Six weeks after one of the best-known Southern Baptist sanctuaries in America burned in a four-alarm fire, no cause of the blaze has been determined, according to officials at First Baptist Church of Dallas. Executive Pastor Ben Lovvorn has been…
First Baptist Dallas gets permission to try to save exterior walls of burned sanctuary
First Baptist Church of Dallas has received permission from the City of Dallas to try to preserve the exterior walls of its late 19th-century sanctuary after a four-alarm fire last week. Those red-brick walls appear to be all that remains…
If only First Baptist Dallas could rebuild with more love and less hate
The past week has been a roller coaster of emotions. Every time I’ve refreshed a news app or checked my social media feed, something shocking and groundbreaking has occurred. In a world where the words “breaking news” have felt cliché,…
‘Notre Dame of SBC’ burns in Dallas
A church building the Southern Baptist Convention president called the Notre Dame of the denomination fell victim to a four-alarm fire Friday night, July 19. Firefighters have not yet determined the cause of the fire that took down the historic…
Three years later, historic facade of Middle Church begins demolition today
Demolition of the facade that survived the 2020 Middle Collegiate Church fire will begin Nov. 20, Senior Minster Jacqui Lewis said in an email to her New York City congregation. “It’s deeply sad, but I’m also filled with hope and…
Middle Church wins fight with New York Landmarks Commission to raze burned-out facade
Middle Collegiate Church in New York City cleared a major municipal hurdle Jan. 10 that clears the way for construction of a new building at the site where fire destroyed its historic East Village facility just over two years ago….
The long, dry line from 9-11 to Jan. 6
Every year, just before the end of the old year and the beginning of the new, my wife and I always watch CBS’s annual broadcast of the Kennedy Center Honors. We love it. We weep with the honorees, the masters…
The stars are lining up for Middle Church’s fire rebuilding fundraiser this week
A constellation of stars has been assembled to help guide Middle Collegiate Church in New York City from the ashes of its historic building destroyed by fire Dec. 5. Located in the city’s iconic East Village, the congregation claims numerous…
Pandemic complicates the grief at Middle Church after fire, but leaders see hope
There’s no good time to lose a church building to fire, but the middle of a global pandemic seems like an especially awful time to members of Middle Collegiate Church in New York. “When you get to the block and…