MACON, N.C. – A Warren County church returned to their sanctuary last month after being damaged in a fire sparked by a lightning strike in July 2022. 

After 16 months of work, the congregation of Macon Baptist Church returned to their sanctuary on Sunday, Nov. 12, and held a formal rededication service on Nov. 19, committing the building to the glory of God. 

“Our church hit a low spot on July 16, 2022, but now if you were to ask our people they would tell you that was one of the best days in our church’s history,” said Macon Baptist’s pastor Ben Williams. 

Throughout rebuilding, the goodness of God was evident. Whenever there was a problem, the congregation turned to prayer and they saw God answer. Williams kept a journal during the rebuilding process and recorded over 300 answered prayers. 

“God showed up for our church, because there is no earthly way we should be where we are today,” Williams said. 

The church sustained significant damage during the blaze with the majority of damage being to the sanctuary and pastor’s study. The church’s fellowship hall also sustained heavy smoke damage.

No one was injured during the incident, which began around 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 16, when lightning struck one of the church’s HVAC units. The lightning strike caused one of the church’s major support beams to catch fire, but it did not erupt entirely. Fire smoldered for a couple of hours, filling the entire church with smoke even down to the basement. 

Someone in the community called 911 after seeing smoke billowing out of the church as they drove down the street.

Representatives from 10 local volunteer fire departments quickly responded to the blaze, according to Lynn Henry, Macon Rural Fire Department’s chief and Macon Baptist’s treasurer. 

“Teamwork gets it done,” Henry said. “Lots of times you don’t have a lot of help, but at night it seems like you do because folks aren’t working so it was actually an advantage that it occurred at night because we had more help.” 

Looking for those “advantages,” the blessings in disguise, instead of being overwhelmed by the hardship in front of them, has really been the strength of Macon Baptist Church as they rebuilt. 

Time and again, issues were found during the rebuilding, such as wood-eating fungus eating away at the church floor system that needed to be addressed. The congregation chose to be thankful that issues like these were discovered because some of them might not have been found otherwise, Williams said. 

The Sunday after the fire, the church held service at the Macon Rural Fire Department in the small meeting room above the fire truck bays. They met there for several months until the fellowship hall was rebuilt which was the first of three phases of the rebuilding process. The second phase included restoring the classrooms by the summer so they could hold VBS. The third phase was reconstructing the church offices and the sanctuary, both of which had suffered the most damage. 

The congregation knew rebuilding would be a long process with lots to repair, but they did not neglect their ministry within their community and within their own church body. 

“While we were working on the building, He was working on us,” Williams said.   

The church has experienced much growth in the last year as attendance has nearly tripled, new Sunday school classes created for young people, and new ministry groups working together to serve the church.

Terry Breen, former chairman of Macon Baptist’s deacon board and member of the church for over 25 years, said unity within the church has grown deeper, which he says is a result of the Lord working in the hearts of His people. 

“The people are in love with God’s Word and responding to it, and that’s causing new things to happen,” Breen said.