Congregants Keep The Faith After Losing Glassell Park Church To Fire
GLENDALE (CBSLA.com) — After flames ravaged a Mormon church in Glassell Park, its members weren't letting it get them down during a makeshift service in Glendale.
A brush fire on Tuesday spread to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, at 3845 Fletcher Drive, near the 2 Freeway. Flames moved through the attic and badly damaged the building.
The displaced congregants brought their service to a Mormon church in Glendale on Sunday.
The Fletcher Drive church was entirely constructed by donations from local members. When asked how they were coping with the loss, congregants said a building does not make a church.
"We could be anywhere, and the church is still in our heart and in our beliefs," church member Lily Hernandez told CBS2/KCAL9's Laurie Perez.
Instead, they focused on their close-knit community, many of whom carpooled in order to make it to Sunday's service. Getting to the Glendale location could take some members up to two hours by public transportation.
"Unity is key, that's the main message," Bishop Carlos Diaz said. "There's always hope ... And I'm confident we'll be even stronger."
"We'll value our faith even more. We're going to have to make more of a sacrifice," church spokesman James Jenks said.
Structural engineers are scheduled to look the damage this week and determine whether the building can be salvaged or needs to demolished.
Church leaders say their insurance will cover construction costs.
Meanwhile, investigators are still trying to determine the cause of the brush fire.
