The Hymnal That Survived the Fire

On March 14, 1990, a fire swept through Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem, gutting the sanctuary that had held generations of worship since 1808. Firefighters pulled charred pews and melted fixtures from the wreckage. But when deacon Harold Carter sifted through the debris three days later, he found a hymnal — singed at the edges, spine cracked, but still legible.…