Congregation regroups after inferno destroys church

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 02/02/2022 (960 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OLASUNKANMI Rabiu was on his way to work Wednesday morning when he got a text message that his church, located in the Kirkwood Block building on Portage Avenue, was on fire.

“The first thing I did was check the camera in the church,” he said. “It was offline.”

Rabiu, an elder at the Celestial Church of Christ Redemption Parish, immediately drove to the church. As he drew closer, he could see the smoke and flames.

“It’s devastating,” he said of the loss.

The church of about 20 people is mostly made up of students from the West African countries of Nigeria, Benin, Togo and Guinea who are studying at the universities of Winnipeg and Manitoba and RRC Polytech, Rabiu said.

It is part of the Celestial Church of Christ, founded in 1947 in Benin and which today has congregations around the world.

When attending worship, members wear one-piece white garments; the church is sometimes called the “white garment church,” he said, adding they have no shepherd or pastor.

Rabiu, a University of Winnipeg graduate who is from Nigeria, said church members were to meet Thursday to discuss options. This could include asking a downtown church for temporary meeting space.

“I’m glad there were no injuries or loss of life,” he said, noting the church has insurance.

He was also grateful for the work of firefighters who “spent all night at the fire,” he said.

His message to members of the congregation is to “trust God, have faith in God,” he said. He invited other Christians in Winnipeg to “keep us in your prayers.”

This is the second Winnipeg church to be affected by fire in the past five months. In October, the Holy Ascension Greek Orthodox Church on Euclid Avenue was damaged by a fire in a nearby building.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

The Free Press is committed to covering faith in Manitoba. If you appreciate that coverage, help us do more! Your contribution of $10, $25 or more will allow us to deepen our reporting about faith in the province. Thanks! BECOME A FAITH JOURNALISM SUPPORTER