Church holding one Sunday service at a different location
Pastor Robert Jeffress said former President Donald Trump sent him a note after he was informed that the historic sanctuary of First Baptist Dallas was engulfed in flames.
“This historic sanctuary that burned to the ground was the site that presidents visited when they came to Dallas. Woodrow Wilson, Gerald Ford, President George H. W. Bush were all worshipers in that sanctuary,” Jeffress told CBS affiliate KTVT.
Trump, who previously spoke at the church on Dec. 19, 2021, sent Jeffress a note and “offered his help to do anything he could,” Jeffress added.
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When asked if he thought the church was attacked because someone was angered by his vocal support for the former president, Jeffress responded that he did not believe there was any connection.
“I don’t believe my support for President Trump has anything to do with this fire,” he maintained.
On Saturday, fire investigators were joined by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the FBI to investigate the cause of the fire.
I am back at the scene of what’s left of the historic sanctuary from First Baptist Church in downtown Dallas. It is a total loss. @KRLD@firstdallas#breaking#firepic.twitter.com/iQvfJuBe67
— Joe Kelley (@talkradiojoe) July 20, 2024
When asked if arson was suspected as a cause of the fire, Dallas Fire-Rescue Interim Chief Justin Ball said Friday evening that investigators would have to determine that as the cause was yet unknown.
Ball said it appeared the fire “may have started in the basement and moved up to the second floor” where firefighters first battled the blaze. As many as 100 firefighters responded to the four-alarm fire. “Thank God [there were] no casualties,” Ball added.
The basement housed the church’s library where the church’s historic records were stored.
“We’re not going to let those flames have the final say,” Jeffress told KTVT. “The truth is, the church is not made up of wood and brick and mortars; it is made up of the people who are in that worship center.”
First Baptist Dallas had just wrapped up its Vacation Bible School that was attended by 2,000 children and used a portion of the historic sanctuary for some of its events. The fact that the fire started after VBS ended and no one was injured was “miraculous protection by God,” Jeffress said.
The church announced Saturday morning that because smoke affected newer areas of the church built in 2013, Sunday worship would be held as one service at the Dallas Convention Center at 11 a.m. local time.
On Saturday, the Dallas Fire Department told church staff that what remains of the historic part of the church built in 1890 will have to be torn down because it has no “structural integrity” and will have to be demolished soon so that the street can be reopened to traffic.
