NORTH HOLLYWOOD : Concert to Aid Church Hit by Earthquake

In a musical show of Christian solidarity, members of a Shadow Hills church will gather to sing and raise money for another congregation, whose North Hollywood sanctuary was shaken to its foundations by the Northridge earthquake.

Damage from the Jan. 17 temblor left the main worship hall of the First Presbyterian Church a shambles, and the small congregation, about 140 of whom attend services on an average Sunday, facing a $1-million bill to rebuild.

A May 22 benefit concert of original Christian music by the group All God’s Children will not generate enough money to shore up the church’s sagging roof and repair cracked walls, but the musicians hope to offer moral support while raising some funds.

“We feel that it (music) is a gift that we’ve been given, and we like to give it back,” said group member Carol Browning, who attends the Shadow Hills Presbyterian Church.

The sanctuary was red-tagged after the quake, but then inspectors decided it might be repairable, said the church’s pastor, the Rev. John Moody. But a repair job looks as if it would carry a price tag as high as replacement, Moody said.

Another cheaper--but still costly--option would be to tear down the sanctuary and remodel another building on the church’s small campus to take the place of the main sanctuary.

“We’ve received money from congregations throughout the United States,” Moody said, but other small churches are not rich either.

The donations so far total about $15,000.

When asked how his congregation would raise the necessary funds, Moody said, “I don’t know.”

The church belongs to the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America, an umbrella organization that sometimes offers congregations low-interest loans, but Moody said he didn’t know if the larger body would underwrite a $1-million loan for such a small congregation.

At the moment, though, he’s concerning himself with the planned evening of music and the fellowship offered by another church.

The benefit concert, featuring musicians Browning, Pamela Brownlee and Bob Marlowe, will be presented at 7 p.m. at Caldwell Hall on the damaged church’s campus, 11640 Hesby St., North Hollywood.

Admission is $10, $5 for those 18 and under, and a maximum of $25 per family.