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Posted: February 26 2026 at 08:22 PM
Author: Rev. Victoria Rebeck
A fire briefly burned in Movement in the City’s (new faith community) Melrose Park campus this morning. Firefighters, who rushed from a nearby station, quickly extinguished the blaze at this United Methodist building. No one was injured.
A short circuit caused the fire in the children’s ministry room in the basement of the building once known as the Little White Church.
Fire, smoke, and water tore up the children's ministry room in the church basement.
"This new faith community was created to reach out to minister to our Hispanic neighbors, and in just a little over a year it has already made a remarkable witness in the community," said Rev. Victor Melad Jr. "Because of the strong United Methodist presence and the trust that has been built, people in the neighborhood were quick to notify the fire department as soon as they saw the smoke coming from the building. A reminder that even in moments of crisis, God is working through the people around us."
Due to smoke damage, the congregation will not worship in their sanctuary for the next few Sundays. They expect to worship at Franklin Park United Methodist Church, which houses the Franklin Park campus of Movement in the City.
Mitigation has begun and the next step is a visit from the insurance company adjuster to assess the repair costs.
Rev. Fabiola Grandon-Mayer, Northern Illinois Conference director of connectional ministries, appreciates the pain this development has caused.
"This is sad news. Over the past couple of years, the people have worked tirelessly to prepare the building for ministry,” she said. “They invested their own time, volunteers, materials, and resources to make it ready to serve the community."
Those who have worked hard and are now disheartened are questioning whether they want to continue ministry from that place, said Rev. Roberto Moreno, who pastors First UMC as well as oversees the Movement in the City communities. (The Melrose Park campus is led by Mr. Jerry Ramirez.)
But Rev. Moreno sees reason for hope. “It’s a time of renewal, new opportunities, and a new beginning,” he said.
“Please pray for the people’s courage and the strength of the Holy Spirit to continue the ministry.”
He’s also grateful for the quick response of the nearby fire station, which prevented a much worse outcome.
United Methodists and friends may support the church’s recovery by donating through their GoFundMe page.