Atlanta church wins last-minute reprieve from bank

ATLANTA - A church and shelter for women and children that was to be sold at auction Wednesday on the courthouse steps got a 30-day reprieve. <br> <br> A local minister stepped forward to try to help save Saint Augustine Imani African Orthodox Temple in Atlanta. Bishop Calvin Colquitt Senior of Vision Ministries in northeast Atlanta is offering $40,000 from his own church&#39;s account. <br> <br> Because of that offer, the president of Capitol City Bank and Trust Company has agreed to give the church leaders a temporary alternative to losing the building if they agree to a payment plan within 30 days. <br> <br> Bishop John Lewis says his church still owes the bank $232,000. The 100-member congregation bought the building about three years ago. They have been coming up short on the payments for several months. <br> <br> About 30 families live in the church&#39;s rundown basement. Some stay for just a few days. Others stay for months as they search for jobs and try to get back on their feet. Many of the residents are women who have recently moved to Atlanta.

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