VALDOSTA – Last Sunday members of Christ the King Episcopal Church held their final service in the heart of downtown.

On June 20, Christ the King moves from the corner of North Patterson Street and East Central Avenue to McKey Street. Christ the King has been at the Patterson location since 2002 after moving there from its previous location on North Valdosta Road.

For the last Sunday service on Patterson, the Right Rev. Frank Logue, Episcopal bishop of the Diocese of Georgia, joined the service for their final goodbyes to the space.

The Very Rev. Galen Mirate, interim rector at The Christ the King Episcopal Church, said they are thankful to still be downtown with the new location even if it’s not as centralized as being off of Patterson Street. The church feels a connection to the downtown community; one they wouldn’t want to leave behind, she said.

Mirate said the main reason for moving was the maintenance challenges of the building. While they joke about being property managers, it had become increasingly hard to focus on their role as a church when they also were caring for the building, she said.

“In my heart, we have come to the place that we feel like we can’t do this building justice,” she said.

However, Mirate said what made leaving even more difficult is the Rev. Stan White, founding rector, passed away in December 2020. The congregation was not only leaving behind a place that holds nearly 20 years of memories but they were also leaving the place their founding rector loved, she said.

Michane James, youth and children’s minister at The Christ the King Episcopal Church, said the Rev. White spent much of his time cultivating the church in the Patterson location and the building holds some of their last in-person memories of him.

“On Sunday, if he was marching us down the road, it wouldn’t be as difficult because it’s just brick and mortar,” James said. “It’s not my faith. It’s not my beliefs. I’m taking those with me.”

James said the memories of the Patterson location hold personal ones as well, such as her daughters’ confirmations and her children’s weddings. As the children’s minister, James said she will miss looking out the window onto the city with the kids and being so visible to the downtown community.

However, at the new location, Mirate said they hope to continue the community outreach programs and come at it stronger.

“This place has always been such a place where people really are welcome,” she said “It’s not just a slogan. This community has always lived that.”

Mirate said the new location allows the church to create a place that better fits its needs to continue focusing on growing in faith. It also gives a chance for the building on Patterson to bloom as well.

“We are walking away from this building, but we want to see ourselves succeed in a new location and we want to see this building succeed,” she said. “We want to see her be restored to the kind of glory she ought to have.”