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Come and Worship
Sunday, First Baptist Church of Magee opens its doors to members, family, and friends…following a fire in the early morning hours on December 11, 2013.
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The story of “the fire” is almost like the story of where I was during “Katrinia”…where I was during the tornado…where I was.
I w
as at home in my bed asleep…less than a block away from FBC. I have spent my entire life within walking and looking distance of my church. Normally, I do not leave my scanner on all night…but on that particular night…I did…I usually don’t hear my scanner even if I leave it on…but on that particular night I did. Our of a sound sleep I heard all this loud chatter on the scanner…..so loud that my mind knew something wasn’t right…as I moved toward my office…I realized what I was hearing…”First Baptist Church” is on fire…..First Baptist Church is on fire…
Sometimes, my brain is slow in processing what I hear…I kept thinking…”now what”??? But all of the sudden I realized what the dispatcher was saying. I slung on some clothes…grabbed a jacket, camera, and portable scanner…and headed out the door. The strange thing was…no one at the PD had a contact number for the church!!! I finally heard one of the dispatcher say “isn’t that Mama Diane’s church” (Diane McPhail). I started punching buttons on my cell phone and informed the PD it was our church and I would contact Diane to get in touch with the preacher and other members. (Diane has everyone’s cell phone number in America!)
When I arrived at the chur
ch, the fire department was not on the scene…John Everett had called in the meantime and we met in the “railroad track parking lot”….within minutes all the big beautiful gorgeous fire trucks and firemen started rolling in…Tony Puckett and Vance Hamilton happened to see smoke coming out of the top of the church and made the fire call…those two guys along with MFD made the difference!
I almost felt as if I was in another world…I never expected to see my life long church with flames and smoke bellowing into the sky…I just almost stood in awe…slowly church members, friends, and staff began arriving.
Once the fire was under control, I was allowed, with others, to go into the church …I entered through the back door…the door I had entered all my life to attend church….what I saw when I walked through that door will stay in my mind a life time. There was “Mrs. Finch’s” library in ruins…the offices in shambles…the ceiling still smoldering…but in that fire filled building…I knew the burning spirit of the members who had come before me…and will come after me…would rise up! I was allowed only a brief moment to “check out” the sanctuary—the stain glassed windows…and everything was in tack. What a feeling….sadness…but faith, hope, and love were all around me. The people who were working so hard to save our church…the people who were praying…almost a calmness came over me…because I knew…no fire could overcome what God had a hand in building. Sometimes, I think it was God’s way of telling all of us to step back and look…not only at the church building…but at our own life…cleanse yourself….
Sunday morning at 9 Sunday School will be held in the Family Life Center…at 10…we will walk across the street to experience the first service in our church following the fire.
I’m sad…I can’t attend this service due to a commitment with one of my sons. …but YOU can! Everyone is invited! Come for Sunday School…or just come at 10 for the church service. Following the service lunch will be served and the church will be open for tours.
Our renovation committee under the leadership of Cole Bond has been unbelievable…they have walked through some tough waters but never faltered as they strived to bring our church building and daycare back to our city.
To God be the glory great things He has done.
