by Alex McKeague
They watched their sanctuary burn. The community was happy to see it go. The firefighters let it burn. It was a controlled burn, but it burned to the ground nonetheless. The congregation of Christus Victor Lutheran Church was overjoyed. It was the 1980s and this era of change brought with it plans for a new sanctuary at Christus Victor. Instead of simply demolishing the old sanctuary to build the new one, Christus Victor worked with the local fire department to use the sanctuary to train firefighters. Christus Victor was even highlighted in a Baltimore Sun article on the church titled The Little Church that Can. Even in demolishing their sanctuary, Christus Victor chose to serve.