'Church' more than a building for Cary ministry

For the last few weeks, that place has been the Holiday Inn on Glenwood Avenue near Crabtree Valley Mall.

“Wherever we go, as long as we have God with us, we can worship,” said Mary Baxter, church pastor.

Greater Life Ministries was forced out of their Cary home on Chapel Hill Road in June after a large oak tree limb fell on their roof, tearing several holes in the ceiling and sending sheet rock and insulation crashing to the floor. The structure was deemed unsafe by a building inspector.

The building’s property owner has not given a time frame regarding when repairs will be made, Baxter said.

“We’re thankful most of all (that) nobody was hurt,” said parishioner Paula Stewart.

With the different venue comes a unique set of challenges, Baxter said.

“We can't be as loud as we were when we were in the church, so we have to keep in mind that there are other people staying in the hotel,” she said.

Attendance, which averaged about 70 people for Sunday services, has been cut by half. The church’s summer camp has been put on hold, along with their children’s and outreach ministries.

For now, the church is making the best out of their situation.

“We do desire to have a place to worship where we can be free to have bible study and do the other ministries,” Baxter said. “So we really need a place of worship.”