HENRICO COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A local nonprofit operating out of a church parking lot in Henrico County will need to relocate from its current space by the end of the month due to zoning issues.
‘Mechanics of Faith’ currently operates out of the back parking lot of New Life Baptist Church in Henrico. Jason Wells, the nonprofit’s founder, is often seen with his head under the hood of a car.
The nonprofit fixes cars for those in need for lower costs than other auto repair shops — a feat that’s possible through grants and funding from the community.
“We helped over 186 people in 2023,” Wells said.
For the last year, they’ve been working out of the parking lot of the church, but their time there is running out.
“We were just told, like, ‘Hey, look, you need to be in a shop, you need to be in a commercial facility,’” Wells said.
Eric Leabough, director of the Henrico County Department of Community Revitalization, said the county received a complaint from a resident that an auto repair shop was being run at the church. Their full statement reads as follows:
“On January 10, 2024, the county received a complaint about an auto repair business being run at a church located at 6229 Osbourne Turnpike. The property is zoned residential, and there were at least 17 vehicles observed at the property, awaiting repair. Representatives of the church indicated that repairs are taking place on church grounds. We are working with the church to correct the violation of the county’s Zoning Ordinance (i.e., an auto repair business on a single-family zoned property is not a permitted use).”
According to Leabough, churches are permitted to operate in areas zoned for residential use but auto repair businesses are not. “Mechanics of Faith” will have to be out of the parking lot by the end of the month, but Wells said he’s staying optimistic, despite the approaching deadline.
“It’s a blessing,” said Wells. “I’m actually excited about the pressure, because it’s motivating everybody, like ‘Come on, let’s go.’”
Wells said the support he’s seeing so far from the community makes him feel like they’ll be able to find their new home quickly. He added that, even if they don’t, they’ll still find a way to keep helping people.
“We’re not going to stop,” said Wells. “I may have to partner with another shop and like, tow cars and work on stuff somewhere else, but I will not stop helping the community.”
Wells added if anyone in the community knows of a facility they can rent, to reach out to him. More information about Mechanics of Faith can be found here.
