DUNDALK, Md. — When the Key Bridge collapsed in the middle of the night, it rocked Turner Station, 500 feet from the foot of the bridge. That’s where Mt. Olive Baptist Church sits.
The church hosted a prayer service the night after the bridge collapsed. Now, Pastor Rashad Singletary and his team are preparing for Wednesday's vigil.
He says the community is still grieving.
“All of us grieve,” Rev. Singletary says, “but then all of us need an opportunity to find space to celebrate that we survived such a catastrophic moment.”
Much like the houses, the pastor says the people who live here were shaken, too.
“Dealing with the traumatic responses that many people had, because of the sound they heard, not knowing what happened,” he says. “For some people, it's a sense of loss. I have church members who watched that bridge be erected and now watched it collapse.”
In the wake of the tragedy, the faith community here has united. The churches are working together to aid families impacted by the loss of the Key Bridge. Providing food, rental assistance and counseling.
“It also showed the resilience of this community as well,” the pastor says. “And so, it also made us realize that we have to ban together to figure out how do we bring more resources into this direct community.”
The vigil will be Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Mt. Olive Baptist Church of Turner Station, 651 Mt. Olive Road. The interfaith and bilingual service is open to the public. The service will include music and a tribute to the six lives lost in the bridge collapse.
