MILWAUKEE — No one can forget when a fire filled our Milwaukee skyline and destroyed the historic Trinity Lutheran Church. Leaders there vowed to rebuild it by the summer of 2021. Four years later, they are not even close.
May 15, 2018 was a dreadful day for parishioners of the historic church.
Pastor M. Douglas Peters shares his hope it will be restored. "It's been part of the skyline in Milwaukee since 1878 and we plan on having it return," he said.
He showed us the work being done inside. "The roof's complete. We are watertight. All the framing is done, they put the drywall up and now they're plastering everything just like it was," Peters said.
What you might not be able to make out with all of the scaffolding are crews re-creating the intricate rolling barrel ceilings of the church.
A lot of work still needs to be done, but they are running out of cash. In 2018, the preliminary report from the former Milwaukee fire chief showed the church suffered $17 million in damage. That number has ballooned to $24 million today, thanks to more unforeseen costs and inflation.
Pastor Peters says they will run out of insurance money. "It will probably be in January of next year," he said.
They are thankful for the generous hearts who have donated $500,000 so far. That money helped them create a temporary worship space in the basement of the church.
With $6.5 million to go, Pastor Peters calls replacing the pipe organ lost in the fire essential. "We sing, we sing boldly and loudly so we want an instrument to lead us," he said.
The cost of a new organ could be several million dollars alone. He says the pews, which were all destroyed in the flames, will cost $400,000 to replace, and hundreds of thousands more for stained glass.
Pastor Peters has faith all of the money will be raised. "Through people wanting to step up. Small gifts, big gifts, anything we're grateful to God for them all," he said.
With the church celebrating its 175th anniversary this week, Peters says he is keeping his faith that one day, everything will be brought back to its glory. He says when that will happen is in God's hands.
As for the cause of the fire, investigators determined it started by accident as construction crews were working on the roof. If you would like to learn more about Trinity's rebuilding efforts, head to their website.
