A special committee has raised more than $102,000 in an effort to halt the sale of the historic Miracle Hill Nursing and Rehabilitation to a largely unknown buyer.

The committee issued an Aug. 15 letter to Primitive Baptist churches and supporters as a call to action. The committee asked every church to raise $1,000 and hopes to raise $1 million by Sept. 20.

The Rev. James Chester, pastor at Orthodox Zion Primitive Baptist Church in West Palm Beach, chairs the committee and said he believes the fundraising efforts will make a difference. Donations, he said, will help ease Miracle Hill’s financial burden.

“I believe the people will rally in order to be able to keep it,” Chester said.

Miracle Hill in the headlines:

• Ambitious $1 million fundraising campaign kicks off to prevent Miracle Hill sale

• Miracle Hill Nursing, Rehab Center facing financial turmoil amid potential sal

• Through it all, Miracle Hill celebrates 50-year anniversary with eye to the future

A fixture in the Black community in peril

Miracle Hill is a 120-bed nursing and rehabilitation center located at 1329 Abraham St., although it's been a fixture in the Black community for more than a half-century and is widely known throughout the state.

Many revere the facility for its legacy dating back to the late 1960s. It provided a safe haven for Black men and women in their twilight years in need of healthcare at a time when options were few in the Jim Crow era.

The facility is governed by the Florida State Primitive Baptist Church Convention, a coalition of churches and pastors around the state headed by its own board of directors.

Financial struggles over the years have buried the facility in debt. Its financial struggles came to a head last month.

An emergency call last month from the Rev. Willie Williams, president of the Executive Committee for the Florida State Primitive Baptist Conventions, alerted members of a need to pay $150,000 that day to make payroll. Williams also revealed a $12 million offer to purchase the 15,000 square-foot facility, according to some on the call.

The Rev. Ernest Ferrell of Tallahassee, who supports stopping the sale, said the donations would be used toward a $400,000 loan and another $200,000 loan. He said another $300,000 will be used to pay "several people who have loaned Miracle Hill money."

"It is in no way trying to match $12 million. That's not the purpose," said Ferrell, past president of the Florida State Primitive Baptist Church. "We're trying to raise money to pay off some preliminary debt."

At the same time, Ferrell said the committee hopes to buy the facility some time and convince facility leadership to refinance Miracle Hill's existing mortgage.

'This effort will not save Miracle Hill'

Decision-makers for Miracle Hill have been tightlipped since news of the potential sale went public.

When reached for comment, Williams declined to offer details regarding loans issued to the facility and any details about the company interested in buying the facility.

"This effort will not save Miracle Hill, as the information is grossly inaccurate," Williams said in a Wednesday email to the Democrat.

In a follow-up conversation, Williams declined to detail what specifically was inaccurate.

"Those individuals who are putting out that false information to you, they have all the information they need to tell the truth. At this point, that's the last thing I'm going to say to you," he said before ending the call.

He later emailed: "I’m trying to save Miracle Hill. The continued press articles don’t help Miracle Hill, only harm it and could affect its very survival," he wrote. "But you’re the press. People's lives and the survival of Miracle Hill doesn’t matter. Should I fail, know that you contributed to its demise."

How donations are being collected

For now, a clear picture of Miracle Hill's finances are not within reach to the public.

In a previous article in the Tallahassee Democrat, Williams said the convention has three priorities: keep Miracle Hill operational; make sure that those who work for Miracle Hill keep their jobs and get paid; and repay outstanding loans.

If Miracle Hill is sold, Williams has said, it will continue to operate under new ownership. However, it's unclear if the church would have any role in the facility.

Chester said the identity of the potential buyer would come from Williams, who has not shared that information within the Primitive Baptist Convention members.

“That’s all coming down from him," Chester said. "We all should know, but we can only know if he divulges that information.”

The special committee to save Miracle Hill is encouraging donations not be made directly to the nursing home. Instead, Chester said donations are being made to Philadelphia Community Foundation, P.O. Box 6675, Tallahassee, Florida 32314.

In addition, donations can be made through a GoFundMe account: https://gofund.me/7671d7a3. If Miracle Hill is sold, Chester said donations will be returned if the effort is unsuccessful.

“If for instance, this does not stop (it), then we have the ability to refund the money back to the people,” Chester said.

Contact TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com or follow @TaMarynWaters on Twitter. 

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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Future in flux: Church leader says fundraiser won't 'save Miracle Hill'