Coltrane Church Dodges Eviction But Soon to be Homeless

San Francisco’s St. John Coltrane Church dodged an eviction last month, but still faces the task of finding a permanent home.

Church leaders told KQED Tuesday that they’ll vacate their storefront location in the West Bay Conference Center in the city’s Fillmore District, after services conclude on Sunday, April 24.

In return, an attorney for the landlord said in a statement it will dismiss the eviction action against the church.

Pastor Wanika King says the lifting of the eviction notice is hardly a victory for the church. “We still are faced with the very real reality of being homeless on the 30th,” King said in an interview Tuesday. “We’ll be couch surfing at that point.

King said the 48 year old church, known internationally for its devotion to Coltrane’s masterful album A Love Supreme, is still looking for a temporary location to conduct services, but it’s begun a fundraising campaign on Generosity.com in hopes of purchasing its own space in the same neighborhood.

In their Generosity.com fundraising pitch, the “Coltrane Church” says it’s being forced out of its home because “The present political climate of profit over people continues to devastate the African American population of the Fillmore.”

In its statement to reporters, the West Bay Conference Center wrote that, “In a perfect world, we would provide that space at no cost. Unfortunately, however, West Bay operates in the same ruthless economy that has engulfed the entire Fillmore District.”

The Coltrane church has raised $7523, according to the Generosity.com website. King said the church hopes to raise a $1 million toward the purchase of a permanent space.