A dying Arizona church made one of their last acts a blessing to keep the gospel moving in their community.

First Southern Baptist Church of Payson, Arizona, sold their church campus to church plant Expedition Church for $1.  The dwindling congregation of the church who had been serving Payson for 51 years could no longer maintain the campus, worth over $1 million dollars.

The church also gave their North Annex to Payson Community Kids, a non-profit group that serves needy children in the community.

“It is a very hard thing when a church closes, but there is great joy in being able to share our legacy with Expedition Church and Payson Community Kids, and to know that the lives, the love, the hard work and the generosity of those who had been part of Payson First Southern Baptist Church will continue to reach people for His Kingdom,” former Payson First Southern Baptist Pastor Rick Hatch wrote on the church’s website.

Expedition Church reported they had been trying to rent space from Payson Southern Baptist and were trying to finalize another offer to rent space when Pastor Hatch called to offer the deal to buy the campus.

“My jaw dropped…We said we would absolutely take it,” Expedition Church’s Lead Pastor Donovan Christian said. “I am not a real mystical guy, but we really felt like God was just blessing us.”