As we approach Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a church founded in 1875 and important to the civil rights movement in St. Augustine faces foreclosure.

On Sunday morning, sounds of worship radiate out of the Greater St. Mary’s Missionary Baptist Church, but with the church facing foreclosure, the music could turn to silence.

St. Mary’s was granted a loan from the bank for restoration, but couldn’t make payments after the 2008 recession and now owes $211,000 more than it originally borrowed due to arrears and interest rates.  The church is currently trying to raise $50,000 by February 13.