Oklahoma City United Methodists replace bomb-damaged building
4/20/1998 NOTE: Photographs available with this story.
OKLAHOMA CITY (UMNS) - April 19, three years after the bombing of the Murrah Building here severely damaged the historic First United Methodist Church across the street, the congregation dedicated a new, larger sanctuary in what had been the parking lot.
The occasion was celebrated as a victory, with frequent eruptions of applause, several standing ovations and comments from the congregation . The new structure is the first new church built in downtown Oklahoma City in 80 years, according to building committee member Bill Porter.
Dedication ceremonies were led by Bishop Bruce Blake and the Rev. Nicholas Harris, senior minister. Other participants included District Superintendent Doug McPherson, associate ministers, a choir of about 50 members and other musicians. Among the guests were the Oklahoma governor and Oklahoma City mayor.
Music included "The Church's One Foundation," "Amazing Grace" and "Holy Ground," with the lyrics visible on a large video screen behind the pulpit and above the 50-member choir.
Behind the screen is located a baptistery, which was given prominent placement because, McPherson said, "baptism is the portal into the Christian community." The church also has a baptismal font. Baptisteries are not common in United Methodist churches where baptisms are usually performed by "sprinkling" or placing water on the individual's head.
The 1995 bombing killed 168, including people in nearby buildings and one rescue worker. Although First Church staff were spared in the bombing, the congregation found itself facing a series of decisions once the extent of the property damage became apparent.
Priceless stained glass windows had been destroyed, brickwork damaged and holes ripped through walls and ceilings in the structure built in 1904. Damage from the elements was inevitable. An annex was used as a morgue, and a tent city erected in the parking lot.
The property could not be used for worship or meetings without extensive repairs, but restoration was going to cost more than building a new structure. Some people proposed relocating the congregation to the suburbs. Yet, this church -- the first established in Oklahoma City by Protestants - had been located at this site since it was founded 1889.
A banner hanging from the damaged church building seems to shout the decision: "Our God reigns and we will remain."
"We're on this corner to stay," Harris asserted in the dedication service. "We're not going away."
The immediate problem of where to worship three years ago was solved by the invitation of the Trinity Baptist Church, four miles away. And there the United Methodists continued to worship until Easter Sunday this year when they were first able to use their new building. Church offices were relocated to a downtown office building.
Only two weeks after the bombing, the United Methodist Board of Global Ministries established a churchwide fund to assist the Oklahoma City congregation and contributed the first $100,000.
"Without the United Methodist Church throughout the Unites States of America rallying around us a building such as this would not be a possibility," Harris declared. He said contributions from United Methodists and other faith groups throughout the country increased the fund to almost $1 million.
Harris told of the first structure built in 1889 at a cost of $1771 and how that early congregation retired their final indebtedness of $220 at the dedication service. It was replaced in 1904 by a larger brick gothic-style building that was also debt-free at the dedication, he said. Then he paused before announcing that the new $3.75 sanctuary is also free of debt.
The new structure, also constructed of brick and in a gothic style, has a light airy feel inside. With seating for up to 1,000, it offers significantly more space to a congregation that has been growing since Harris was assigned there 17 years ago. Yet the farthest pulpit-to-pew distance is only 73 feet, according to two members of the building committee. The older structure could accommodate between 500 and 600 people.
The 1904 sanctuary building is to be saved and converted to a family life or heritage center. Later additions to that structure will be demolished to make room for a new education facility - again because building new was less expensive than repairing the old. The building committee expects to begin construction on this second phase within two months, according to Bill McWilliams, chairman.
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