VALLEY FORGE, Pa. — Leaders of the American Baptist Churches USA (ABCUSA) have approved selling the "Holy Doughnut" — the organization’s Pennsylvania headquarters building.
The ABCUSA’s General Board voted nearly unanimously Nov. 14 to sell the ABCUSA Mission Center in Valley Forge, near Philadelphia. Of those present, 72 voted in favor of a recommendation from the board’s executive committee to begin the process. There was one abstention, according to the American Baptist News Service.
"In this time of transition for all denominations in our culture, to let go of this symbol is a dramatic sign of our opening ourselves to the new thing God is doing in our midst," said Roy Medley, the denomination’s general secretary, according to the service.
Earlier this year, a long-range committee recommended selling the building, built in 1962 and jokingly nicknamed by American Baptists for its distinctive circular shape. At the time, ABCUSA officials said the organization occupied less than 50 percent of the building due to changing needs and staffing patterns over the last 40 years. The denomination rented nearly all the rest of the space. The board approved the recommendation with the proviso that any deal reached with a buyer would include a 3-to-5-year period for the denomination and its tenants to find new housing arrangements.
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