Faith rises from ashes

Despite ruin, the Morning Star

Missionary Baptist Church presses on

By RICHARD KOE
    PORTLAND — Shooting flames that toppled the church steeple and an explosion that destroyed the building housing Morning Star Missionary Baptist Church on the night of Feb. 5 failed to alter the faith of its pastor or parishioners days after the four-alarm disaster occurred.
    The following Sunday morning, Feb. 11, nearly 500 people — including many supporters from the nearby faith community — gathered in a makeshift tent to express hope and faith just a few feet from the ashes and ruins of the historic church building at 106 N.E. Ivy and Rodney.
    Portland Mayor Tom Potter and state Sen. Margaret Carter joined Pastor Albert Wayne Johnson in a show of support and solidarity. Potter assured the audience that Morning Star would not only be rebuilt, but would be more beautiful than it was before. He said this is what happens when something golden is created from the ashes.
    Carter implored the audience to donate to the Morning Star Catastrophe Relief Fund at any Wells Fargo Bank, and reminded everyone that people and not the building was in essence the church. She predicted that Morning Star’s best days are yet ahead.
    Local businesses such as Safeway and the Heathman Hotel have donated thousands of dollars, and Legacy Emanuel Health Center has given office space to the pastor besides a monetary gift, and Cox & Cox Funeral Home has also contributed and offered space.
    Benefit events are also planned to help rebuild Morning Star. All eight New Seasons Markets will sell sandwiches on Saturday, March 3, and PO Soul Entertainment will present a gospel concert, “Saving the Star that Shines So Bright,” that evening at 6 p.m. in Calvary Christian Center, 125 N.E. Alberta St. Admission will be a $10 donation.
    Johnson thanked the countless hundreds who have offered help during this difficult time and pledged to continue the church’s services for those in need, including an on-site soup kitchen and the after school program.
    He noted that everyone is not destined to stay in the same place, but Morning Star plans to stay in the same location and will survive and flourish despite the fire. The church will rebuild., he said.
    Nearby the tent were several bins filled with bricks from the ruins of the church. Johnson said the church will be rebuilt with some of the original bricks from the 1919 gothic and Georgian revivalist building.
    The building formerly housed Trinity Lutheran Church and a two-room schoolhouse, and the church property once hosted the first classes of Concordia University from 1905 to 1907. Morning Star, founded in 1947, settled in the location as its home in 1959.
    More than 100 firefighters responded to the church fire at the midnight hour on Monday, Feb. 5. The blaze erupted almost instantly and gutted the entire three-story building, causing the steeple to implode; scorching nearby trees, two rooftops, and two parked vehicles; and downing power lines.
    The church annex suffered heavy damage, but firefighters were able to save most of the structure. Both the edifice and annex were empty at the time, and no injuries from the fire were reported.
    Two days later crews began tearing down the burnt shell of the church building, demolishing walls and pillars as investigators started searching the charred remains with an arson dog for the cause of the fire, which remains unknown.
    Still, the memories and kinship remain among Morning Star’s parishioners. The congregation plans to hold Sunday morning services beginning March 4 in the Rose City Cemetery chapel, 5625 N.E. Fremont St., in Portland. Soundview Recording will loan pianos and sound equipment.
    Johnson told Renee Mitchell of The Oregonian what God has taught him in all this is that people must be allowed to connect and to not miss the opportunity. He believes the Lord has allowed this tragedy so something triumphant can take place.