KALAMAZOO, MI -- A Richland-based church is expanding into downtown Kalamazoo and plans to open a coffee shop to benefit local outreach efforts.

Radiant Church purchased Mangia Kitchen and Bar on the Kalamazoo Mall and plans to open a coffee shop, Lead Pastor Lee Cummings said in an interview with MLive Monday, Oct. 21.

It has always been a dream of his to open a coffee shop, said Cummings, who described himself as an avid coffee lover. The shop’s proceeds will benefit church outreach programs, which includes a partnership with Communities in Schools that provides winter gear to Kalamazoo Public Schools students.

Directing the coffee shop’s proceeds back into the community follows the church’s greater mission of “being a blessing toward others,” Cummings said. The church will not roast its own coffee but is considering different companies to partner with, the pastor said.

The restaurant space will be part of what the church is calling its “Radiant City Center." The church, first founded in Richland 23 years ago, currently also owns the space above the restaurant and a ground-floor space next to Mangia. In addition to its original location in Richland, the church also operates a second location in Portage.

The expansion will not be “church as usual,” Cummings said in a video posted the church’s Facebook page. The church uses different means to reach the community, including music and now coffee.

“There are new ways of expressing a very old idea,” Cummings said. “Being salt, being light; a positive influence for the good of the community.”

The restaurant, previously known as Mangia Mangia, will close at the end of November, owners Emilio and Maria Dacoba said Monday, Oct. 7, in a post to the restaurant’s Facebook page. Dacoba said previously that special events can be scheduled at the restaurant through the end of the year, and that the business’ catering operation will continue after being relocated to a new location.

Radiant Church purchased Mangia Kitchen and Bar on the Kalamazoo Mall and plans to open a coffee shop. The church currently owns the space above the restaurant and a ground-floor space next to Mangia. (Kayla Miller | MLive.com)

Radiant Church expects to begin renovations of the building in January, Cummings said.

Though specific details have not yet been ironed out, church leaders say the plan is to operate the coffee shop seven days per week. The space above Mangia Kitchen includes offices for church leaders, a full-time recording studio and a condo that was renovated into an open office area for the church’s media and creative teams.

Cummings said in the Facebook video that the church will be a good neighbor and wants to help make the city a better place to live.

“We have some incredible plans for how Radiant can be a part of the downtown mall community, how we can continue to be a blessing to the city that God has placed us in, and how we can accomplish the vision and the mission that the Lord has given to us,” he said.

Once renovated, the upstairs space will also include a small venue for Sunday morning church services, prayer meetings, events and classes.

Cummings responded to criticism seen on social media as news rolled out that Radiant was coming downtown.

Assumptions made by some about the space being empty for six days out of the week are unfounded, Cummings said. The church’s office staff work every day and will become patrons of other downtown businesses as well. The recording studio, currently used by the church’s musicians, will be open in the future to other Christian musicians. The space above the coffee shop will also be used throughout the week for various church classes and prayer meetings, Cummings said.

Radiant City Center Announcement If you happened to miss the big news this weekend from Pastor Lee Cummings, watch this video! #theradiantcity #radiantcitycenter Posted by Radiant Church on Sunday, October 13, 2019

He said the new church will not contest liquor licenses of surrounding businesses, a concern voiced by some when learning of the church moving into the downtown area.

Church leaders are also considering some form of PILOT, or payment in lieu of taxes, to contribute to the downtown economy despite the church’s nonprofit status.

“We want to pay our fair share,” Cummings said.

After news broke that Mangia sold the property to the church, some voiced criticism online about the church coming to downtown Kalamazoo because of its stance on same-sex marriage.

According to the church’s website, Radiant Church believes marriage is a “covenant relationship between a man and a woman, established by God as the foundation of family and human society.”

Radiant is one of many churches in Southwest Michigan, Cummings said. The church supports the greater mission of Christianity and does follow the Biblical teachings about marriage, he said, but leaders want the church to be “a positive expression of the love of God."

“We want to exemplify that ‘God so loved the whole world,’" Cummings said, paraphrasing scripture. “We will show love to the whole world, even if we disagree. Be kind and demonstrate the love of God.”

The pastor said Radiant is made up of about 8,000 people with different beliefs, and that the church is loving toward everyone.

“Our doors are open,” Cummings said.

Radiant Church first opened in Richland in 1996, after Cummings and his wife, Jane, were sent by Resurrection Life Church in Grand Rapids to plant a church in the community. Radiant is part of a nationwide network of other nondenominational churches.

The church outlined expansion plans on its website, saying, “We believe that in the years to come, we will see a historical revival in our city, and that 100,000 souls will be saved. We believe that our next step in pursuing this goal is to establish a Radiant Church campus in the heart of downtown Kalamazoo.”

As part of those plans, Radiant also hopes to open additional churches in Plainwell and Battle Creek, Cummings said.