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Worship service begins rebuilding effort for St. David's, Topeka

By Melodie Woerman
Diocesan director of communications

	Following a Sunday afternoon worship service, a child gathers scorched pages of music that floated from St. David's, Topeka, into the church yard from the fire that heavily damaged the building Nov. 10. Photos by Melodie Woerman

TOPEKA (Nov. 12) - The clergy were in borrowed vestments and the congregation sang from Lutheran hymnals, but the people of St. David’s, Topeka, gathered Sunday afternoon, Nov. 12 to worship for the first time since an arson fire heavily damaged their church building on Friday, Nov. 10.

About 350 people crowded into Faith Lutheran Church, St. David’s across-the-street neighbor, to hear their rector, the Rev. Don Davidson, and Bishop Dean Wolfe tell them that the congregation will rebuild and will be stronger for the trials they will endure.

“If we build it, they will come,” Davidson said in his sermon, quoting from the movie Field of Dreams. He asked people to look at their hands, saying, “These hands of ours have been about the business these past few days of saying good-bye to a precious part of our parish, but not our church. We have been wiping our tears and grieving and remembering what has happened there.”

He called the congregation to continue to spread the message of the gospel while they rebuild. “Baptisms, weddings, funerals, everything else you can imagine we’re going to continue right on doing,” he said. “They don’t need a building, they need our hands.

“We will welcome each other in a giant embrace that says to the world that we will not let anyone with matches put us down. We will build it, and they will come,” Davidson said, as members rose to their feet in applause.

Davidson had special words of comfort for St. David’s youngest members. After calling the children forward for their own sermon, he sat with them on the floor and showed them a vial of oil he carries for anointing the sick. “Our church is hurt, our building is hurt, but it will be healed,” he told them. “I think God is giving us a little bit of oil, a little bit of healing. He says, ‘I am with you, I will be with you. I will help you. I will not be absent. I love you.’”

Bishop Wolfe assured parishioners of support from the other congregations within the Diocese of Kansas. “We are not independent congregations in the Episcopal Church,” he said. “We are linked one with the other. Sometimes that is a real pain, and sometimes that is the very thing that saves us.”

The parish’s tenacity in gathering for worship so soon after its fire drew the bishop’s special praise. “No fire, no loss of your building, nothing will separate us from the love of God,” he said. “We are here to proclaim the Gospel. We are not missing a single Sunday. Anyone who wants to stop this ministry has run into the wrong group of folks.”

	St. David's members look into the narthex to view fire damage there.

Seeing for themselves
After the service dozens of members crossed the street to peek into open doors at St. David’s building to see the damage for themselves. Safety concerns kept them outside but did allow them a look into the narthex and into the chapel, where the fire started.

Members shook their heads in disbelief, commenting on the strong smell of smoke that still hangs in the air. Children walked through the yard gathering scorched pages of music that had floated outside.

Members determined to rebound
Mary Cohoon walked into Faith Lutheran before the service and said, “This is Easter Sunday. Last Friday was Good Friday, but today is Easter Day.”

Parish treasurer Jim Edwards said it was important for the congregation to gather for worship as soon as it could. He said the readings for the day, and Davidson’s sermon, were healing.

Anne Hesse saw great hope for the congregations’ future, comparing the church’s destruction to a prairie fire that sweeps across the plains and takes vegetation but leaves the roots. “With water and sunshine, it comes back,” she said.

Harvey Hillin said of the service, “It was kind of like going to a funeral.” He agreed with Davidson that the church isn’t the building but rather the people, but noted, “It will take a while for us to get used to that. It’s hard to lose the continuity of the building.”

	The Rev. Don Davidson looks through a prayer book from St. David's chapel that survived the fire but shows smoke and water damage.

Contributions pour in
Within hours of the fire Bishop Wolfe had established a “St. David’s Resurrection Fund” to help with any costs that might not be covered by insurance. The diocese has given $5,000, and a parishioner has contributed a like amount.

Davidson announced that Trinity, Atchison, has pledged another $5,000, and Dean Steve Lipscomb of Grace Cathedral, Topeka, was on hand Sunday to present Davidson with a check from his congregation as well as a key to the cathedral, making that space available for any need St. David’s might have. Lipscomb noted that when the cathedral suffered its own devastating arson fire 31 years ago, St. David’s offered them assistance, and they were only repaying the favor.

The Very Rev. Dale Plummer, rector of Covenant, Junction City and dean of the Northwest Convocation, also presented a check and words of solidarity from the other Episcopal congregations in the region.

Davidson said he also has received offers of help from many Topeka churches, and in the coming days the parish will decide where it will hold worship services.

He also said the parish office should be set up by Tuesday, with telephone lines and Internet access, in the house just west of the church that the parish owns.

The day after the fire all items considered salvageable were removed from the church and handed over to a company to begin cleaning and restoring them.

How to help
Anyone wishing to donate money tot help St. David’s should make checks payable to “Diocese of Kansas” with “St. David’s” in the memo line. Please mail them to:

Episcopal Diocese of Kansas
835 SW Polk Street
Topeka, KS 66612