Pastor Sues to Halt Roseville Sheetz Expansion

A Community's Fight to Save a Historic Church

A small group of individuals, many of whom were former parishioners of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Roseville, gathered in front of the building on Saturday to listen as Warren pastor Curtiss Ostosh spoke about a lawsuit filed on August 15. The lawsuit claims that Harvest Time Christian Fellowship Church has rights to the property that is set to be demolished for a new Sheetz gas station.

The church and surrounding buildings, along with Apple Annie’s restaurant at Utica Road and Gratiot Avenue, are scheduled for demolition. Ostosh stated that Harvest Time Christian Fellowship has the property under contract and wants to purchase it to expand their ministries in south Warren, which they have been providing for over three decades. He emphasized the sacred nature of the building and expressed a desire to continue its use for years to come.

Several members of the crowd responded with “amen” after Ostosh made this statement.

Ostosh, the pastor of Harvest Time Christian Fellowship Church in Warren, announced on August 16 that he had filed a lawsuit against the City of Roseville and Mooney Real Estate Holdings. The complaint, filed by attorney Cindy Rhodes Victor of The Victor Firm in Southfield, alleges that in 2021, Harvest Time put down a $25,000 deposit on the property and was scheduled to close on September 22, 2021. However, representatives from Mooney Real Estate Holdings did not show up for the closing, leading to continued negotiations.

In 2024, the property was rezoned for commercial development, and St. Pio of Pietrecelcina Parish, the current owner, accepted an offer from Sheetz. Ostosh argues that his 2021 offer is still valid and that the city illegally rezoned the property to accommodate Sheetz.

A small group of supporters attended a press conference at the vacant Sacred Heart Catholic Church building in Roseville on August 16. Faye Nemer, CEO of the MENA American Chamber of Commerce, was present and pointed out a pattern where Sheetz seems to influence rezoning decisions to favor their operations and exclude minority-owned gas stations.

“We are concerned about unfair business practices we have seen in various communities including Roseville in connection with Sheetz,” Nemer said.

St. Pio, located on 13 Mile Road in Roseville, was formed from St. Athanasius Catholic Church when Sacred Heart and Fraser’s Our Lady Queen of All Saints closed and merged into one parish.

A statement issued in the August 3, 2025 St. Pio church bulletin refuted Ostosh’s claims, stating that the church had received four offers for the property since 2017: My Place Storage, My Space Self Storage, Harvest Time Christian Fellowship, and Sheetz. The statement acknowledged that in April 2021, St. Pio entered into a purchase agreement with Harvest Time Christian Fellowship for $1.5 million. According to the statement, Harvest Time submitted $25,000 in earnest money, with the remainder to be transferred electronically by August 12, 2021.

However, Harvest Time refused to send the funds via transfer and instead indicated a check would be sent by mail. St. Pio has yet to receive it. The purchase agreement was terminated on October 4, 2021, and Harvest Time forfeited its $25,000 deposit due to the breach of the agreement.

In 2024, St. Pio received three offers for the property, and the Sheetz offer was $500,000 higher than the others. The church accepted the offer that provided the most financial benefit.

Many attendees at the August 16 press conference at the now-defunct Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Roseville are former parishioners who do not want to see the building demolished for a Sheetz gas station. They view the church as a neighborhood icon and hope to stop the demolition.

Lalvin Rank drove from his home near Findlay, Ohio, to attend the press conference because he is concerned about the neighborhood where he grew up. He plans to move back to Roseville next year and shared his childhood memories of the church bells and walking past the church to the movie theater.

“I didn’t think initially that Sheetz was making an aggressive push into the area but the distribution center changed my mind and then seeing what is going on in Michigan,” Rank said.

Gloria Gorko, who attended Sacred Heart school from first through 12th grades, hopes to see the church converted into affordable housing, similar to how other Metro Detroit churches have been transformed. Joanne Bartolotta, who had her first communion and confirmation at the church, feels it is wrong to replace the historic building with a gas station.