Church Reopens On 5th Anniversary Of Hurricane Katrina

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NEW ORLEANS-- Inside the Historic Second Baptist Church on Marengo Street came the sound of a service five years in the making. On Sunday, worshippers celebrated their return to the church -- five years after Hurricane Katrina.

"The last sermon before Katrina was 'Stormy Weather.' We sustained about 6 to 8 feet of water, easily," said Pastor Robert Jackson. "We've come this far by faith."

It is a faith that church members carried with them across the region and the city, as they searched for temporary places where they could worship. In the past five years, the 160-year-old church held services everywhere but here: from Houston to Baton Rouge; from funeral homes to parking lots.

On Sunday morning, though, a repaired building, with new floors and shiny pews, welcomed those coming in for services.

"Some days you felt like, 'Oh my goodness, will this ever come?' And then now that we're here, it's just a wonderful, wonderful feeling," said longtime church member Charmaine Robertson.

"You know, your church is like your second home. You know how people have vacation homes? In New Orleans, a church is like a second home to you," said Linda Landry. "There's no place like home. I'm like Dorothy, clicking my heels. I'm home! We're so happy."

The happiness is tempered with thoughts of fellow church members, nearly 40 in all, who didn't make it back to see their church reopen.

"We definitely feel their sense of presence," Robertson said. "Today, you can't help but think about them and what it would have meant to them to be a part of this celebration."

Yet, the celebration goes on, as a sign of life-- and a sign that, perhaps, things can get better.