A former church in Maple City is the hottest thing on the real estate market after being downgraded from a price tag of nearly $800,000 to $400,000 over the past week, leaving some former parishioners up in arms.
“The Maple City Community Church should be considered a historical building. I remember as a child attendingSunday School and summer Bible School when the Pastor was Mrs. Roe. My own children attended Bible School here also. The heirs of the original parishioners should have been involved in this sale. For the record, I do not consider myself an original parishioner,” Sandra Noonan said.
In February 2026, a 13th Circuit Court judgment gave the sole trustee, Thomas Tobin, a quiet deed for possession of the 89 Church Street property on the south end of Maple City.
Tobin, a former minister at the church, could not be reached for comment as of press time.
Tobin was represented by J.D. Praasterink of Kuhn Rogers PLC in Traverse City.
According to multiple listings online, the one-acre property, which features a 100-plus-year-old church, has dropped from $800,000 to roughly $400,000 since the beginning of June. Former parishioners would like to note that the church was built in 1890, which makes it 136 years old — something the ad doesn’t describe. The singlefamily property type has been listed for 41 days and was built in 1920, according to real estate advertisements.
According to multiple former parishioners, Tobin was a highranking member of this congregation in the past.
“It doesn’t seem fair for one person to decide to sell this old church. (Former Pastor Honora RoE) ran that church for 50 years before passing away and she protected it and made sure it was a church,” Maple City resident Agnes Carter said.
Former parishioner Rosey Flees believes this shouldn’t be happening to the church she grew up in.
“We used to go when were kids,” she said. “The church belongs to the protestants of Maple City and the surrounding communities and there is no reason why that can’t continue.”
Roe ran the church from 1934 until her death in 1983. From 2013 until the present day, the church has struggled with various individuals standing in as ministers, and low attendance has resulted in the church being defunct. The congregation’s history dates back to 1882, when Ellsworth Ryker held nondenominational Sunday school meetings in the village schoolhouse. The group officially organized in 1889, with the church being built in 1890.
“I went there all of my life,” Flees said.
