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Portland Observer
Online
Special Edition
Volume XLIV
‘City of Roses’
Number 9
www.portlandobserver.com
Wednesday • February 18, 2015
Established in 1970
Committed to Cultural Diversity
Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes, pastor of Allen Temple CME Church, pledges to rebuild after a devastating fire causes extensive damages to his historic church at Northeast
Eighth Avenue and Skidmore Street in the King Neighborhood.
Adding Up
the
Losses
Allen Temple committed to rebuilding after devastating fire
O LIVIA O LIVIA
T HE P ORTLAND O BSERVER
The Allen Temple CME Church in northeast Portland
stands empty except for the fire damage restoration machines
whisking away left over dust and smoke. Workers sit in
trucks monitoring the air for asbestos and other harmful
substances from a safe distance, occasionally inspecting the
BY
inside to further assess the damages done.
Rev. Dr. LeRoy Haynes Jr., the long-time pastor of the
church at Northeast Eighth Avenue and Skidmore Street in
the King Neighborhood, walks through the sanctuary and
church grounds trying to understand how the fire damage
will affect the building and what the cost might be to repair
what’s left.
“They’re saying it could be anywhere from $300,000 to
$400,000 to rebuild the church,” says Dr. Haynes. He explains
that insurance will cover most of that cost, but that the church
expects to have to fundraise about $100,000 on their own. The
congregation of 400 mostly African-American community
members knows that this will be a challenge and is brain-
storming on how they can rally the community behind
continued
on page 5