A dispute with a contractor who started the rebuilding effort has landed in court, and the contractor has placed a lien on the property. As a result, the church cannot refinance its mortgage to pay for much-needed neighborhood programs like a food pantry and soup kitchen. Donations, insurance and even the church credit card are all maxed out.  Bouncing back from a devastating fire, of course, can impose a rugged optimism.  “We’ll make it happen,” said Jackie Perez, a longtime congregant who teaches children in the church. “I could see the pastor’s suffering, but he stood with his faith. It gave the rest of us strength.”  The church had yet to complete a decade at the Unionport building when vandals broke in early on the morning of Dec. 9, 2009. They scrawled obscenities, gang slogans and Satanic symbols on the walls. They stole computers and projectors. They opened the gas main. Then they torched the church. No one has been arrested.  The rebuilding began almost immediately. Among the scrum of people who surrounded the pastor on the day of the fire was John Capriles, an adjuster whom he enlisted; the adjuster then hired Joseph Armato, the owner of Nationwide Contracting, to handle demolition and construction. Both companies share the same address and phone number in New Rochelle, N.Y. Both men had also been fined $25,000 in 2009 by the State Insurance Department for improperly soliciting clients outside regular business hours and, in Mr. Capriles’s case, operating without a license.  Mr. Talavera said he knew none of this when he signed on with Mr. Capriles. But it was barely spring when a serious issue arose with Nationwide’s work, he said. Firefighters had had to punch five holes in the roof to stop the blaze, and the contractor had not properly sealed the holes during the winter. As a result, Mr. Talavera said, mold grew on the walls.  He let Mr. Armato go, and filed a lawsuit alleging breach of contract and fraud. The contractor responded with a countersuit and the lien.  “This whole thing made me tougher,” Mr. Talavera said. “I had to be aggressive.  “This is my family, and you do not mess with my family.”  Mr. Armato, Mr. Capriles and their lawyer did not respond to phone messages seeking comment.  Despite the legal mess, the pastor pressed on. Hiring new contractors, he had the sanctuary finished by July. Work continues in the basement community room, but the congregation’s financial straits prevent them from installing a stove and full-size refrigerator.  Yet material things seem to be the least of the church members’ concerns. They grew closer to one another over the past year, worshiping in a borrowed sanctuary down the block and meeting for Bible study once a week in different homes.  “This all helps you learn where you put your values,” said Jeff Padilla, the pastor’s son and leader of the youth group. “A building is a great convenience, but when you don’t have your church, you learn to appreciate people more.”  A handful of people huddled inside the chilly church vestibule at midday on Saturday, as the church prepared to do its first social outreach since the blaze: giving away 400 coats. Among them were men in sweaters, women with children and one man in shirtsleeves. Each was greeted by volunteers who helped find the right coat, with the attentiveness of salespeople.  One church member, Millie Audinot, said she looked forward to the day when the congregation could start feeding people again, which was a big reason she joined last summer. “Their mission is to serve the community, to have a soup kitchen,” she said. “That’s it, I’m sold. We come from humble means, but we want to be here.”  The ability to create that kind of atmosphere is rooted in Mr. Talavera’s childhood in an East Harlem housing project. Poverty and crime were common, he said, but not unconquerable.  “Listen, it was tough,” he said with a chuckle. “My mom never let me go outside to play because it was so dangerous. But there was a kinship among people. No matter the problems, we were together. I teach my people here to do the same and look out for each other and pool our talents. Nobody survives alone.”  A version of this article appears in print on January 17, 2011, on Page A18 of the New York edition with the headline: At a Church Set Afire, A Spirit Unextinguished. Order Reprints| Today's Paper|Subscribe
The Glory of Christ Church in the Bronx was left in shambles in late 2009, but its congregation and pastor were far from finished.