Declension: "We don't want it to have that church feel"
CONCORD, N.C. — With its restaurants and retail stores, The Village Shopping Center looks more like a mall than a church. But it is both.
The nearby First Assembly Church purchased the 250,000 square foot mall in March 2001. Since then, familiar commercial businesses, such as Big Lots, Hallmark and Subway operate alongside prayer rooms, Christian counseling services and a daycare center.
Traditionally, evangelical Christians have focussed their efforts on bringing people to church.
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