| Hall UMC roof collapses By Melissa LauberUMConnection Staff  Hall UMC in Glen Burnie was condemned Feb. 24 after a portion of the roof over its education building collapsed from the weight of snow.
The Anne Arundel County Department of Inspections and Permits declared the sanctuary and annex, which houses the fellowship hall and educational space, to be unsafe buildings. The Rev. Daniel McLellan Jr., pastor at Hall UMC, estimates there was 26 inches of snow on the flat roof of the metal building. The snow was the result of a series of severe winter storms that began Feb 15. The storms, which closed many of the churches in the Baltimore-Washington Conference Feb. 16, were noted by meteorologists to be among some of the worst in the regions history. The damage to Hall UMC, which included the collapse of the ceiling in several spots, was discovered by the church custodian. McLellan believes the education building, which was completed in 1989, will need to be torn down. He is hopeful the sanctuary will be able to be saved. However, plans have yet to be completely finalized, he said. The congregation, which averages a weekly worship attendance of 170, met the first Sunday after the disaster at Mt. Zion UMC in Magothy. They are currently meeting at nearby Friendship Baptist Church. During worship, the youth choir sang, No hole in the roof is going to keep us down. The connectional system has been very supportive, McLellan said. My district superintendent, the Rev. Mamie Williams, was right beside me all the time, he added. In the days following the roof collapse, church members were permitted back into the building to remove as many things as they could.  Helen M. Johnson, a member of the churchs board of trustees was on hand. As she watched volunteers move toys from the nursery and chairs from the fellowship hall into the parking lot, Johnson said church members have a number of mixed emotions.
We thank the Lord no one was hurt, she said. Were trying to hold a positive attitude. This was just a building and it can be replaced. But it was also our church. Those wishing to make a contribution to Hall UMC to assist with the rebuilding can send donations to the attention of Robert Smith, church treasurer, at 7780 Solley Road, Glen Burnie, MD 21060. | 
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