Adapting the Easter season's theme of Resurrection, members of a burned-out Shady Side church worshipped in a tent on the parking lot yesterday and vowed to build a church on the ruins.
"My mom says we don't have the steeple, but we have the people," said Garrett Dabbs, 9, of Shady Side.
A fire Wednesday night destroyed Centenary United Methodist Church, including its historic sanctuary. Palm Sunday services were held in a tent, and a procession of youngsters started in a morning drizzle. The smell of charred rubble hung in the air.
"Because of the Resurrection, we have hope. That's the most beautiful thing about the timing of this," said church member Erika McGrew of Shady Side.
The blaze caused about $1 million in damage plus an undetermined amount in other property losses. Anne Arundel County fire officials ruled the fire accidental. It started when halogen lamps, which were lying face-down, were turned on by a timer and ignited tar paper on the roof. The fire occurred during renovation and expansion.
The service yesterday, attended by about 300 people, mixed sadness and joy, as worshippers told each other that from the ashes of the old building a new structure will rise. Members recalled weddings and funerals and said they drew strength not from bricks and mortar but from the church community and God.
"I just know that we are a strong, strong congregation and, with God's help, we are going to go through this together," said Barry Cornwall, trustee chairman.
The regional United Methodist Church office has promised architectural, financial, legal and whatever other support Centenary needs.
"We will live through the Good Fridays of our lives, and we will rebuild," said the Rev. Edwin C. DeLong, former Centenary pastor and now an official in the regional Office of Congregational Development.
Congregants, though tearful, said they felt blessed that no one was hurt and thankful that whether it is Sunday school in members' homes or Good Friday services at the church next door, they have a place to worship.
Among the first to extend a hand was St. Matthew's United Methodist Church next door, a mostly black congregation that has a tight bond with mostly white Centenary. At the end of their service, members of St. Matthew's walked across the field to join Centenary's service.
