After Middle Church fire, advice from houses of worship that have survived disaster
‘Document everything. Cross every T. Dot every I,’ says an African Methodist Episcopal pastor whose Tennessee church building was hit by a tornado.
Firefighters work to extinguish the fire erupted from a building next to the Middle Collegiate Church on Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 in New York. The historic 19th century church in lower Manhattan was gutted by a massive fire early after a fire spread from a five-story vacant building behind the church at about 5 a.m. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)
December 15, 2020
(RNS) — The fire that destroyed Middle Collegiate Church’s historic building in New York City began in the dark of an early Saturday morning (Dec. 5). By midday, as prayers, thoughts and offers of help poured in, the church’s leaders began the work of keeping their congregation together — and laying the groundwork to rebuild.