MARION, Ill. – A church in southern Illinois has grown so large that it's moving into a former Walmart.
The Cornerstone Church's new digs in Marion will be a whopping 120,000 square feet. That's enough room to put in a 1,000-seat auditorium -- and have plenty of space leftover.
The (Carbondale) Southern Illinoisan reported Saturday that the 13-year-old Cornerstone Church has about 700 members. It has outgrown its current location in the Samples' Plumbing Supply building.
The church paid $2.5 million for the old Walmart. To keep costs down, it will rely heavily on volunteer labor from its congregation for the renovations.
Lead pastor Michael Nave says the former Walmart building might not make for conventional worship space. But, he adds, "a church is not a building; it is people."
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