed, though the building had been listed at $5.2 million. Once Missouri’s largest nightclub, the building with 700 parking spaces was used by Ridgecrest as a community event center.

“God is doing amazing things in the Springfield community, and we’re so grateful that we get to be a part of it,” said Bryan Franco, pastor of Life.Church Springfield, in the release. “We’re incredibly humbled that before we’ve even opened, we have a dedicated group of volunteers who are excited to help us welcome people each weekend.”

In a sponsored video post on Facebook, Life.Church introduced six pastoral leaders in addition to Franco in Springfield.

Life360’s new campus — which replaces its Parkcrest location — came to fruition after a rezoning battle briefly held up the church’s plan to buy the former Palace discount theater at 2220 W. Chesterfield Blvd. in Chesterfield Village. The Palace shut down in June 2017 after 21 years in operation, according to past Springfield Business Journal reporting.

The transaction with Chesterfield Village creator Dearborn Development Inc. closed in August 2017, after nearby residents opposed the building’s use as a church, according to SBJ reporting.

The renovation work came in at an estimated $2.5 million, according to a city building permit.

Now, a countdown at Life360.com is ticking down toward Sunday for the new Chesterfield campus — one of six operated by Life360.

The campus, according to the website, is led by pastor Ted Cederblom. The church’s Park Crest campus previously operated at 3581 S. Kansas Ave.

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