“Things the way they are now are not the way they will always be.”
That statement by the Rev. Kyrmen Rea, pastor at First Christian Church, has a special meaning this year after a fire on Oct. 1 damaged part of the building, keeping parishioners from services and other activities in the church for two months. For most of October and November, the congregation met for Sunday services at St. Thomas Lutheran and then at Fairview United Methodist Church, with other locations for meetings and events.
On Nov. 30, people were once again allowed back into the church, at 205 E. Kirkwood Ave. But necessary restoration caused by the fire, smoke and water damage means the congregation still is not able to meet in the sanctuary.
Instead, First Christian services and some other events are being conducted in the second-floor Great Hall. Those other events include the Welcome Table Breakfast the church has each Sunday morning for any homeless person in need of a meal.
“We are fully operational for services on Sundays and feeding people,” Rea said recently while in the first-floor nursery that currently serves as her office.
The phrase Rea and others at First Christian are emphasizing right now is Philippians 4:4: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” That’s what’s on the back side of the Christmas ornaments the church is selling for $10 each to help defray the insurance costs from the fire.
The front of the ornaments shows an image of the church with flames of fire.
It’s not the first time the congregation has faced the aftermath of a fire. On New Year’s Eve in 1916, a fire burned the church, then known as Kirkwood Avenue Christian Church, to the ground. A new church building was dedicated on Sept. 28, 1919, and the congregation was named First Christian Church.
Church’s priorities after the fire
Just as with the first fire at the church, Rea said the recent fire led to the formation of a task force to re-evaluate its priorities, with urgency to serve “our neighboring community” first. The consensus has been to use the Great Hall for Sunday services and the breakfasts, she said, adding, “We have to feed people.”
Currently, the breakfast is serving 100-plus people, Rea said. While most of the congregation attends the Sunday services in person, others are watching online. The service has moved from 10 to 11 a.m. to accommodate the space being used for both breakfast and worship.
This year’s Christmas Eve services, three in all, were in the Great Hall as well.
What’s next for First Christian
In the weeks before the fire, Rea had shared with the congregation that First Christian’s associate minister, Rev. Sarah Lynne Gershon, and director of music Jan Harrington were leaving. Gershon became senior minister at a Michigan church and Harrington retired.
Around the time of the fire, other staff members left for various reasons, Rea said. It’s left the congregation working to restore its building and establish new people in church positions. It’s also meant that Rea has spent most days, including her “days off,” at the church to help direct the restoration efforts and perform her ministerial duties.
Once the Christmas services are over, guest preachers will provide Sunday sermons throughout the winter months, allowing Rea needed time off. When she returns, she hopes to focus on the renovation and other needs of the church.
Rea is concerned some people may think First Christian Church is closed, since it’s had construction equipment on the front lawn for several months. Also the doors to the sanctuary are currently closed, with entrance to the building through the side doors on Washington Street.
“We are fully operation for services on Sundays, and for feeding people,” Rea said.
While talking just days before Christmas, Rea said she has no idea when the sanctuary and church offices will be reopened.
But she and parishioners have determined what the essence of First Christian Church is. While the building is important, they have realized it’s the people who comprise the church. Rea’s seen that in the response of people, both in helping with the restoration and also with the goal First Christian Church had before the fire. That goal was a capital campaign for $650,000, for needed upgrades and renovations not associated with the fire. As of Dec. 19, $835,000 in pledges had been received.
“2025 will always be the year of the fire,” Rea said, but she and her congregation are looking ahead — April 2026 is when First Christian Church will celebrate its 200th anniversary.
Contact Carol Kugler at ckugler@heraldt.com.
This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: First Christian returns to church for services, more after Oct. 1 fire
Reporting by Carol Kugler, The Herald-Times / The Herald-Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
