By Jeff Brumley
The fire that heavily damaged Chinese Baptist Church of Forth Worth, Texas, on Christmas Eve has left its congregation shaken during one of the most sacred seasons of the year.
It’s an emotionally searing experience that another community — Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla. – understands all too well.
“Oh no,” HAB member Sylvia McQuaig said Tuesday morning after learning of the Texas fire. McQuaig’s mind immediately raced back to the night of Dec. 23, 2007, when a friend called to say HAB’s sanctuary was ablaze.
Turning on the television, her disbelief turned to shock.
“My first thoughts were, it’s so surreal,” she said. “Then we came to the church and saw it – the flames were so big. It was such a traumatic feeling.”
But neither McQuaig nor HAB got stuck in those feelings. Led by Pastor Kyle Reese, the church immediately embarked on an $8.5 million capital campaign to rebuild.
And the congregation did rebuild. The first service in the new sanctuary was held on the two-year anniversary of the fire.
News reports about Monday’s fire in Fort Worth do not indicate whether Chinese Baptist will be able to rebuild, or how soon. But television and newspaper stories, plus the Southern Bapist congregation’s web site, indicate that church members are being sustained by their faith.
“First, we are thankful that no one was injured,” a statement on the church homepage said. But most of all, they are grateful “that in whatever circumstances, good or bad, God is still God for He promises not to forsake us.”
The congregation celebrated its 20th anniversary this month and last worshiped in the sanctuary on Sunday, The Dallas Morning News reported.
No cause has been given for the fire, which was reported shortly after 7 a.m. on Christmas Eve morning. Firefighters told WFAA-TV in Dallas/Fort Worth that first and smoke damage occurred throughout the building.
For the time being, worship services will be held in the church fellowship hall, which was not damaged in the blaze. And that’s just fine with one member of Chinese Baptist Church.
“The fellowship hall may not be big enough, but I think it will bring us closer together,” M.C. Leung told the television station.
Finding the silver lining in the HAB church fire helped McQuaig get through the ordeal.
“I think the biggest thing that helped me was the way the community responded,” she said. On that morning, a Lutheran church across the street emerged to sing “Silent Night” to devastated HAB members, and contributions from a range of other faith traditions in the community were tangible expressions.
“When you see that, you have the strength to go and be the presence of Christ.”