Shiloh Baptist takes on the ABC store
A front-page story in the February 11-13 issue of the Richmond Free Press, Bottle vs. the Bible, describes tension and conflict between Venable Street’s Shiloh Baptist Church and the ABC store across the street:
“We’ve found drunks sleeping on our porch; there’s those black plastic bags around our property, and vagrancy,” said Clyde Wilson, chairman and treasurer of Shiloh’s trustee board.
“I had an intoxicated man try to steal my pocketbook,” Deaconess Janie Jones said.
“We’re probably the only church in the state … maybe the world … to have a liquor store right across the street,” Deacon Randolph Nelson said. “It’s a slap in the face of God.” [...]
“Let’s be realistic … big, little or small … if you’re selling alcohol, that’s a problem; you don’t see (liquor stores near churches) in white neighborhoods.”
Sounds more like an opportunity to me. The church should host AA meetings!
It is called Church Hill for a reason. Is there a location here that ISN’T a block or two from a church? At least you’re not in Houston, TX. They have NO ZONING LAWS. You can be a church next to an ‘adult’ store and a child daycare.
“you don’t see (liquor stores near churches) in white neighborhoods.”
It makes me sick that someone always has to play the race card. I doubt VA would purposly put in ABC store there just becuase it’s not a “white neighborhood.”
I agree with David; in a situation like this, you find a way to work with the situation (seeing as it’s unlikely the ABC store will go.)
There are churches, such as “Church Radiant” in New York, that intentionally locate themselves adjacent to liquor stores. Not only do they see the opportunity to make a positive impact to that specific element of the community, but they know they wouldn’t be a “church” if they just kept safe in a building away from the “world.”
I agree that there are a lot of negative things about being so close to the store, as they listed; but why not try a different approach?
AA meetings wouldn’t be a bad start.
As an athiest I don’t care where an ABC store is and I’d rather not pay more in real estates taxes because churches are exempt.
@PTG, as usual I wholeheartedly agree with you.
As the article states, the Union Hill Civic Association had immediate success both when we asked Virginia ABC to discontinue the sale of miniatures at that location and when we requested that greater attention be paid to litter control in the parking area. The UHCA would also enjoy the opportunity to work with Shiloh Baptist toward the betterment of that corner of the neighborhood.
Separately, it should be noted that Virginia ABC stores do not use black plastic bags. They use the heavier-duty blue ones (or so I hear). The flimsy black plastic bags found on Shiloh Baptist’s steps likely come from another nearby retailer…
My recommendation? Get rid of the church. Religion has caused far more grief in the world over the course of history than alcohol.
I also have to agree with SEW. Bringing race into this is just completely inappropriate. The sooner blacks stop passing off all of their problems onto “the white man”, the better off we’ll all be.
Also, don’t forget, Jesus’ first miracle was… TURNING WATER INTO WINE.
@Lisa, an “atheist” that doesn’t know how to spell “atheist”?
JIm. It’s a shame that bad spelling is the only comment on the subject you could come up with.
Matt, encouraging to hear what the UHCA has been doing. That’s the right direction to go in these situations. Also great to hear of Shiloh’s involvement: when church gatherings get involved in the neighborhood, the help to dispel the negative images that have come over the centuries.
If memory serves, the ABC Store was there before the church moved to that location. The front was built in the last five years, I know for sure.
There has been a church at that location for 150+ years. The Church of the Nazarene was built on the site circa 1850. That building was expanded in the 1960s and then again more recently.
The Great Hope Baptist Church was organized in 1944 and purchased the Church of the Nazarene from a white congregation. Great Hope sold this building to Shiloh Baptist Church when they purchased the larger sanctuary from Venable Street Baptist at 2120 Venable Street.
I believe that Shiloh Baptist’s problems are our community’s problems and I applaud their efforts to fight back. That is what it takes to win back a neighborhood– community involvement and activism.
I also think that Deacon Nelson is right on when he states that ABC stores are not located near churches in White (although I would substitute Poor) neighborhoods. And I just don’t take offense to him pointing this out. I also don’t think an ABC Store would be located next to a church (either Black, White or Other) that was engaged in the community and had the community behind them. The community outrage would be enough to encourage the ABC Board to seek a more appropriate location.
Does the Commonwealth of Virginia own the land and building that houses the ABC Store, or is it leased from a private owner? This would certainly bbe a factor, if the store would be relocated.
I am not sure that Shiloh will be successful in taking on the ABC store, but I am hopeful that if not, the ABC Store will respond by taking steps to be better neighbors and also engage the community. There is certainly room for improvement.
Who was there first? Did the church move next to the ABC or was the ABC permitted next to a church?
See #12 – the church has been there for quite a while
I am sure that area has a lot more problems than the location of the ABC store. Maybe the church should take some of those issues on first.
Sounds like the UHCA has taken a positive step here in cleaning up that corner, and it’s good to hear that the church wants to do the same.
That said, I don’t know that the church and the ABC store are inherently incompatible with one another. And it is important to keep in mind that the ABC store raises a great deal of tax revenue for the state, while the church raises zero tax revenue. (In fact, I’ve heard that that particular ABC is the highest dollar branch location in the state).
It may all be a moot point in the very near future, as Gov. Bob Micky D is proposing the elimination of the ABC system altogether – to be replaced by private liquor stores.
I applaud the church’s efforts to clean up its neighborhood. However, I am a bit surprised about the response in this thread. Usually people complain about the ABC store/corner store and their customers. I wonder what’s different.
The funny part is that the ABC store’s property is typically pretty clean and people tend not to loiter there. The same can’t be said for the blight across the street that is Ocean’s Grocery and the dumping ground of an empty lot next door. Since Acme and Kalba and Son closed, everyone goes up to 25th street. My understanding is that the owner has a really nice store in New York but won’t put the money in down here.
Let’s be real there is definitely a disparity in the appearance and layout of poor communities and middle class ones. Name one ABC store in the West End of Henrico across from a church, the house of God. It is not the race card, it’s reality. What other ABC store in this area has people sleeping outside of it all night. And alcoholism and drug addiction is a big problem in the black and white community.