PRINCETON, Ind. (BP) — One of the first emails Louis Wester received after his pastorate The Princeton Church burned down Jan. 20 was from a 15-year-old boy an hour away in Santa Claus.

“He said, ‘I felt so bad when I saw it on the news and I wanted to do something to help,’” Wester told Baptist Press. “He said, ‘I’m only 15, but surely there’s something I can do to help.’ And I said, ‘Well, young man, you’ve already helped me, to see a young man who has your heart for the Lord and for [the] church.’”

The boy’s father, both of them members of a United Church of Christ congregation, has already ordered The Princeton Church a portable sound system en route to the church, Wester said.

A fire began in the attic of The Princeton Church shortly before 2 p.m. Jan. 20 in subfreezing temperatures. All engines from the Princeton Fire Department responded and were aided by six area fire departments, the Princeton Daily Clarion reported. Nearly 50 firefighters fought the flames for seven hours, but couldn’t save the historic building.

“It’s a complete loss,” he said. “All it is right now is rubble, because they had to demolish it after the fire because it was a safety hazard.

“The original shock was almost overwhelming that day. Many of our people came out and watched the building burn. Since then, we truly have taken the fact that we might be shocked by this, but our God is not. And we don’t have to have the building to be His church.”

The cause of the fire has not been determined, Wester said. No one was injured in the blaze, and Wester praised firefighters for preventing the fire from damaging nearby structures. The property has to be abated, and Wester said the lowest bid received to date from excavators is about $200,000. The church’s insurance policy doesn’t cover replacement of the facility.

Wester, a former North American Mission Board (NAMB) church mobilizer and church planter, founded The Princeton Church in 2016, and the congregation that has grown to 77 members bought the historic building in 2016 at a discounted price of $40,000. Wester, himself bivocational, and each of his paid staff members draw a salary of $1 a year for insurance purposes, he said, adding that the congregation collected total receipts of about $75,000 in 2024. With total receipts of $62,722 in 2023, The Princeton Church still managed to give $5,886 to the Cooperative Program that year, according to the Annual Church Profile.

The congregation was still in the process of renovating the facility that was constructed in 1894, having installed a new roof, replastered the domed worship area, painted walls, installed new flooring, installed LED lighting, updated the HVAC systems, installed a digital sound system, placed new pew chairs in the sanctuary and remodeled the youth center, benefitting from some donated items.

“It was such a sweet fellowship,” Wester said. “You don’t have to have a lot of money to do a mighty ministry for the Lord.”

The Princeton Church met in the Princeton 4H Exhibit Hall Jan. 26 and will do so Feb. 2, but is seeking a meeting place thereafter.

“What we need is a place to meet on Sunday mornings,” he told Baptist Press.

Prayer, money and manpower when the need arises are the church’s greatest needs from fellow Southern Baptists, Wester said. Donations may be made here, and the church may be reached at 812-465-2233. Material items cannot be stored.

“We’re going to continue to go forward in faith,” he said. “And what God has for us, we’re anxious to see. … I’ve begun to believe that our God is so real that He comes along and does miracles and even shows off occasionally.”

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Diana Chandler is Baptist Press’ senior writer.)