First Baptist Church of Dallas, where Dr. Robert Jeffress is the senior pastor, was forced to hold its Sunday services at the Dallas Convention Center after a four-alarm fire tore through the 134-year-old Historic Sanctuary of the church on Friday.
It took 100 firefighters to keep the fire contained, but the damage to that chapel building was severe.
VIDEO: Aerial footage of the fire at First Baptist Church in downtown Dallas, Texas.
— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) July 20, 2024
Pastor Clint Pressley of Hickory Grove Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. posted, "If the SBC (Southern Baptist Convention) had a Notre Dame it would be FBC Dallas. This is heartbreaking. Praying the Lord is merciful."
If the SBC had a Notre Dame it would be FBC Dallas. This is heartbreaking. Praying the Lord is merciful. https://t.co/FfE0IayzOe
— Clint Pressley (@pastorclint) July 20, 2024
The building that burned dates back to 1890. The rest of the campus, which spans six blocks in Dallas, was preserved.
While mourning the severe damage to the Victorian-style structure, Pastor Jeffress stated, "It's not the building, it's what that building represents: it represented the bedrock foundation of God's Word that never changes... We are going to rebuild and recreate that sanctuary as a standing symbol of truth," Jeffress said.
Executive Pastor Dr. Ben Lovvorn delivered the sermon Sunday morning, saying, "We are disappointed, but we don't despair, as the events of Friday night awakened a spiritual giant with incredible resolve."
Jeffress reminded his flock that on the Friday night of Jesus' death, it also appeared that evil had won, but on a Sunday morning, God's perfect plan prevailed. "We can count on the goodness and power of God to sustain us in the days ahead," he said.
"Let's have the world see and say what happened Friday night was the best thing that happened to First Baptist Dallas, because it caused them to double-down on their mission: to go to all the world and preach the gospel," Jeffress concluded. "We're going to make it through this, remember that historic place of worship and do everything we can to honor it. God has great plans for First Baptist Dallas."
With 16,000 members, First Baptist Church of Dallas is one of the largest churches in the SBC.
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