Sonnye Dixon is the pastor of Hobson United Methodist Church, which has a rich tradition of serving East Nashville's community.

"They have been worshiping there since 1890," Dixon said.

Like any other Sunday, January 27th. he was at the pulpit, but it wasn't at Hobson, it was at the  congregation's temporary home at Saint Andrew in North Nashville.

"We're in the process of trying to determine our future," Dixon said.

The church's original building sits on the corner of Chapel Ave. and Greenwood Ave. in East Nashville, and for the foreseeable future, it s expected to stay empty.

Dixon says the historical structure and four-and-a-half-acre parcel were built to hold 500 people, but the congregation, now only about 70 strong, can't afford to keep it.

"The expenses of just trying to maintain that kind of space had just gotten too much for us," Dixon said.

The plan is to sell the property Dixon says was recently appraised for $1.3 Million.

Last week, the church was approached by Liberty Collegiate Academy charter school, which has to vacate its current building on 10th St. and Fatherland St. this summer.

Dixon says school officials offered a maximum buying price of $200,000, which the congregation rejected.

"They were a little offended by the very low offer that we received," Dixon said.

In the meantime, the church has been vacant for a month, and there are no immediate plans for new tenants.

It's just this nebulous situation where no one knows what can happen." said Adrian Bahan, who has lived down the street from the church for more than a decade.

Bahan says the longer the lot stays empty, the more dangerous it becomes.

"My fear is that it s going to sit empty and become more and more  derelict and  become maybe even a magnet for the homeless population, or become a safety issue for myself an the other neighbors," Bahan said.

Uncertain Future for East Nashville Church - Eric Alvarez