CALDWELL, Texas — This historic 130-year-old church was burned down back In January, and now the community is banding together to rebuild it from the ashes.
The fire, caused by old electrical wiring, left the New Tabor Brethren Church family with nothing. White walls remain scorched black and left in the rubble along with generations of memorabilia.
Pastor, David Johnson explained the community's feelings, “Yeah we lost everything, my son was married there, many people in this community, they were married here. I’m talking about 70 years ago and such. So it’s a devastating loss of memories, but here’s the thing, even though that was a cherished building and there’s a lot of irreplaceable memories that we have there it is just a building, and the church, which is the body of Christ, we are intact, and we continue to minister, and we continue to give and other people are giving to us.”
The fire managed to destroy the entirety of the church, leaving nothing to be saved, but thanks to the community of churches in the Brazos Valley and across Texas, New Tabor can rebuild.
“Johnson said, First Baptist in College Station, they wanted to donate to us their pews which are beautiful.”
Even with the pouring support from the community, it will still take the church two years to rebuild, they are currently having mass in their fellowship hall.
“Every little thing like that just gives us a boost. If we didn’t get anything it would be okay we would fight back we would make it but when you feel the love of other people from other congregations it's just very impactful,” Johnson reflected.
You can donate to the reconstruction of the church by clicking here.
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