http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/central_city_church_ravaged_by.html
Mary Elise DeCoursey / The Times-PicayuneLight peers in through the windows of Greater St. Stephen's Full Gospel Church on South Liberty Street. Fire engulfed the church overnight, charring the sanctuary.
Long after the last fire engine left and the 2300 block of South Liberty Street returned to something near normal Monday afternoon, people drove slowly by, parked and got out of their cars to see the gutted remains of Greater St. Stephen Full Gospel Baptist Church.
The 2,000-seat building was still standing after a predawn fire, but a ruin nonetheless. No one yet knew where the next service, a Thursday night Bible study, will be held.
But they said they were confident someone would figure it out.
"We're like family here," said Lisa Smith, a social worker and member of more than 20 years who dropped by on her lunch hour to see for herself.
She and others compared it to a wake, of sorts, except they said they were sure the church would come back from the fire, as it came back from flood after Hurricane Katrina three years ago.
By late afternoon no cause had been disclosed. But Bishop Paul S. Morton, who built what was once a small Baptist church into a major congregation, said investigators suspected the fire started in the choir area behind the pulpit.
While Smith chatted with friends, Morton and his wife, Senior Pastor Debra Morton, who now leads the church, stood nearby and greeted well-wishers. Paul Morton, who spends much of his time in Atlanta, had preached on South Liberty Street on Sunday night, members said.
Not far away, in slacks, baseball cap and floppy sports shirt, stood U.S. Rep William Jefferson, a trustee and church member for 30 years or more.
Jefferson said he was helping Paul Morton make calls in search of a temporary home for the church.
No luck by mid-afternoon, he said. But he and Morton said they hoped to have a temporary meeting place in time for Thursday.
Paul Morton said the congregation was insured. "We'll be back, bigger and better," said Debra Morton.
The Mortons said they were summoned to the church well before dawn and watched a three-alarm blaze ruin the sanctuary. A nearby education building sustained heavy smoke damage, said church administrator Brandon Boutin.
He declined to estimate the fire damage or disclose the extent of the congregation's insurance coverage.
Hours later, with the fire doused, Fire Department investigators, with agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, combed through the rubble. Local fire investigators frequently ask ATF agents for help in large blazes involving commercial buildings, members of both agencies said.
The building's loss presents the congregation with a major challenge.
Before Hurricane Katrina, Greater St. Stephen was by far the largest church in the city, perhaps the largest in the state. It claimed about 20,000 members worshipping at three campuses: a large church in eastern New Orleans, a new acquisition in Marrero, and the church's original location on South Liberty Street in Central City.
Morton was a major figure in the city's religious landscape. His proteges launched successful churches linked to Greater St. Stephen; that network's annual summer conferences in New Orleans, Atlanta and elsewhere attracted thousands.
Moreover, he became something of a lightning rod outside of church: He lived conspicuously well and played a role in city politics, joining a group of clergymen in 2004 who denounced contract award decisions by Mayor Ray Nagin's administration.
But Monday's fire was the second major blow in three years. Katrina scattered the congregation, knocking its number down to about 5,000, the Mortons said recently.
The eastern New Orleans church is still closed; Monday's fire ruined the congregation's only remaining New Orleans home. Although the Marrero site is in use, Paul Morton said it is probably too distant to be of much use to the Central City congregation.
But like Debra Morton, he pledged that the burned church will recover.
After the storm, Paul Morton launched an offshoot of Greater St. Stephen in suburban Atlanta. He announced recently that he was placing the New Orleans congregation in Debra Morton's hands while he concentrated on building up the Atlanta church.
Bruce Nolan can be reached at [email protected] or 504.826.3344
Continue to keep the Wright family in prayer!
