Moncure, NC – VinFast announced on Tuesday its intention to donate up to three acres of property on the VinFast project site to the Merry Oaks Baptist Church to help them save the church from demolition. The company will also assist Merry Oaks in identifying other resources to support the relocation.
VinFast has presented an MOU to the members of the Merry Oaks Baptist Church, which outlines VinFast’s plan to donate up to three acres of private land on Christian Chapel Church Road on the VinFast site in Moncure, NC for the specific purpose of relocating the church to a new permanent home.
Merry Oaks Baptist Church was built in 1888 and has been a cultural destination for many generations in Moncure. At present, the North Carolina Department of Transportation is planning to demolish the current site of the Merry Oaks Baptist Church, including the steeple, which has stood for over 130 years, to implement a long-planned transportation improvement upgrade for Chatham County.
VinFast’s land donation will help relocate the church and allow the congregation to remain in the community.
Merry Oaks Member, Jerry Holden also shared: “We greatly appreciate that VinFast has made a generous offer to provide a new home for the Merry Oaks Baptist Church so the congregation can remain in the community we’ve called home for over 130 years.”
Ms. Van Anh Nguyen, VinFast US Manufacturing CEO said: “VinFast cares deeply about our new home and does not want to see the Merry Oaks congregation displaced. In addition to donating the land, VinFast is willing to work with our partners to identify other resources to help support the relocation of the church. Our hope is that Merry Oaks Baptist Church and its congregation can remain in the community.”
The members of Merry Oaks Baptist Church are still deciding whether they would like to relocate the church, but it is VinFast’s intention to provide a solution that could potentially keep the church and its congregation in the area.