First Baptist Dallas' historic sanctuary will be rebuilt, pastor says
DALLAS - Pastor Robert Jeffress says First Baptist Dallas will rebuild its historic sanctuary after a devastating fire on Friday night.
"We're going to recreate it as a standing symbol of the truth. The unchangableness, the endurance of the word of God. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God shall stand forever," said Jeffress.
Thousands of worshipers came to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center for First Baptist's Sunday service.
"We can not allow Satan to have the last word," said Jeffress. "If we allow that thing to remain in ruins, it will look to the whole world like we have been defeated by the evil one, so we are going to rebuild, we're going to recreate."
Jeffress says committees are being formed to lay out the plans for the sanctuary.
The pastor said insurance companies will pay for the new building, but called on worshipers to re-double their efforts to spread the word of God in response to the tragedy.
The church's historic sanctuary, built in 1890, in Downtown Dallas caught fire on Friday night, eventually growing into a four-alarm blaze.
Jeffress thanked the first responders who worked to put out the fire.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, because firefighters have not been able to enter the building.
Crews are concerned about the structural integrity of the historic building.
If the sanctuary is determined to be unstable, it will be demolished.
Jeffress says he's working with the city to see if any of the building's structure can be preserved.
"We're going to make it through this. God has a great plan for the First Baptist Church of Dallas," Jeffress said.
Barriers have been put up around the church on N. Ervay Street.
The ATF is helping with the investigation into the cause of the fire. Jeffress tells FOX 4 from his understanding, that is purely procedural.
Early Sunday morning, Jeffress appeared on FOX and Friends.
Last week, the church's senior pastor said God had saved former president Donald Trump from an assassination attempt.
"I've had people since that time scoff and mock, and said, "Well, is that same guy who saved trump the same God responsible for letting your building burn?' And I said, 'Absolutely.' The Bible says God causes all things to work together for good for those who love him, and all things includes the good and the bad," Jeffress said.
Drone Video: First Baptist Dallas Church Damage
FOX 4 viewer Elias Canales shared drone video of the damage at First Baptist Dallas.
The video from above the historic sanctuary shows much of the building was damaged in the fire.
While the exterior walls to most of the building are still standing, the video shows significant damage to the interior.
First Baptist Dallas' Historic Sanctuary
First Baptist Dallas was started in 1868, but the red brick building, known as the historic sanctuary was not built until 1890, according to the Texas Historic Commission.
The church became a historical landmark in 1968.
It became a second sanctuary when the church opened a new facility in 2013.