The former K-Mart site in Citrus Heights is now owned by Spring of Life Church, with future plans for a community center. Photo courtesy of Showcase.com

CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) – When the Citrus Heights K-Mart closed its doors back in the spring of 2016, the large retail space stood vacant until the city was abuzz with confirmed plans of a Studio Movie Grill moving into the site. Now, after a global pandemic and multiple liens against the movie theater company due to unpaid contractor fees, the bulk of the building once again stands still. However, the site may not be as empty as it seems.

The property at 8501 Auburn Blvd is now owned by Spring of Life Church, which currently operates out of Orangevale. Back in October, Spring of Life purchased the property for an undisclosed amount and announced plans to use the space as a community center focused on helping people. The space is currently shared with a Big Lots store and a nearby nail salon and Gold's Gym.

Spring of Life is a primarily Ukrainian church that has been deeply involved with the welcoming of refugees that have poured into the Sacramento region since the start of the war. Last year, the church sent funds to bake over 10,000 loaves of bread for people in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, as well as purchased a 15-seat passenger ban to help with evacuations. They have also supported a call center that coordinates aid for refugees, delivered essential medications to Ukraine, and worked to evacuate children from the local children's homes.

Now, with a large population of displaced Ukrainians here in Sacramento County, they also focus on what's right in front of them while also continuing to help abroad.

Spring of Life's senior pastor Vandym Dashkevych, who could not be reached for comment, told CBS News back in October, “We don't just have religious services. We're more open for people. We serve refugees, we serve kids, teenagers, young generation, so we're open for people."

Since the building was purchased, the site has remained silent. This is because the church is busy fundraising and going through the lengthy and arduous permitting process. A section of their website invites people to give financially towards the rebuilding, and the church recently held a December 22 Christmas concert with all proceeds benefiting the new space.

Dashkevych and his congregation have big dreams for the space, which is not projected to open for at least a few years. Embracing the Ukrainian culture of both the church and local refugees, the community center will host festivals, outreaches, and likely host the church services currently happening in Orangevale.

Spring of Life Church is one of the main coordinators of Parasolka, which provides local immigrant services. "Parasolka" is the Ukrainian word for umbrella, and with a team of approximately 150 volunteers, the organization provides everything from legal counsel to food and fellowship to refugees.

All of Parasolka's services and events operate out of the church, and the move to the much larger community center site will allow the group to expand and offer even more resources.

To learn more about how Spring of Life Church is helping refugees, you can visit parasolka.org or the church's official website, solsacramento.com. You may also donate towards the new building through the church website.