Milestones, Hope, and What’s Next

On Easter Sunday 2023, a devastating arson and fire destroyed our 115 year old church building. This page shares how we’re moving forward—through milestones, community updates, and planned Forward in Faith events and mission moments.

Celebrating our Community of Faith

November 16, 2025

After our special bilingual German–English service, we made our way downstairs to the fellowship hall for a warm and lively brunch. This was a chance to slow down, talk with one another, and catch up. Later in the morning, we introduced the Forward in Faith campaign information packets and shared dessert together. The kids took their own turn, with creative interpretations of the new building, which brought a lot of smiles.

Campaign packets will be available in person through Sunday, November 23. After that, we’ll mail them out to everyone who wasn’t able to pick one up.

St. Martin’s Lantern Parade – LATERNENUMZUG 2025

November 8, 2025

It turned into a beautifully bright and joyful evening for our annual St. Martin’s Lantern Walk at Danahy Park in Cambridge. Pastor Robin passed out Forward in Faith stickers and new informational postcards (featuring our own proposed building glowing like lantern). And for anyone who arrived without a lantern, Miss Lilly was ready with glow sticks so everyone could take part, because who doesn’t love a good excuse for glow sticks!

Thank you to all who came out and helped fill the night with light, hope, and community.

Forward in Faith – Building a Space for Grace and Community

We’ve begun a new phase in our rebuilding journey—one shaped by hope, memory, and trust in God’s promise.

This new mark reminds us of that promise: light radiating from the cross, three birds rising as signs of the Trinity and of hope. A golden warmth glows from within, echoing the light of Christ among us. And the red door—familiar and beloved—opens once more, inviting all to enter and be renewed.

Even the colors tell our story. Door red. Golden glow. Stucco cream. Warm trim. Patina teal. Each one recalling what was lost, yet carrying forward what endures—faith, community, and the grace that holds us together.

Mission Moments – Prayer Cards

November 2, 2025

Prayer is a vital part of our life as Christians. Between now and our Forward in Faith Commitment Sunday on December 14, we invite you to keep Faith in your prayers as we take the next step toward rebuilding our church. Please place this prayer card on a table, windowsill, or nightstand as a reminder.

Prayer cards will be handed out on Sunday November 2, and will be available each Sunday.

Mission Moment – Invitation

October 2025

Our mission — to welcome, nourish, and send people in Jesus’ name — doesn’t start when the new building is complete. It’s happening now. Every time we connect with each other in worship, every meal we serve through Faith Kitchen, every child learning in Children’s Church, every act of prayer, generosity, sharing, and care overflows from our faith into our lives — all of it is part of God’s good plan for us and for our city.

Yes, we will rebuild. But the goal is not simply a building — it is a community of faithfulness. A space for grace, yes, but more than that: a people through whom grace is shared. God’s promise in Jeremiah 29 is not about ease or speed; it is about faithfulness, perseverance, and hope that stretches across generations.

Our fall invitations are in the mail! If you’d like to join the Forward in Faith updates—or if your address has changed— Please send a quick note to Connie. We’d love to stay connected.

Autumn’s Invitation

September 2025

The air turns crisp, the leaves and grasses shift their hue, and our site has taken on the quiet glow of the season. It feels like the right moment to begin. A season of change, of gathering, of preparing for what’s ahead.

This fall, we open a new chapter together — the start of our capital campaign. An invitation for the congregation and neighborhood to lean in, to imagine what can grow from the ground we now share.

Signs of Life

July 2025

The building is gone, but not all is bare. With summer rains and warm sun, a soft green has begun to spread, grass and other unplanned wild things, growing where ash once settled. It’s not much. But it’s life. And it’s a start.

A Joyful Unanimous Vote!

Sunday, June 22, 2025

This past Sunday, the congregation came together for a special meeting—and with unanimous enthusiasm, voted to launch a capital campaign this September. After a summer of rest and rejuvenation, we’ll enter the fall united in purpose, ready to build a community committed to raising funds for our new church home. The journey continues—and we’re in it together.

Insights from Capital Campaign Interviews

Sunday, June 15, 2025

This week, capital campaign consultant Rev. Renée LiaBraaten shared the results of a series of in-depth interviews with members of the Faith Lutheran community. Over the course of several weeks, Renée met with 24 individuals and families to listen, learn, and gather input on our shared hopes, concerns, and ideas for the future of our rebuilding and fundraising efforts.

Renée is no stranger to Faith—she previously partnered with us during the 2013 Building Faith campaign, which successfully raised funds to repair the church’s aging façade, roof, and heating system. We’re grateful for her thoughtful guidance and for the honest, heartfelt reflections shared by so many during this process.

Demolition and Haul-Away Complete — Site Backfill Underway

June 2025

This week, crews have begun the process of filling in the hole where the building once stood. Soon, the area will be leveled and seeded with grass, creating a simple and peaceful green space as we continue looking ahead to the future.

Digging Up the Past

May 2025

…It was discovered that a good quality of sand found in the lot could be utilized in concrete construction and plastering, and being abundant, several hundred dollars’ worth was sold to contractors. This help had a telling effect.

Excerpt from DEDICATION OF SWEDISH CHURCH
The Cambridge Chronicle, 27 November 1909

Demolition Update

May 2025

The superstructure has now been fully taken down. This week marks the start of the next phase: hauling away the debris. As trucks begin to clear the site, we move one step closer to preparing the ground for what comes next.

Demolition Begins

April 2025

Demolition is now underway at the site. Over the next two months, the remaining structure will be carefully dismantled and removed from the property. Once the debris is cleared, the area will be filled in and transformed into a temporary green space with a newly planted grass lawn.

This marks a significant step forward in our journey toward rebuilding, as we make way—both physically and spiritually—for what comes next.

Farewell to the Building

February 2025

Salvage Effort

January 2025

Numerous artifacts have been recovered from the rubble, and with hope and determination, they may one day find new homes in a rebuilt space. Among the items set aside are the copper finials, both the large and small crosses, a handful of stained glass windows, pieces of slate from the roof, the lectern, and the baptismal font. The bell remains inaccessible for now, but we hope to retrieve it safely during the final stages of demolition.

Congregational Meeting Votes to Explore Rebuilding and Capital Campaign

Sunday, January 5, 2025

We are rebuilding! Tell everyone. 🙂

At our annual congregational meeting last Sunday, the church voted to rebuild on our church’s property at 311 Broadway, after the soon-to-come demolition. The plan is to construct a small, flexible, yet beautiful structure that can serve as a multipurpose gathering space for worship, service to others, room for activities and groups, interfaith partners, and gatherings for spiritual enrichment throughout the week. Being smaller than the original building, it will leave more outdoor area on the lot — space for open-air worship, raised beds, grass to play on, parking, block parties…

The idea is to create an indoor/outdoor space for the whole community. I think we need this, and our neighbors need this: Space for grace.

Rebuilding Survey

Monday, March 11, 2024

After last year’s devastating fire, we are actively discerning what to build in the place of the old structure and how a new building might serve the needs of our neighbors as well as our own. For 130 years we have been part of this community, so we know we cannot do this work in isolation. We want to hear from you! Feel free to answer as many or as few questions as you want. Follow this link to participate in our survey:

Reimagining Faith – SMMA Interns Share Fresh Ideas

August 18, 2024

This summer, we had the privilege of collaborating with a talented group of young architectural and engineering interns from SMMA. Their fresh perspectives helped us think beyond traditional constraints.

Each year, SMMA brings together an interdisciplinary cohort of designers and engineers from universities near and far. As part of their summer program, these interns tackle an independent real-world project, culminating in a design proposal and presentation.

This year, their challenge was to explore Faith through fresh eyes. On Sunday, they shared their ideas during coffee hour—ranging from practical solutions to bold concepts that invite us to see things differently.

Faith Kitchen Celebrates First Meal at St. Peter’s

May 14, 2024

Faith Kitchen served its first meal at our new home—St. Peter’s Episcopal Church. We opened the doors at 5:30, shared soup and bread by 6, and by 6:30 the full meal was underway. Laughter, conversation, and good food filled the room.

Huge thanks to St. Peter’s for the warm welcome—and to everyone who showed up, served, or simply shared a meal. More to come!

Rebuilding Survey

Monday, March 11, 2024

https://forms.gle/8ookFKRn9G1obAjr8

Letter to Our Neighbors and Friends

Thursday, March 7, 2024

Dear Neighbors and Friends of Faith Lutheran Church,

On Easter Sunday last April we lost our beloved building at 311 Broadway to a 6-alarm fire, which we now know was caused by arson. Our congregation has found a temporary home at the north campus of Pentecostal Tabernacle at 77 Columbia Street, but our building has been sitting charred and empty for almost a year. Working with structural engineers we learned that the church structure is not stable enough to simply be restored, so, sadly, our 114-year old church will have to be fully demolished this spring.

Our church members are still grieving this loss, and it will surely come as a shock to you, too. Yet this gives our congregation a unique opportunity to rebuild the property at 311 Broadway to serve not only us, but also our neighbors. That is why we want to hear from YOU!

Do you know of a local group that could benefit from a new community meeting space (e.g. for support groups, worship, child/youth programs, adult education, cooking, music, arts, etc.)?
If so, what specific needs for a meeting space does this group have (e.g. accessibility, acoustics, bathroom facilities, storage, outdoor space, etc.)?

We offer multiple ways for you to share your thoughts with us by April 2, 2024:

By Email: rebuild@faithcambridge.org
By Mail: PO Box 390419, Cambridge, MA 02139
In Person: Pr. Robin or a team member would be happy to meet with you!
Open House: On March 23, 2024 from 4:00-5:30 p.m. at 204 Prospect Street, The Islamic Society of Boston (ISB Cambridge) kindly offered us their space to discuss the future building of Faith Lutheran Church. Please join us for conversation, idea sharing, and information on how to stay up to date on the developments on our property!
By Survey: Follow the link (see above) to a survey about sharing your needs and hopes for our building.

We hope that together we can dream up this new building that will serve our community for hopefully more than another 114 years. Thank you so much for accompanying us in this process – we look forward to hearing from you!

Peace and Blessings,
from Pastor Robin, the Rebuilding Outreach Team & the congregation of Faith Lutheran

Benefit Concert for Rebuilding

May 6, 2023
Chris Robins, a familiar face to many from our joint online services—where he often shared his gift as an oboist—is once again using his music to lift up the community. Chris, a member of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Quincy, will perform with his ensemble in a special concert on Monday, May 6 at 4:00 PM, and has generously dedicated the event as a fundraiser for Faith Lutheran Church.

The concert, titled “Music of the Moon,” will be held at Faith Lutheran Church in Quincy (201 Granite Street). We are deeply touched by their kindness and collaboration. If you’re free, we hope you’ll attend—both to enjoy an afternoon of beautiful music and to support our ongoing rebuilding journey.

What Remains

April 2023

Days and weeks after the fire, we step inside to see for ourselves what has been lost, and what remains. There isn’t much left to salvage, just a few scattered things, small reminders of a place that once held so much.

An eerie silence hangs over everything. There isn’t much to say. The quiet is punctuated by the sound of kids playing across the street at the park; the life of the city goes on. Birds cross the sky, now visible through the gaping void where the roof once was. And daylight, pouring through that opening for the first time since the building was raised in 1908, lights up surfaces that have not seen this kind of sun in more than a century. And even like this, it remains strangely beautiful.