After Fire, Congregation Worships Outdoors at Historic Arlington Church

The congregation that would normally pile into the pews of the oldest church in Arlington, Virginia, instead filled the green area across from the building on Sunday after a fire did enough damage to shut it down. 

Flames tore through part of Mount Olivet United Methodist early Friday, leaving members without a physical place to worship. But leaders say the fire did not destroy the real church — that’s wherever the people gather. 

“And so, we can gather on the green, we can gather in our homes as we did in the pandemic, or we can gather at other buildings,” associate pastor Tee Hardy said. 

The choir and band arrived early to get used to their new surroundings near a makeshift altar prepared for communion. 

Within hours of the fire, it was already clear that the community would come to the aid of the congregation. Volunteers rescued books that were to be distributed to families in need in Arlington.

“It’s a shame that it has to be these kind of experience that brings us all together, but it does remind us that we are all connected,” Michelle Holmes Cheyney, with the Northern Virginia District of the United Methodist Church, said. 

Even the weather cooperated to make it a pleasant experience. Congregants made the best of it and made sure the children understood the situation, and learned more about fire safety. 

And when the weather isn’t as nice, the congregation will make arrangements with a nearby church to hold services indoors. 

The extent of the damage is still being assessed. It was a passerby who dialed 911 when the fire started. A quick response minimized the damage. 

“It is going to be quite a haul for the northern part of the building. The attic needs to be rebuilt. There’s a lot of structural damage. There’s a hole in the roof,” Rev. Sara Keeling said. 

But no one was harmed in the fire or the response.

“It absolutely could have been so much worse,” Keeling said.