Detroit church receives abandoned-building bill for more than $3K

(WJBK) -

An old post office in Detroit has been converted to a place of worship, but the city of Detroit still believes it's an abandoned building and sent a bill to the church for more than three thousand dollars.

VIDEO: Click on the video player above to watch the story in a report from Fox 2's Randy Wimbley, or read the story below __________________

"I was told that somebody came in March and they didn't see anything except construction debris. Well, we're renovating the post office. Then I was told they came again on a Sunday in November and did not see any activity."

And Pastor Mike Hanafee of Restore Church in Detroit says that led to this: a "$3361.99 bill that we received last week."

Talk about sticker shock .

Pastor Hanafee says the tax exempt status for the post office-turned church building was good to go.

"We submitted all the official paperwork with all the requirements," Pastor Hanafee says. Then a field inspector claimed to have stopped by.

"Despite all the evidence, we were told that we actually had not been meeting at this building for the last 60 weeks, which is a great surprise to the 125 of us who gather here every Sunday," the pastor says.

Fox 2 found several pictures of church services dating back to October of 2012 and video is from a worship service this past Sunday. So what gives?

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Detroit church receives abandoned-building bill for more than $3K