Historic East Village church reopens in time for Easter after devastating fire

Well, just in time for Easter, an East Village church that burned down four and a half years ago is about to reopen

Okay, Fox 5's Jessica Formoso takes us inside the newly rebuilt Middle Collegiate Church and shows us how the congregation has continued to persevere even without a home

Difficult time, really hard time. Reverend Dr. Jackie Lewis will never forget December 5th, 2020

Her church, Middle Collegiate Church in the East Village, burned to the ground

Four and a half years later, this historic, nearly 400-year-old congregation came back to life just in time for Easter

When I think about the symbolism of what Easter stands for, that love outlasts death, that love resurrects life, this is proof of life

The six-alarm fire broke out in an apartment building next door to the church, quickly spreading, consuming the church's sanctuary

But the building next to it, which was used as a program building, while damaged, it was salvaged

It is in this building where service will be held in this new two sanctuary To come back into a sanctuary I going to use a Hebrew word a mishkan a tabernacle in this time is like making a way out of no way

Not much was salvaged from the fire, but the little that was has a special meaning to the

reverend and this congregation. This was the only Tiffany stained glass window that survived

It was broken, like an explosion had happened. So there were glass shards missing and pieces missing, and an artist put it back together for us

And I have to tell you, that blows my mind. It blows my mind

Around the corner where the entrance of the church once stood, that lot still fenced off for now

This transom was where this big giant stained glass window was on the top of the pulpit, on the top of the steeple, I should say

And look at this old but beautiful thing. Reverend Lewis says although it was tragic, it's a true blessing to be able to come back home

Service on Easter Sunday will be at 11.45 in the morning and 3 p.m

In the East Village, I'm Jessica Formoso, Fox 5 News