FROM RUBBLE TO RESURRECTION

The Charlotte Observer September 17, 1988

Bertie Billups, our church secretary was finishing up her Friday tasks when she heard the glass break.  Through her window she saw a man break into the church from Mark Twain Rd. with a double sided fire ax.  She hit the floor and reached for the phone to call 911.  She told the police she could hear him chopping up the altar in the Sanctuary.  "Are you safe? Can you get out of the building?" the operator asked.  She jumped out of her window as the police were arriving.  A mentally ill neighbor, whose family had helped build the church, was in a psychotic rage.  

Word spread fast without cell phones or social media.  Soon Pastor Little and several church members stood behind the police barricade.  A SWAT team took over our parking lot.  Students gathered across the street to watch a real live police drama unfold.  The police scanner had announced a hostage situation, but thankfully Bertie was now among the spectators along the police line.  Pastor Little talked with the police and encouraged them not to use force.  He knew this man, and recognized his mental illness.  His life was more precious than any of our things.

For two and a half hours he wielded his ax against every religious symbol he could find.  Our altar was kindling.  Our organ and piano were chopped into pieces so small they fit into the closet at the back of the church until the insurance adjuster came.  Every chair, hymnal and Bible had an ax chop.  He ended in the Pastor's office, crashing computers, framed photos and books.  Pictures on the news showed him prone on the sidewalk outside the church office in cuffs.  He had finally burned out his rage and we knew he was tired.  Our work was just beginning.

The altar and altar rail were unrecognizable

It was Friday night and our church was in shambles.  David Park is quoted in the paper as saying, "We should have church here on Sunday."  David was voicing what we all felt.  Somehow we must come together in this place, hold each other, grieve, and give thanks for sparing Bertie from the rage.  We prayed for Bertie and we prayed for our neighbor.  The task of rebuilding must begin.  The night before a planning session had been held to begin planning for a new Sanctuary, but that would be two years in the making.  Tonight we needed to organize the clean up and figure out how the congregation could survive.  

We quickly realized that we would need to document the destruction for our insurance claim before and during the clean up.  David Park brought in a new monitor and hard drive for the computer and set up a data base to create the inventory of our destruction.  That night the inventory began. Word was sent out to gather at 10 am on Saturday to begin the clean up.  

Members of the congregation look shocked as they organize the clean up.

As we wielded our brooms against the broken glass and damaged items, we realized that we did not always know some of the folks who showed up to help.  One or two would arrive quietly, pick up a broom and work for an hour to be replaced by other quiet workers.  We learned that the local chapter of AMI (Alliance for the Mentally Ill) was sending folks to help us clean up. Each of these workers had mentally ill family members and knew that "it could have been one of them."  Our ministry suddenly included these kind folks as we reached out to each other to help heal.

Pastor Little's office

As we swept and inventoried damaged items, the phone began to ring off the hook.  The religious community from many surrounding counties began to offer help.  One brought us an organ to use, another an altar,  hymn books arrived and a piano.  We were grateful for the metal folding chairs and would use them for two years until the new sanctuary provided us with comfortable pews.  By mid-afternoon, we knew that we would not only survive, but with community support, would thrive. 

Each chair had 1 or 2 ax cuts. Our paraments, banners, crosses, and candlestick were strewn among the rubble.

The next week we met with our insurance company, and they were bowled over by our pictures and detailed inventory from the hastily composed data base.  We expected to negotiate.  They wrote us a generous check on the spot.  And the  community continued to respond with contributions large and small, often matched by Lutheran Brotherhood (now Thrivent).  We used the money to begin our recovery and as seed money to begin our new Sanctuary.

Just 1 page of a multipage document
thanking folks for their contributions.

We felt as if we had experienced a Resurrection that Sunday morning.  Instead of being the helpers, we had learned to receive help. Each of those uncomfortable metal folding chairs were gratefully filled and the organ praised God mightily.  We even had a congregational picnic afterward in the park to support Habitat.  In three days we had gone from utter destruction within our walls to gathering together to receiving Grace through Christ and community.