DC faith community raising money to restore Teddy Roosevelt's former church

WASHINGTON (FOX 5 DC) - A D.C. faith community is asking for help on its mission to restore history.

Grace Capital City Church has purchased an old church in the District that was once home to a very famous member.

"As we started looking around for a permanent home for us, we were really drawn to this space," says Chris Moerman, lead pastor at Grace Capitol City Church.

Grace Reform Church shut down a few years ago. But in its prime, it was the spiritual home of President Teddy Roosevelt.

"He would travel here from the White House every Sunday," Moerman says.

Church leaders say they want to honor the history of Roosevelt and preserve Grace Reform Church as much as possible. That's how SaveTeddysChurch.com was started.

"We know there are a lot of people who have a love for either faith, presidential history, historic buildings, or maybe some combination of all three of those, so we wanted to make sure people know the opportunity that's available here," says Moerman.

He estimates the project will cost anywhere between $6 to $7 million. His church as already raised nearly $2.5 million.