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Monday, December 28, 2009

New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church Suffers Christmas Fire

On Christmas, terrible tragedy struck the New Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church in Fountain Park: the church caught fire and was severely damaged after the morning service. The Fire Department considers the four-alarm fire suspicious.

Pastor Hosea Gales told the St. Louis Globe-Democrat that the church found a home for its Sunday service and that it will rebuild. What is uncertain is the fate of the historic church building at 1260 N. Euclid Avenue, built in the late 1890s as the Euclid Avenue Baptist Church. The preservation community should offer all possible assistance to the congregation.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sad news.

Is there insurance?

Was the church involved in organizing neighbors against drug activity?

Fountain Park is battling a drug problem and the churches are on the front line.

Preservation is complicated when advocates must confront such difficult problems.

tobyweiss.com said...

I read about this fire in both the Post and the Globe, and while both places gave the street address, they never placed it in a neighborhood.

Whereas Michael immediately told us what neighborhood the church was in, which provides immediate context.

Thank you.

Chris said...

One news source called it the Central West End. I guess for a lot of St. Louisans, all streets must stop at Delmar.

Anonymous said...

toby,

i'm pretty sure the print edition of the PD placed the church in fountain park - i remember being surprised that they got it right.

adam