Aug 3, 2013 2 min read

I am writing in regards to the July 18 article about Washington Crown Center not renewing the lease of Victory Church.

What a sad day it is when a church is forced to leave its home for no apparent reason. I am a member of Victory Church and that is exactly what my church is to me – a home. When we moved into the Crown Center mall, where KB Toys used to be, many members put their hearts into making that space warm and inviting for everyone who walked by. It took months and months of hard work, and a large number of financial donations to create the space it is today. It is a place where I go to love, laugh, cry, learn and teach my children about the fundamental values on which our great nation was formed.

Crown Center management is making a “business decision” based on nothing other than not wanting a church in their mall. I am willing to bet that after Aug. 31, which is when we will be forced to leave their home, a new tenant will not be moving into that space. There are other spaces in the mall that are not being used. They were not offered to us to rent, nor do I see the so-called “retail interest” Crown Center spoke about occupying these spaces. We have been a good and loyal tenant and have paid our rent. If Crown Center wants to make a good “business decision,” they should take into consideration the shoppers that the church brought in every Sunday afternoon. I, for one, was one of those shoppers.

Over the past three years, our church has been nothing but a positive influence on others, offering free coffee and pastries to everyone in the mall. In my opinion, the loss is not Victory Church’s, it will be a loss for Washington Crown Center.

Nicole Greene

Washingon, PA