Greensboro church begins new phase of rebuilding after 2021 fire

Celia Phelps United Methodist Church is moving into the next stage of recovery on Groometown Road, where crews are renovating the education building as part of a $1 million rebuild that has already drawn nearly $500,000 in donations and insurance support.

The work marks a turning point for a Greensboro congregation that lost much more than a structure. Fire reports say the blaze was reported around 3:20 a.m. on Aug. 6, 2021, started with a malfunction in an air-conditioning unit near the entryway and was ruled accidental. No one was inside when it began, but the fire damaged both the sanctuary and the education building, and the sanctuary was later demolished.

What remains is a building originally built in 1974, and church leaders now see the renovation as more than a repair job. The project is expected to restore a new sanctuary area, office space and food pantry services, turning the campus back into a place for worship, administration and daily neighborhood support. For residents nearby, that means the return of a familiar gathering space after years of disruption.

The scope of the rebuild changed as costs climbed. Church leaders first hoped to rebuild the sanctuary and renovate the education building, but Rev. Ellis Carson said the renovation alone is now costing about $1 million. The congregation has raised nearly $500,000 so far, with insurance covering the rest. That financial mix has kept the project moving, but it has also stretched the timeline from the original fire in 2021 into a years-long restoration effort.

During the closure, the congregation has worshiped at Mount Tabor United Methodist Church in Greensboro, keeping services alive while the Groometown Road campus sat damaged. Church leaders have also saved pieces of the old sanctuary, including stained-glass windows, a Bible and fixtures they plan to incorporate into the new sanctuary, a sign that the rebuilt space is meant to carry forward the church’s history rather than erase it.

Celia Phelps has long been more than a Sunday-morning destination. A fundraiser said the church has been a force for good in the community since 1905, and current listings show its food ministry still serves Guilford County residents every first and third Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and every third Saturday. Rev. Ellis Khari Carson is listed as pastor, and the church is part of the Western North Carolina Conference. A state historic preservation document also says the church had previously been determined eligible for the National Register, underscoring why this rebuild matters not just to the congregation, but to the surrounding neighborhood as well.