For a State College area church that continues to rebuild from a devastating fire believed to be arson more than 18 months ago, Holy Week and Easter services will celebrate both the most sacred time in the Christian faith and the progress of the congregation’s recovery.
Woodycrest United Methodist Church, 219 W. Clearview Ave. in Patton Township, is welcoming the community for services under a tent outside the church on Holy Thursday and Easter Sunday.
“This Holy Week feels especially significant for us,” Rev. Renee Ford, pastor of Woodycrest UMC, said. “We are quite literally walking through the story of loss, waiting and resurrection in community as we not only remember it, but live it. And there is a quiet but steady sense that something new is being formed in and through our community.”
Thursday’s services will begin with a blessing of the steeple, which Ford called a “powerful symbol of renewal and progress in the church’s restoration,” followed by a community potluck dinner at 5:30 p.m. The evening will conclude with a 6:30 p.m. worship service reflecting on the meaning of Holy Thursday and the strength found in community.
On Easter Sunday, a joyful celebration service will start at 9 a.m.
Woodycrest UMC sustained extensive damage in a fire during the early morning hours of Sept. 14, 2024. Less than a month later, the former Fillmore United Methodist Church, 2622 Buffalo Run Road in Patton Township, was heavily damaged in a fire. Both fires started from the outside and were being investigated as intentional.
The U.S. Justice Department Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms’ Pittsburgh Field Office said in November 2024 that it was working with Patton Township and state police “to solve and prevent a series of intentional fires at United Methodist churches.”
Patton Township Police Chief Tyler Jolley told StateCollege.com on Tuesday that the investigations remain open and that the ATF is still involved. Because the investigations are ongoing, Jolley said he could not comment further.
For Woodycrest UMC, the congregation is not yet back in the building, but the rebuild is nearing completion, Ford said.
Since the fire, the church has been holding services at the Patton Township Municipal Building.
“While it’s not home, we’ve been incredibly grateful for the space and the hospitality extended to us during this season at our home away from home,” Ford said.
Work to repair the church so far has included debris removal, securing the structure and rebuilding the newer section of the building. The process is now entering the final phase, with finishing touches like cleaning, landscaping and preparing the space, the installation of installation of a lift/elevator and code inspections to be completed before reopening.
Restoring the church has been made possible through a combination of insurance and donations from the congregation and broader community.
“While insurance has covered much of the structural rebuild cost, there have been gaps, particularly with contents, and those have been and are being met through incredible acts of generosity,” Ford said.
One example of community support has come from CC Peppers, 1625 N. Atherton St., which for months has been selling cookies and donating the proceeds to the church.
“It’s those kinds of gestures that are carrying us through and for which we are incredibly grateful,” Ford said, “What has been most striking in all of this is how people have shown up not just for a building, but for what the church represents. Even in the wake of something as painful as an intentionally set fire, we’ve experienced an overwhelming sense of care, compassion and shared hope.”
Woodycrest UMC also has experienced remarkable resilience since the fire. At a time when the congregation could have depleted or faded away, it has strengthened.
“In terms of attendance, we’ve actually seen something meaningful: while some rhythms have changed, the spirit of the congregation has remained strong—and in many ways, it has deepened,” Ford said. “We’ve had longtime members stay committed, new faces join us periodically, and an outpouring of support from the wider community that has been both humbling and energizing.”
