BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Walking in God’s Ministry Holiness Church in Buffalo’s East Side is on the verge of demolition. Ellicott District Councilwoman Leah Halton-Pope told me she’s trying to help save the building.
As shown Monday, the church’s roof was left half-complete by a contractor and left to rot in the elements since March.
“It’s money wasted, that’s basically what it is, and he scammed us,” Pastor Betty White said on Monday.
The contractor, F.O.P. LLC told me they completed all the work they were hired to do.
Pastor Betty White shared the signed contract for the work, the work description does not specify how much of the roof was to be replaced.
I have since looked into F.O.P. LLC, which according to that contract shared by Pastor White stands for “For Oppressed People Contracting, LLC.”
The Better Business Bureau has no results for a company of that name. The New York Company Registry said it was only established a little over a year ago.
The church’s story got the attention of Councilwoman Halton-Pope, who told me she’s trying to help the church.
“We have a meeting. She is going to bring me some information about that. Obviously, there is some legal recourses that she needs to take as a church and sue somebody who didn’t provide the services they needed to,” Halton-Pope said. “Their legal issues are their own, but anyway I can be helpful in that I will be.”
The city has informed Pastor White that her building was “determined to be an unsafe structure and ordered to be made safe and secure by means of demolition.”
“In the meantime, the city is doing everything they possibly can to give them the extensions as necessary… This is their third extension,” Halton-Pope said. “The city is not trying to demolish their church at all, it’s just a matter of trying to preserve them and help them as much as they can.”
This current extension gives the church until October 4 to secure funds and begin fixing the building, otherwise, it will be torn down for “safety” reasons.
Anybody who would like to donate to help the church can do so at this link.
