Dear Church Family,
First and foremost, I want to express my heartfelt gratitude to each one of you for your unwavering support, prayers, and words of encouragement. As a pastoral staff, we feel you lifting and supporting our arms during this challenging time. Your love and care are a true testament to the strength of our church community.
Today, I had the blessing of meeting and expressing our gratitude to Battalion Chief Masters and some of the brave firefighters who were on site early Friday morning to battle the fire at Spencerville Church. They shared their condolences for the loss and damage to our church, but I told them we are most thankful for their safety. Their courage in facing such an extreme situation is a blessing to us and all of Montgomery County.
I also want to express my public thanks to God for our team at the Spencerville Church, both the volunteers and pastoral staff. I want to acknowledge Tom Henkel, the first Spencerville member on the scene Friday morning who took the initiative to keep the pastors abreast of the situation until Pastors Erwin, Crystal, and Lerone could arrive. Since then, as he does in all his duties, Tom has worked tirelessly to provide wisdom and insight as we navigate the complex aspects of the results of the fire. I also want to thank Pastor Crystal. Multiple persons have told me of the difficulty it sometimes is to work with churches in such crises, and their following words are, “Not so with Pastor Crystal. She is such a gift to your church.” I say, “Amen!” Finally, I want to thank Pastor Erwin, Pastor Jason, and the other pastoral team and volunteers who made our Sabbath worship service at the General Conference possible. Many of you thanked me, and I am sending those thanks to them. It takes hours and hours every week to prepare for a worship service; this includes getting things online and streaming out to the broader world. Erwin took a few notes and ideas I had and compacted what usually takes days of planning into one afternoon and a long night, and with the help of the musical talent God has provided this church, we had a Spirit-filled worship service. Jason, along with his team and several volunteers, coordinated with Hope Channel to ensure everything could be streamed from the GC to many of you watching at home or on the road. And Jason did all this with volunteers in Wyoming and other places along the road home. Y’all, we are so blessed! I see this every week but sometimes take it for granted until, in moments like these, I am reminded of just what gifted and committed family with whom I get to serve.
Now, I want to address some misinformation that is out in the public. First, this is not going to be a quick fix. We have been told that it is safe to communicate that the sanctuary is a total loss and likely the foyer. This doesn’t mean there aren’t a few salvageable things, like the pulpit and the new artwork in the foyer; these items have both been scarred but miraculously not broken. Brothers and sisters, the journey ahead is going to be a long one, but united with God and one another, we will rebuild. Many have already asked me, “When will we be back in our building?” At this point, we can’t put a timeline on that rebuild, but it will happen.
Second, I want to address the information that a news station put out about the cause of the fire and the total damage cost. We do not have firm details on either of those two points! Please take care not to speculate—I know we all do, including myself—but let’s be patient and wait for facts; as we get information pertinent to the congregation, we will share that with you. The fire investigator was on site today and is unable to determine the cause and will be doing a much more extensive investigation. Thus, anything we say only causes confusion in the community and amongst one another.
Third, the church is not safe, no matter what you have heard. Therefore, I would ask that no one come to the church property unless the pastors have asked you to be there. The building is unsafe for viewing inside, and the presence of individuals complicates the ongoing work to secure the building and begin assessing the damage and next steps.
So, what is next? This Wednesday night, August 14, at 7:00 p.m., I invite you to Spencerville Academy’s auditorium for our Spencerville Midweek service and a brief information session. At this service, we will spend the first half-hour worshiping and praying together! Then, we will share information about upcoming worship services, including the resumption of Sabbath School. We will update you on any new information regarding the fire and any next steps we can share at that time.
Finally, many of you have contacted us on the pastoral staff, asking what you can do. I have five ways you can assist at this time:
- Be faithful in prayer for your church!
- Be faithful in witnessing to your neighbors. Tell them about the fire and that, as others have supported us, you want to support and help them.
- Be faithful in your giving. Our 10-3-2 plan (10% to tithe, 3% to combine budget, 2% to capital budget). Systematic giving will help us continue our necessary ministries and prepare us for the sacrificial needs in the not-too-distant future as we move toward rebuilding.
- Be patient with us, your pastors. Everyone has an idea and opinion, and there are many excellent ideas and opinions about what to do next and how to do it. Please know that we are receiving all of these notes and messages, and we are grateful for them, but the minute-by-minute needs before us prevent us from responding as we usually would and how we would like to be able to respond.
- All hands on deck! This is an all-hands-on-deck time in our church. That means we will need everyone to be engaged in the areas they have been called to serve. Wherever we land for worship, we will need assistance with set-up and tear-down every Sabbath, even more than when we are in our beloved church building. This means we’ll need diaconate and more for these tasks. All HIS Team members that are scheduled week to week, we’ll need you to be present and focused to warmly welcome worship attendees and provide direction for those unfamiliar with a new building; your care and welcoming spirit are vital to make the transition as comforting as possible for our members and guests. Connect Group leaders and individuals who are thinking of starting a Connect Group, with the disequilibrium, we all feel your ministry is vital to providing a place for fellowship and encouragement. I could go on and on, but you get the point, we need you to serve where you’ve been and may be called.
I hope this update has answered some of your questions. Over the next several months, I plan to send many more updates like this. We are in this together and I want y’all to be in the know!
I love you. I am glad to be in the family of God with you, Spencerville Church. This is a hard thing we are facing, so I share with you and with my own heart the inspired counsel of Ellen G. White,
“We have nothing to fear for the future, except as we shall forget the way the Lord has led us, and his teaching in our past history.” 1
See y’all Wednesday evening at Spencerville Adventist Academy at 7 p.m!
Love,
1. Testimonies for the Church, vol. 9 (Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1855), 10.