Beginning with loud and joyful singing, members of Rehoboth Church of God in Christ Jesus Apostolic gathered Saturday afternoon to celebrate the congregation's home being restored and designated as a city landmark.
The dark stone church stands between two large vacant buildings on an awkward corner lot between three streets in the West Baltimore neighborhood of Franklintown Road. But inside the building is light, with white walls and a blue carpet in the main hall accented by the original wood beams and pews.
Kevin Parson, a church spokesman, said it took three years to complete the first of three phases in a planned restoration and modernization project.
"We're trying to preserve the exterior Gothic look while still making it modern enough to have worship," Parson said.
The project took time, Parson said, because the church was raising money as it went and had to solve problems such as where to hold services during the work. But now that it's done, he said, "it's beautiful."
The church has been updated with a larger stage and a system to stream video of services online. That's important, according to Parson, because a lot of the church's members are from Jamaica and the Virgin Islands and want to be able to keep in touch when they're out of the country, especially for important events such as funerals.
"When they come to visit, they feel right at home," Parson said.
The City Council voted last fall to designate the church as a landmark, and the decision took effect at the end of October. The move means church leaders must obtain approval before altering the building's exterior, but Parson hopes it could make it easier to get grant funding for the next phases of restoration.
The stone church stands on a site that has been used for Christian worship for 180 years, since War of 1812 veteran Col. John Berry decided to found a church there in 1835. The current building dates to 1920.
Rehoboth Church was founded in the 1930s and, after a number of years moving around, settled in its current location in 1955.
Saturday was supposed to mark the unveiling of a plaque with Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake and members of the General Assembly. But there was one last hitch, Parson said: The person making the plaque hadn't finished.