A ‘beacon of light’ rises from the ashes

MALIBU, Calif. –  The drive down Malibu Canyon is very familiar to me, having grown up in Southern California. I'm used to the twists and turns of the windy canyon road, as well as the brown hills, dry from the summer heat.

But on Sunday, as I approached the end of the canyon road, where you can see the outline of the Pacific Ocean, I saw black. The charred hillsides still smelled of fire. To my left, the church I passed hundreds of times on the way to the beach was gone.

Parishioners at Malibu's Presbyterian Church took a moment to reflect and give thanks on Sunday, along with many in Southern California, despite the fact that their church had been engulfed by flames and burned to the ground on live television a week earlier.

Vivian Kim / NBC News

The charred remains of Malibu's Presbyterian Church – one of the first buildings destroyed in  Southern California wildfires.

"Last week we lost our building," said Pastor Greg Hughes of Malibu Presbyterian Church, "but we have not lost our church. Thanks for proving me right."

For this packed auditorium of over 500 people, the church is a community of people, not four walls and a roof.

"Talk about being a 'beacon of light on a hill!'" said Hughes as laughter broke out and brought some levity to the group of people who had suffered a great collective loss.

For now, the Malibu Performing Arts Center is their sanctuary. On Sunday they sang, they prayed, and they gave thanks.

They made the center home by hanging up some of the notes of encouragement and prayer that had been sent in to them from all over the country. Brunch was served by friends from Bel-Air Presbyterian Church. And the local synagogue offered to share their building space for the preschool program.

Hughes encouraged his congregation to go to the building site and stand in the ashes. He reminded them that God was weeping with them and crying with them, but that out of the ashes of the church, they might glorify him up on that hill again. 

At the end of the service, he pointed to a cross on the stage. The cross was on the church's steeple and was recovered from the fire. It was a little mangled, but intact – just like the community.