LYNCHBURG, Va. -- The Rev. Jerry Falwell's Thomas Road Baptist Church has signed a contract to buy a 110-acre industrial site for $10.2 million.
Falwell said he plans to move the church, the Lynchburg Christian Academy, the Liberty Bible Institute and other operations to the 888,000-square-foot complex, according to The Associated Press. The sale is expected to close in 2003, with the facility possibly ready for occupancy a couple years later, Falwell said.
The property is adjacent to the campus of Liberty University, which Falwell founded. Property not devoted to the church and the schools will be made available to the university, Falwell said.
Private donors have committed about $5 million toward the project, according to the AP. The rest of the money will come from loans.
Falwell's Lynchburg, Va., ministry began in 1956 in a former industrial building, the Donald Duck Bottling Company.
