Bread of Life to relocate to acquired Springfield church building

Bread of Life Church, an Assemblies of God-affiliated congregation that largely serves members of the area’s Eastern European community, is planning to relocate to Springfield from Rogersville after its purchase of a church building.

Alex Muzichuk, associate pastor for Bread of Life, said the organization closed May 28 on the purchase of the building at 1747 E. Republic Road from Campbell United Methodist Church. The latter organization, which is now renting space for its services at King's Way UMC, 2401 S. Lone Pine Ave., announced the planned move in March due to financial reasons. 

Muzichuk said the purchase price for the building was $3 million. Planned remodeling would add an estimated $1 million in expenses, he said, noting Bread of Life will remain at its campus in Rogersville amid a fundraising period to help pay for the relocation.

Bread of Life, formed 19 years ago, currently operates southeast of Springfield in Rogersville at 2852 E. County Line Road. Muzichuk said Bread of Life would likely seek to sell its current Rogersville building upon relocating.

"We've just outgrown the place," he said, noting Bread of Life serves some 600 members.

Bread of Life currently offers three Sunday services, two of which are in Russian and one that's in English. Muzichuk said many of Bread of Life's congregants are from republics that became countries after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, and Russian is generally a common language among them.

"Most of the immigration took place in the late '80s and early '90s through the Reagan administration," Muzichuk said, noting in recent years the church has seen a growth in membership from people who previously lived on the West Coast.

Bread of Life's AG affiliation is part of the Springfield-based denomination's National Slavic District, he said.

The former Campbell United Methodist Church campus on Republic Road, east of Fremont Avenue, spans 41,549 square feet, according to a listing from ReeceNichols Real Estate.

Muzichuk said seating capacity would nearly double from its current building that seats around 300.

"One of the reasons it was attractive to us is because of its 29 classrooms and gyms," he said. "Slavic families tend to have larger families. We have a very vibrant teen ministry and youth ministry."