Fire strikes steeple of St. Paul Praise and Worship Center
We offer prayers for the Rev. Dellyne Hinton, Pastor Michelle Corbett, and the congregations of St. Paul Praise and Worship Center and Elderslie-St. Andrews UMC, who worship at the St. Paul site in Pikesville.
On the morning of Oct. 14, the Baltimore County Fire Department was called to 503 Reisterstown Road in Pikesville to address a fire in the church steeple. According to news reports, despite the flames, the fire crew was able to contain the fire before it spread to the rest of the church. No one was injured. Firefighters cleared the scene around noon.
The church also houses a food and clothing pantry. Prayers are appreciated for this vial ministry as they move forward.
While the fire was exclusively in the church’s bell tower and significant structural damage was not done to the church, water damage and the intense smoke smell in the building will prohibit the two congregations from worshipping in the building in the near future.
But there is a blessing, said the Rev. Dell Hinton, who noted that the congregations are part of a five-point cooperative parish. The parish partners have joined together and people from the displaced church will worship at Gwynn Oak, Mount Washington, and Aldersgate UMCs. Arrangements are even being made to ensure that ongoing tithes and offerings are given to the congregations affected by the fire.
“This really is the strength of our connectional system,” Hinton said. Without these connections, I might be frantic. But there is beauty in having this kind of relationship. This is one of the unexpected but positive things to come out of a cooperative parish relationship.
Photos courtesy of Baltimore County Fire Department