A 108-year-old church threatened with foreclosure got a last-minute reprieve thanks to the efforts of Occupy Atlanta, whose members staged a protest at the church and convinced the bank to delay foreclosure until another payment plan could be reached, CBS Atlanta reports.
The church, Higher Ground Empowerment Center, has been struggling to retain members and raise funds for renovations after being significantly damaged by a tornado that ravaged downtown Atlanta in 2008.
Church leaders took out a huge loan with BB&T in Atlanta to cover repairs, but keeping up with the payments became increasingly difficult as membership numbers continued to fall. They eventually decided to try refinancing the loan, but were disappointed to learn they would be evicted if they couldn't raise enough money to avoid foreclosure.
That's when pastor Dexter Johnson called up Occupy Atlanta, asking for help in convincing the bank to reconsider its decision. Protestors staged an occupy-style protest on Wednesday, moving onto church property with signs and tents. Later that day, the bank decided to delay foreclosure hearings and work out a payment plan.
Occupy Atlanta's protest follows a recent wave of anti-foreclosure campaigns that use occupy movements to delay home foreclosures. Dec. 6 marked the official launch of Occupy Our Homes, an anti-foreclosure campaign activists say could become one of the most important efforts of the Occupy movement.

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