12 INVESTIGATES: ROC selling old church building

WWBT NBC 12 News, Virginia/July 23, 2013

By Rachel DePompa

Richmond, Virginia -- One of Richmond's largest churches is selling off a major asset. The Richmond Outreach Center, also called The ROC, is selling its original building on Southside.

The ROC church started in the Old Warwick Road building before moving to its new location off Midlothian Turnpike. The church's longtime pastor, Geronimo Aguilar, resigned in June amid charges in Texas that he had sexually abused two girls back in the 90s.

Around the time he resigned, the church put the Warwick Road site up for sale. It sits on nearly 18 acres and is listed at $2.6 million.

A ROC spokesperson said in a statement: "The Richmond Outreach Center is focusing upon the daily ministries of The ROC in the Greater Richmond area and spending a considerable amount of time in the beginning stages of our search for a new Senior Pastor.  These are our highest priorities; and as such, we are responding to limited requests for information from media outlets.  Thank you for understanding as we work to help those in need."

A long-time, faith-based private school for inner city kids, called the Elijah House Academy, leases space inside the Warwick Road location.

The school is moving out in mid-August. Its director says this facility was no longer filling his school's needs and was not been kept up. He says it was in the school's long term plan to find a new location and that it has nothing to do with the scandal at the church.

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