Tuesday, Nov. 16
November 16, 2010
Neighbors angered over blight
November 18, 2010
It was 1983 when members of St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church offered usage of their 6,000-square-foot facility to members of Grace Lutheran Church, while that congregation awaited construction of their new place of worship.
On Sunday, members of Grace Lutheran took their chance to return the favor with opened doors for the people of St. Matthew’s, after fire destroyed that congregation’s 115-year-old church building at 243 Barrow St. on Thursday.
Cars crowded the parking lot and lawn at Grace Lutheran on Valhi Boulevard, and the sanctuary was filled to capacity as the Rev. Richard Rudnik welcomed the Rev. Craig Dalferes and his parishioners to their new, albeit temporary, home.
“Now it’s our turn,” Rudnik said regarding the opportunity to offer support to those that helped his congregation 27 years earlier.
Rudnik said that when word spread that fire had destroyed St. Matthew’s Church he began getting text messages and telephone calls from people in his congregation requesting that they offer usage of their facility. He suggested that extending that assistance was the only natural thing to do.
On the first Sunday following their loss, members of St. Matthew’s conducted their regular morning services and followed that time with a session of telling stories and sharing memories. It was a day for shedding tears and laughter.
During his sermon, Dalferes told his congregation that they are not alone and because of that he is grateful.
“What do you do when the temple is destroyed?” Dalferes asked during his sermon. “Well, we’re about to find out.”
The minister reminded his congregation that the lost St. Matthew’s church building was not the first structure known to previous generations of the congregation. Fire had damaged a brick structure located near the site, which was used by the congregation established in 1855, meaning it had to be demolished. Some bricks from that first church building had been used in the foundation of the cypress structure that had been listed on the National Registry of Historic Places.
“On Tuesday of this past week, I wondered what I would preach about [the following Sunday]. On Thursday, the story of the temple’s destruction [as referenced in Luke 21:5-19] ceased to be just a story in the Bible. There it was right in front of me. Total destruction,” the reverend said.
Dalferes said that the loss of the old church caused him to realize it was not just a symbol of the past, but an opportunity for current members to make memories for future generations.
The minister commented on how the larger Houma community has come to the aid of his congregation and said it was a definite blessing arising from the ashes of tragedy.
“I am so grateful. Grateful for all the lives that touched mine, and more than anything, grateful for the grace of God in that place,” Dalferes said. “Over 100 years ago our fore bearers created that amazing space and they gave it to us. And now it is our turn to create.”
Dalferes encouraged his congregation to look toward the opportunity they have to make a new building a place in which future generations might gain the same experiences and memories that they had enjoyed.
The pastor said that some artifacts had been recovered from the rubble, including a cross that was once perched on the apex of the bell tower. The only damage to it was a slight bend on the base.
A cause for the fire remains unknown according to Fire Inspector Michael Millett.
At the scene of Thursday’s blaze, 82-year-old Lucas Ostheimer explained that he had been born, baptized and raised as a member of St. Matthew’s. “It’s heartbreaking,” he said of the loss.
“We can rebuild [a building], but you can’t rebuild history,” said church secretary Erica Polk on that Thursday morning.
Dalferes’ message on Sunday for Polk, Ostheimer and other members of his congregation was that out of this loss they might not be able to replace the history involved, but theirs is an opportunity to begin making history.
No plans have been made yet as to when construction on a new church building might begin.
Students at St. Matthew’s Episcopal School returned to class Monday. The school, which instructs pre-school through seventh grade, was spared fire damage in last week’s fire, according to school and fire officials.
An early morning fire Thursday destroyed St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Houma, a 150-year-old landmark. The church was insured, and parishioners have vowed to rebuild. CASEY GISCLAIR
