Less than a week after a devastating fire displaced his 3,000-member flock, Bishop Oscar E. Brown of First Mount Olive Free Will Baptist Church stood on the Meyerhoff Symphony Hall stage yesterday with a message of hope, thanks and praise.
"Today really marks the beginning of a new path for Mount Olive," Brown said, shortly before yesterday's three-hour service began. "The building burned down, but the church is still alive."
Officials from the Meyerhoff volunteered the 2,500-capacity venue for Brown's congregation. The 140-year-old West Baltimore church caught fire Tuesday after lightning struck the building's steeple; the five-alarm blame resulted in what fire officials called a "total loss."
Brown and other leaders of the church gladly accepted the invitation to worship at the Meyerhoff, which the church had rented frequently during the past five years for larger functions.
Kendra Whitlock, vice president and general manager of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, said donating the use of the building and nearby parking lot was the right thing to do.
"We were immediately like, 'Let's make it happen.' It's just a horrible tragedy," she said. "We want to do our part to help them get through this tough time."
The Meyerhoff's donation has been the most surprising the church has received since Tuesday's fire, according to Deacon Bryan Miller, a church spokesman.
"The tag on this place is not cheap," Miller said. The Meyerhoff hall usually costs $5,000 to rent. "The donation has been wonderful," he added. "It was so fitting that they offered it to us. It has been our home away from home."
Members of the congregation remained upbeat throughout the service.
"I feel great about the future of the church," said 20-year member Katherine Bailey, as she rushed inside the Meyerhoff to find a seat. "[The church is] going to come back."
Miller said many members of the congregation have viewed the fire as God's will.
"Fire is a purifier," said Miller, who has been a member of the church since 1975. "It is serving to bring us to the next level of ministry."
Lorraine Vincent, a member of the church since 1999, said she has been touched by the outpouring of community support since the fire.
"It's been wonderful," she said as she made her way into the service. "But I hope that we find another [permanent] place to worship."
Next Sunday, the congregation will worship at Temple Oheb Shalom, a synagogue on Park Heights Avenue. During his sermon, Brown said that the synagogue has offered its facility to the church to worship on Sundays for one year.
"We are looking for the right-sized space, with parking," said Miller, who added that a number of other religious institutions have offered their assistance to the church.
In the coming weeks, the congregation will move from one facility to another until a permanent site can be found. In addition, church leaders say they hope to offer two services a week. Before the fire, Mount Olive would offer up to five services a week. Brown estimates that it will take at least a year to rebuild the church.
There is also uncertainty about the church's financial state. Days before the fire, the nonprofit corporation that owns the church was twice threatened with foreclosure - on both the building in the 800 block of W. Saratoga St. and a separate 9-acre plot purchased in 2002.
The church was notified this month that the 9-acre parcel, in the 2700 block of Wilmarco Ave., would be auctioned at the end of the month because the church was in default on its $1.5 million mortgage, according to records filed in Baltimore Circuit Court.
Last week, Brown announced that the church's insurance company had committed to pay out $4 million, which is enough to pay off their debts, but a spokeswoman from GuideOne Insurance said Friday that no such promise was made. She said the company is still investigating the damage.
When asked yesterday about the church's financial struggles, Brown declined to comment.
Religious institutions are vital to the success of Baltimore City, said Mayor Sheila Dixon, who attended the service.
"Religion inspires," said Dixon. "Being a Christian, it is through that faith that helps to change lives." Dixon said she was stunned by the news of the fire. She vowed last week to assist the church in either rebuilding or finding a new home.
"I know how devastating it was," she said, as she made her way to her balcony seat. "It's been there since the 1800s. It's kept the community whole through the good and bad times."
Roberta Turner, a Baltimore County resident who has been a member of the church for five years, said she was originally attracted to the church because of the closeness of the people.
"It's not too big," she said, as she accompanied her 4-year-old son, Justin, into the Meyerhoff. "They know who you are. This is good to me."
"It's really a shame," she said of the fire. "It's a historic church. Everyone is trying to hold it together. We'll get through this."
john-john.williams@baltsun.com