Kingdom Authority Church reveals plans for old Rockford Memorial Hospital site

ROCKFORD, Ill. (WTVO) — Kingdom Authority Church hosted its first public meeting to announce plans for the former Rockford Memorial Hospital campus.

The hospital, previously operated by Mercyhealth, was closed in July, and the property was purchased by Melvin and Sheila Brown, pastors of Kingdom Authority Church, on September 3rd.

Rockford Mayor Tom McNamara expressed concerns about the sale, stating that transferring the property to an organization without the necessary resources could leave the building vacant.

Sheila Brown emphasized their vision to serve the community by creating a network of development hubs offering essential resources and support, called the Unity in the Community Development Center.

“This is our vision again, we want to serve the community. We want to bring resources. We want to meet the needs of those that, whatever needs they might have to … let us commit to lifting up each other some more and supporting one another and working hand-in-hand to turn our vision into reality. Together, we can make a lasting impact,” Brown said Saturday.

The Browns’ acquisition of the hospital campus has sparked mixed reactions from local officials.

All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WTVO. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WTVO staff before being published.