"We are rebuilding the physical building and we're going to rebuild the ministry here, because this church was planted here in this community for a purpose."
Across the city, religious properties like 19th Street Baptist Church are in jeopardy. Shrinking congregations, a struggling economy and aging structures mean less money and more problems for congregations.
"These places are centers of community life, real anchors to their neighborhoods," said Tuomi Forrest, executive vice-president of the Philly-based nonprofit Partners for Sacred Places. "They're cultural and historic landmarks. Sometimes the finest buildings in a neighborhood, indeed a city, are the houses of worship."
Of the more than 750 historic, religious properties in the city, about a quarter of those are estimated to be endangered and could face closure in the next decade, according to Partners for Sacred Places. The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia estimates that about 50 of those structures are vacant or for sale.
In recent years, some former religious properties have been destroyed, like Metropolitan AME Church, which stood on 20th Street near Fitzwater until it was torn down last summer. Others have been converted to offices, condominiums or private homes.
"If you lose them, you lose the story of what makes Philadelphia a unique place in this country," Forrest said.
Some of the congregations, like 19th Street Baptist, near Wharton, are struggling to maintain their structures as they battle leaking roofs, falling stone and buckling windows.
