The Love Chapel, located in a historic black community known as "The Hill," is back in a familiar spot in Grapevine.
Every Sunday, the small community church comes alive with song, smiles, and spirituality. The Love Chapel Church of God in Christ may only have a few dozen members, but those members have a long history there.
"Pretty much everyone who comes here grew up in this neighborhood," said Pastor Robert Redmon Jr. "People who moved out to other places, they still come back to church here."
They're people like Denton County Commissioner Bobbie J. Mitchell, who remembers the lessons of Sunday School and Vacation Bible School all these years later.
With all eyes on the future of the church, the excitement can only be understood by looking at the building's recent past. As it fell into disrepair, it failed to meet city code.
"When you don't meet those codes and everything, you gotta go, you gotta go," said Redmon. "This is home and then having to move to the shopping center for a while, it was hard on all of us."
For 15 years, the church took refuge in a shopping center. That lease ran out, forcing the community to find a new home – their old home.
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"There's no place like home, no place like going back home," said Redmon.
"It took a long period of time, but little, by little, by little, things started adding up, adding up, adding up, and I still say it was God in the plan all the way," Redmon said.
From floor to ceiling, history became new again with the help of the Convention and Visitor Bureau's Historic Preservation Program, but mostly from regular citizens.
"Love Chapel is a very significant piece of the history of Grapevine, so we're very fortunate that various community businesses came together and gave of their time and their talents," said Leigh Lyons, Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau.
While there were still some finishing touches to be done, there's no denying the joy felt from being back in the building.
