State College area church holds Holy Week events as rebuild from fire continues

More than a year after the Woodycrest United Methodist Church was destroyed in a fire, members gathered Thursday to seek comfort in the community and pray as renovations continue.

With the fire leaving the church unusable and construction ongoing, Holy Thursday services were held outside under a tent, as an Easter celebration on Sunday will be. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives determined that the September 2024 fire was arson, but no one has been charged.

Renee Ford has been one of the church’s pastors since she moved to State College in 2003, and said the church welcomed her despite being a divorcee and a single mom. After learning about the arson attack, Ford said she felt “shocked” but knew that the community would come together to build the church back.

“Obviously, we felt crushed, but we came together, and we’ve supported one another, and not just the people who are part of this church, but the people who are part of the community,” Ford said.

“All of the stages of grief have been part of our reality,” she added. “Why would somebody set fire to our church? We don’t have any answers; it’s an unsolved crime.”

Despite cold and rainy conditions Thursday evening, community members and members of the church gathered outside the church as Ford led them through a short steeple blessing. The steeple was saved from the fire and is placed on the new sanctuary.

“It literally fell into the ashes, and we’ve cleaned it up from the ashes and we put it back on the building,” Ford said.

Paul McReynolds, another pastor of the church, described the community as “home” and said that he was immediately welcomed after moving to State College roughly a year ago.

“This feels like a safe place for those, whatever walks of life, whatever they’re going through, they can come here, and they can feel a part of a family,” McReynolds said.

Although he arrived after the fire, he said he saw the impact it had and continues to have.

“In spite of what happened, there was still hope, there was still joy, there was still progress, still wanting to make a difference in this community,” McReynolds said.

The Woodycrest Church has been an integral part of the State College community since it was established about 100 years ago. Some members, like Sandra Lyle, 87, described attending services “her whole life.”

“Despite what we’ve gone through, the Lord’s been good to us all,” Lyle said. We have a lot of people to be thankful for, especially the builders. They’ve been gracious.”

Jeremy Roming, another life-long member of the church, said he was “looking forward” to the church repairs, which Ford said are nearly complete.