By Dan Gesslein

& David Greene

A Castle Hill congregation that helped those in need put their lives back together is now picking up the pieces of its own fire gutted church. Police are still looking for the arsonist who set the fire and scrawled Satanic remarks on the walls of the church.

This week members of Glory of Christ Church were rummaging through the charred remains of their house of worship and examining the words of hate. In addition to “Get off our Block” scrawled in the front entrance were words such as “Hail of Satan,” “666” and “We hate Jews and Christians.” The church had moved into the former synagogue eight years ago.

The Daily News quoted the pastor as stating that the damage is expected to be about $400,000.

The hate messages are particularly disturbing to congregants and  area residents given the good the church had done. In 2006, Yankee icon Bobby Murcer helped the church open a soup kitchen with a $5,000 donation.

Last year, the Bronx News documented the church’s efforts to help those in need. At the time the church was collecting food for needy families devastated by the economy. In the gift shop across the hall from where the arsonist sprayed “Get off our Block,” was a collection point for the needy. At the time the room had been filled with donated food and clothing for those looking to survive the winter at the beginning of the Great Recession.

It is unclear at this time what type of impact the loss of the church’s soup kitchen will have on the surrounding community which has been hard hit by the recession.

The two-alarm blaze broke out on the first floor Glory of Christ Church, located at 2137 Ellis Avenue at 4 a.m., on December 9. The fire quickly spread to the fourth-floor. Investigators were immediately called after the discovery of the words, "Get Off Our Block," written inside the church's entrance.

The church has vowed to rebuild as they continue to hold services at the homes of parishioners.