The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Mentor Christian Church attracts new occupant
The redemption story continues for a historic local church.
Mentor Christian Church — standing at the northeast corner of Route 20 and Jackson Street for more than a century — will be occupied again.
Love & Truth Church of Greater Cleveland, currently next to Compadres Mexican restaurant down the road, plans to hold its first service at the site at 11 a.m., Aug. 5.
Pastor Andy Buckner said he recently reached a lease agreement with owner Ali Mandovi.
“We heard the church was empty a couple of years ago,” Buckner said. “However, at the time, it was way too big of an
endeavor for us. Over the winter … I began thinking about it, which led to praying about it, and felt like the timing was right.”
The 1914 structure was bought by Mandovi, owner of several McDonald’s franchises in the area, and restored in 2012. The Kirtland resident’s office is next to the church in a 161-year-old house he had restored.
His purchase potentially saved the church from development.
“When I realized that others would tear it down, I knew it was time to put business aside and buy the church to preserve it,” Mandovi said.
“I’ve been very blessed by what God has given me and what this country has provided. It was time to give
back.”
He said he’s been approached by accounting and law firms about using the site in recent years.
“I was not very interested,” he said. “I would like to keep the integrity of the building as is.”
Mandovi noted that many churches across the country are up for sale because of their inability to attract younger congregants. He sees Buckner as a good fit.
“He’s very energetic (and) has a nice young family,” he said. “He’s very creative.”
The building historically was home to Disciples of Christ congregations. Buckner and wife Brandy launched the local Love & Truth campus — from a Tennessee-based nondenominational church — in September 2015.
“We believe that at one time, this church was the light of the community,” said Buckner, a 1984 Mentor High
School graduate. “Mr. Mandovi has restored it to pristine condition. I feel that God wants to use us to restore it as a church of influence in the community. Walking through it, the very tangible presence of God is there.”
Buckner knows something about redemption, having spent years in and out of rehab as a young man before coming to faith.
“Moving into such a beautiful, historic building is such a great opportunity for us, and we feel as though the possibilities for us to reach the unchurched and underchurched in Lake County are endless,” he said. “Our goal is to celebrate the history while celebrating and spreading the love of Jesus in a contemporary way.”
For more information, visit loveandtruthchurch.com or Love & Truth Church: Greater Cleveland on Facebook.