Sunday's official relaunch came after what's been a difficult few months. Those who remained opened their arms to welcome back those who were willing.
When one door closes, another one opens. On Sunday, members of Renewal Life Church celebrated God, and the door that was opened to them after a devastating fire saw the collapse of their previous church home on Thanksgiving Day.
"It feels like home now. We've gone through the storms and not knowing where we were going to be," church member Georgia Lindsay said. "To bring us from nothing when everything was gone, and we didn't know which way to turn."
It was less than three months ago, when members of the small congregation saw their church, then located at 59th and Emerald in Englewood, consumed by fire.
Rebuilding the church was out of the question. Pastor Je'rico Brown went in search of a new space to call their own. They landed on the third floor of a non-descript building in South Shore.
"The first thought was, 'Do we keep going? Is this our breaking point?'" Brown said.
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It was Pastor Brown's grandmother, who sadly passed away just a few weeks ago, who provided the inspiration to go on. And while Renewal Life Church has been holding services there since early January, between his grandmother's loss and that of another longtime member, it wasn't until now that holding an official relaunch felt appropriate.
"We lost them back to back," Brown said, "This might be the first Sunday when nobody is crying, or 'Aww this is heavy,' so this one is special."
Sunday's celebration was also meant as a homecoming of sorts for those who left in the aftermath of the fire, decimating the church's congregation.
"Just to let them know, like, 'You may have lost hope, but we're here to regain it,'" church member Chanelle Winters said. "So whenever you're ready to come back, the doors are open. We're here, and let's keep it going."
It is the church's new home for now. The pastor said he hopes it will be their last move, at least for a while.