DETROIT – When Power in the Praises church leased the old Bellevue school from the Detroit Public Schools Community District in 2013, the building was a mess.
“This school was a haven for prostitution, drug abuse, and even a place where bodies were dumped,” Bishop Percy Henderson said.
With elbow grease and their own money, the congregation made a portion of the school habitable. In the intervening years, the church has re-upped the lease with the option to buy.
In 2019, Henderson had the cash to buy the building. He said he entered a purchase agreement with the school district, went to close, and the school district pulled out of the deal.
“They treat us like we’re garbage, we try to call and work it out, I went to closing twice and they never showed up,” Henderson said.
It’s been a legal imbroglio ever since. Now the church is suing the district. Attorney D. Rick Martin says it’s clear to him the district is holding out for a better offer from a real estate investor or developer.
“They never thought that a preacher with a congregation, not a big mega-church, he brought about 40 people over here, never did they think he would come up with the money,” Martin said.
The district released the following statement:
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