PORTLAND, Ore. — Allen Temple CME Church has reopened on the last day of Black History Month, seven years after a pair of electrical fires heavily damaged the Northeast Portland church.
Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes said the church is a pillar in the Black community. The neighborhood has changed a lot because of gentrification, he said, which makes the church even more important.
"People also need institutions to come back to, if they come back one day," he said. "We felt a great commitment to that, now it gives hope to other churches and other members."
Services moved to another nearby church during construction. The restoration went on for years because of the pandemic and financial issues. There were also insurance hurdles, according to Michelle Harper, the church's project manager.
"Sometimes insurance companies only want to pay for certain things," she said. "You don't just cherry pick the things you're going to do. It's a church; before it can be reoccupied, it has to be rebuilt."
The price of the rebuild was around $3 million. Harper said the insurance company covered about $800,000, and the church also received around $1.2 million in grants and just over $1 million in partnerships, supplies, donations and equipment.
Members of the congregation like Rhonda Smith said they are happy the pillar of the community is back open.
"It means hope, it means faith, it means peace, commitment and security," Smith said.
The church also acts as an outreach center for the homeless, a drug and alcohol recovery center and offers support services for people with HIV/AIDS.