This was more than just the power of prayer: What was happening inside the Mount Olive Baptist Church was the creation of solace through symbolism.
Less than 500 feet from where the Key Bridge collapsed in Baltimore on Tuesday, rabbis, pastors and imams joined as one to rejoice, to mourn and to pray for those who were missing.
Some, like Father Ako Walker, pastor at the Sacred Heart of Jesus, had intimate contact with the families most directly affected.
"You know, you can see the pain etched on their faces. You know, there's a lot of tears and so on,” said Walker.
Others, like congregant Discil Lynn, didn't have a direct connection — but they were here anyway due to something bigger.
"It's going to be hard. Like you said, that's something that we look at every day,” Lynn said. “It's something that we didn't think would ever happen — but that's what happened."
"You know, the city's going to continue to fall apart and that's what we don't want to see,” said Pastor Isaiah Lee. “We want to see, naturally, the community coming together, and it's awesome we can lift up the name of God to do so and we can put aside our differences to do so as well."
This was not just a bridge — it was a thoroughfare, an economic driver, a connector, and what was lost here — who was lost here — was mighty. Despite the fragmented rubble stacked high, the community next to it remained connected.
"It looks like focusing on the families, and that's something we can't lose sight of,” Pastor Lee said.
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