The Gothic Revival building went up in a blaze Dec. 5 after fire spread from a vacant building next door before dawn. The bell and the skeletal facade were the only parts of the structure to survive. So did two vinyl banners reading "Black Lives Matter" and "Just Love," the church's motto, something that Lewis found meaningful. "That's some kind of miracle that the fire does not torch your values," she said days later in front of the church, smoky odor still lingering in the air. Lau said she and others moved as a community from grieving to remembering that the church is also its people, "the church is us."

Source: Daily Sun December 25, 2020 20:34 UTC