In an emotional chorus of support for one of Baltimore's historic black churches, 11 City Council members rose last night to urge doing everything possible to keep Bethel AME Church in the city.
4th District Councilwoman Sheila Dixon introduced a resolution,
which was unanimously approved, calling on the Schmoke administration to actively court Bethel.
"The main reason I think it's important that we keep this historic church in Baltimore is because of the impact the church has made and is continuing to make in people's lives," said Ms. Dixon, a member of the church at Druid Hill Avenue and Lanvale Street in West Baltimore. "It's our way of expressing our concern that the administration and Bethel are looking at every option to keep them in the city."
Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke, who has pledged to make every effort to keep the church in the city, plans to meet Thursday with Bethel's pastor, the Rev. Frank Madison Reid III.
But the mayor has noted that the city's job is complicated by Bethel's desire for enough land to add a bookstore, restaurant and radio station to serve its large congregation.
For more than 80 years, Bethel has been an architectural and political landmark on the city's west side.
But the church doesn't have enough pews or parking spaces for its growing congregation and is considering a move to Baltimore County, where half of the 10,500 members live.
More than 50 Bethel members and Mr. Reid applauded the council members who stood to voice their support of the church.
"We have lost too many of our most important institutions in this city," said 6th District Councilman Melvin L. Stukes. "Whatever it takes, we need to do whatever it takes to keep Bethel AME in Baltimore."
Mr. Reid confirmed afterward that the church's preference is to find another location in the city.
Initially, the church wanted 30 acres, but it has scaled back the request to 10 acres to make it easier to find another site in Baltimore.
The church's pastor, who is Mr. Schmoke's stepbrother, said he hoped the council action would "have influence on the mayor."
"We want to stay in the city -- but not at the expense of Bethel dying," he said. "Bethel is bigger than
Baltimore City now. It's a regional church. Our commitment is to the vision for our church."
Also last night, the council approved a $115 million plan to tear down six outdated, dangerous high-rise towers at Lafayette Courts and rebuild the public housing project behind the main post office in East Baltimore.
Housing officials will begin moving the remaining 575 families still living in the 807 apartments at Lafayette Courts into nearby public housing within the next week.
About 200 families will receive federal Section 8 certificates to rent apartments of their own; the rest will move into Lexington Terrace, Latrobe and other public housing developments.
The high-rise towers will be replaced with 460 modern apartments, including 196 reserved for seniors, 18 for teen-age mothers and 210 traditional Baltimore rowhouses.
Housing Commissioner Daniel P. Henson III said he was looking at several communities in Baltimore as sites for 347 apartments to replace those at Lafayette Courts. His goal is partly to help reduce the city's segregated pockets of poverty.
Families who do not move back to Lafayette Courts have the option of choosing other public housing or receiving federal rental certificates for alternative homes.