The steeple of the Cambridge church that went up in flames on Easter was removed on Tuesday, as “heartbroken” members of Faith Lutheran Church started raising money to rebuild the destroyed church.
Fire officials had yet to release a cause of the raging 6-alarm fire as of Tuesday afternoon, while workers started taking off the steeple from 311 Broadway in Cambridge. Heavy flames had been shooting out of the steeple on Easter Sunday, and safety officials had been concerned about the steeple collapsing.
The church had a service on Sunday morning, hours before the building was engulfed in heavy fire and smoke in the late afternoon into the evening.
“We are heartbroken at the loss of this beautiful 114-year-old structure, a unique landmark in the Port neighborhood of Cambridge,” said Kristin Griffin, who organized a GoFundMe recovery fund for the church.
Faith Lutheran Church hopes to restore this property at 311 Broadway, she added.
“We are hoping for an Easter miracle, a resurrection,” Griffin said.
The church was built by working-class Swedish immigrants generations ago. Over the years, this building has been the spiritual home to a number of congregations, and for countless faithful people, including many recent immigrants: Swedish, Taiwanese, Ethiopian, Eritrean, German, and more.
For more than 20 years, the building has hosted a biweekly free supper called “Faith Kitchen,” run jointly with the church’s friends at Temple Beth Shalom. The church has hosted choirs, children’s groups, a community garden, celebrations, concerts, and community initiatives.
“It has been a place of love, music, art, joy, spirituality, and healing,” Griffin said.
“Given the small size of our congregation and its humble financial resources, we know that the cost involved will challenge us significantly,” Griffin later added. “That is why we are asking for your help.”
Less than 24 hours after the fundraising page was launched, more than $15,000 had already been raised.
The GoFundMe donation page is called, “Faith Lutheran Church Fire Recovery Fund.”
