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Carrying a tall wooden cross over his shoulder, Rev. John Shaver walked the street where his church stood, just three months ago.
Shaver led the 102-year-old Community United Methodist Church of Pacific Parisades Church for just six months when the fire burned to the ground and destroyed the community in January. On Good Friday, shavers and a handful of community members gathered at the sabotage church grounds as they cleaned and prepared the land for reconstruction amid the lattice noise of forklifts and jackhammers.
They then embarked on Good Friday’s “Cross Walk.” From the church to the distance overlooking the Pacific Ocean, they paused at nine locations reading biblical poems at each stop. Each station depicts certain events on Jesus’ final day, from his condemnation to his death on the cross, and from his burial.
The church recently held regular Sunday services elsewhere, but this was the first time members had stepped into the church location after a fire that left nearly 80% of the congregation, including Shaver.
Remembering what was lost in the fire
Church member Christine Odione was stopped in a burnt-out condo. She said everything else in her home was in the garage. Her eyes erupted as she spoke.
“It hurts so much,” she said. “Easter is a time of hope, but today feels like a day of sadness and a day of mourning.”
Annette Rossilli, a longtime member of the church, fueled the dry conditions and was among 29 people killed in the Los Angeles area after a wind-fire erupted on January 7th.
Shaver recalled Rossili as the cross bearing group walked down the street. He also stopped at the place where his house was standing. He, his wife and two daughters, ages 18 and 16, moved in July. Shaver saw the barren plot of the land and temporarily remembered everything lost in the fire, including heirlooms from his grandparents.
“It also reminds us of how much of what we have and it’s obvious,” he said.
Wreckage and signs of renewal
On Good Friday, construction vehicles, demolition equipment and water trucks were caught up and down the street via Dela Pass, the street where the church property is located. Workers in green and orange vests were cleaning up the pieces. Despite the bustling, the scene was creepy.
The burnt palm tree was drooping and hanging like a worn mop. Twisted metal and deformed wood were stuck from the destroyed dwellings. In one plot, the only remaining intact structure was a brick fireplace. The other was two bright red broken Adirondack chairs that sat in a pile of tiled rubs.
Several homeowners had posted blue signs on the facility that read, “This house will rise again.” A black and white sign from one family member said, “We’re back home! See you there. We’ll miss you! Thank you for everything!” The Palisade Elementary School Charter School had a short message on the message board that said that the building, which is still across from the church, “Paris is rebuilt.”
Neighbor Thomas Knoll, who has been homeless since 2012, said he came despite him not being a church member or religious.
“It feels like a funeral in a palace in the Pacific,” he said. “The whole story of crucifixion and resurrection is appropriate here. The town will be rebuilt, but it will take a long time.”
I save what’s left and look to the future
The founders of the church, celebrating its 100th anniversary in 2022, built a Pacific town. The church building was built on a 1.5-acre site donated by the Methodist Conference in Southern California. Inspired by the Chautauqua movement, an adult education and social movement in the early 20th century, Methodist Church planters laid the foundations of the community in 1922, providing arts, music and cultural programs to their residents.
“It was a peace movement,” Shaver said.
Before the church burned out, it continued its tradition and held gatherings from community potlucks and plays to weddings, funerals, baptisms, holiday celebrations, dances and anonymous meetings of local youth and alcoholics.
While much has been lost, Shaver said it could retrieve several items, including ceramic mugs and tiles. One member rescued a large metal cross that stood on a church tower, which burned out. The stone cross also survived the flames.
“We’re trying to find a way to incorporate some of these items when we’re rebuilding,” he said.
On the church grounds before the walk began, Adriana Luman sifted through a pile of blackened, broken ceramic tiles. Having lost most of her family memorabilia in the fire, she was trying to find out more carefully than giving birth to a handprint for two children. They made it 10 years ago when they attended a church kindergarten.
“I feel like I hit a jackpot,” she said. “The mere idea that my kids were able to find decorated tiles gives me hope today.”
Good Friday Moment and Easter Promise
Mary Catherine Breland lives in Los Angeles, but she said she attended the church because it reminded her of the Alabama community she grew up in. She was the first time she’d come back after a fire.
“We didn’t know what to expect, but it wasn’t until you saw it first hand that your emotions blew up,” she said. “But Easter is a good time for us to start gathering again at churches, reflecting on the beauty of the past and looking forward to our new journey.”
Shaver said this was the first time the church has held a Good Friday Crosswalk. He hopes to continue this tradition for the next few years. As they approached the bluff, a yellow sign said “end.” The group continued beyond the sign and stopped as they found a panoramic view of the Pacific Ocean. On Easter Sunday, they will be taking part in the Westwood United Methodist Church in Los Angeles to serve.
“Even if that sign says ‘ends,’ here we’re taking this incredible view,” Shaver told the congregation. “So the fire wasn’t over. There’s a beautiful future ahead of us.”
Cross Shaver and others were naked on Good Friday. But coming on Easter Sunday, the pastor said it would stand in the corner of their sky plot.
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