Faith unshaken, an Altadena congregation works to rebuild their church, and their lives
This is read by an automated voice.Please report any issues or inconsistencies here.
The church members gathered around the room, holding hands.They bowed their heads and closed their eyes, waiting for words of comfort.“We pray for the people who have lost their homes,” said Pastor Connie Larson DeVaughn, standing near the center.
“The marathon of it, it’s harrowing.Harrowing, and stressful.”After a few seconds of silence, the congregation began calling aloud their own prayers.“Help us to help each other,” one woman said.“Lift burdens here in our congregation, and in our community,” one man called out.For the last 11 months, members of the Altadena Baptist Church have felt the weight of many burdens.
On Jan.8 — the day after the Eaton fire started and rained down embers — flames engulfed their church.
The Altadena Children’s Center, started by the church, also was incinerated.Twenty congregants lost their homes.
Another 20 were displaced.Since that horrific day, the congregation has bounced around, forced to find different spaces to worship.
A few church members have opened their homes to others.Some are rebuilding, while others are staring down the monumental task of doing so.
Still others have thrown themselves into the years-long process of obtaining funding, permits and design plans so the church structure can rise again.Across Los Angeles County, the fires that raged in January have tested the faith of many.
Altogether, 15 sanctuaries of worship were destroyed, including five in Altadena.As the Eaton fire exploded, Altadena Baptist was in a part of Altadena that did not receive early evacuation orders.
1 2 1.A Bible verse is displayed on a wall of the Altadena Baptist Church’s temporary meeting space.
2.Roland Wiley, a member of the Altadena Baptist Church, holds an “Altadena Not For Sale” sign on his property.
Founded in 1934, the church was once at the forefront of integration in the region.Now the congreg...