Pastor Urias Mendoza and his wife Heather purchased the property April 2006 with the goal of demolishing the building and putting a church on the property. Now, Heather Mendoza said, blueprints are complete, and she and her husband are waiting for final approval to start building the church.
"We're in our final stages, and there are just a few T's to be crossed and I's to be dotted, and we can finally begin tearing down the walls," Mendoza said.
The Mendozas and the parishioners of Mision El Redentor have been holding worship services at Upland High School.
"The school has been very nice and supportive to allow us to meet there for two years," Heather said. "While it's not a church, we make the best out of it knowing it's a transition.
"This is a big project, but that's really when our faith kicks in. People question why we bought this land, because it sits on the site of the adult bookstore, and we say, 'Why not?''
