When our church building was destroyed
The author of this article, along with other church members, shared this account via video during the 2026 Annual Meeting of The Mother Church.
One night in June 2024, a car whose driver was drunk spun out of control and plowed into the front of our church, setting it on fire. Thankfully, no one was injured. But our vintage building, located in the historic district of our city, was now missing its facade, and just about everything inside was destroyed.
Our Christian Science society is a small group, but consistent prayer to keep our doors open has never wavered through the years. Now we faced a new challenge that would require a deeper understanding of the spiritual idea of Church.
A structural engineer estimated a cost for rebuilding this 1880s-era structure that the insurance money wouldn’t even begin to cover. And the restoration company that initially shored up the building counseled us to cut our losses and sell. Instead, the extent of the damage galvanized us to pray. We weren’t determined to hold on to a material structure, but we were resolved to let God unfold the way forward.
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