Members of the Metropolitan Community Church were ecstatic Sunday after they voted 96 percent in favor of buying a church in the Mission Bay area that they can call their own.

Church services will continue at The San Diego LGBT Community Center in Hillcrest for approximately six to eight more weeks, maybe longer depending on the escrow process. The church, which ministers to everyone but has a special outreach to the GLBT community, will obtain a bank loan of approximately $650,000.

On Saturday, about 100 members toured their new church at 2633 Denver Street, which is located across from Mission Bay near Interstate 5 and Clairemont Drive. The sanctuary can seat 320 people, and it comes with 120 parking spaces. The church is located in the Sixth District, which is represented by Councilmember Donna Frye.

“We boldly go where God has called us to be,” said Rev. Dan Koeshall in his sermon before the vote.

There were 111 active members who voted Sunday. Tallying the vote was easy, since 107 voted in favor of the purchase, and only four votes were cast against it.

“I’m overcome with joy. It will spill out into the community,” said Teresa Biery after the vote. “It’s an opportunity to spread the word that God loves each of us. It’s a new chapter in our history to be written. It’s an exciting time in the life of our community and church.”

“I’m very pleased. It’s a clear direction that God is leading us,” said Koeshall.

“I’m excited. It’s an opportunity for us to refresh and re-energize,” said Lee Bowman, the minister of communications. “People always want to have a place of our own.”

The church has been renting office spaces at 4340 Vandever Avenue and The Center since 2002, and separate storage spaces in the amount of $4,000 monthly, according to Al Smithson, a founding member of the church and longest serving board member in the denomination’s history.

The new church has large offices, seven classrooms, a large kitchen, computer room, and many smaller rooms in a three-story facility.

Koeshall hinted he has picked out his office, which is not the largest one but has a view of Mission Bay.

MCC, which is also referred to as The Met Church, is buying the building from The Life Church, which has outgrown its building. The purchase price is $2.5 million, and the church has all but $650,000, which it will get from a bank loan.

The church will pay $1.7 million, which comes from the sale of its church building on 30th Street in North Park in 2002, said Smithson. The church had outgrown the building, and lost all the available parking spaces across the street after developers bought the land for condos.

Church members have transferred stock pledges in the amount of $130,000, which adds to the down payment. During the interview for this story, a member donated $1,000; another member had donated $5,000 the week before.

The church on Denver Street was constructed in 1972 and the lot size is approximately 19,309 square feet. It received a new roof three years ago and has a new air conditioning system. It has an outdoor BBQ grill, which is part of a deck in front of the building.

“It’s such a nice facility. It meets all the needs of our ministry,” said Mick Donahue, a member since 1995. “The space is wonderful.”

Koeshall said the board members of The Life Church voted unanimously to sell the church to MCC after meeting with him and others.

MCC was the second bidder on the church after the first one fell through.

The building is not wheelchair accessible, and a ramp will be constructed in front of the church. An elevator will have to be installed at a cost of $120,000, said Smithson. Staff Pastor Houston Burnside uses a wheelchair, as do several other members.

“We are mounting a campaign to reduce the amount of the loan,” said Smithson. “The smaller the loan, the smaller the monthly payment, so we’re seeking donations to help reduce substantially the amount the loan we have to take out.”

A term of the 10-year bank loan includes a fixed interest rate of 6.5 percent for the first five years. Smithson said the church estimates it will have to spend about $52,000 in various expenses before occupancy.

The church is accepting donations to lower the cost of the bank loan. Smithson said people could donate art, automobiles, jewelry, or antiques, which could be sold.

Despite the move, the church will keep its current mailing address at P.O. Box 33291, San Diego, Calif. 92163. Church officials can be reached at 619-521-2222 or at www.themetchurch.org.