First Baptist of Callaway to host celebration after rebuilding from Michael's destruction
CALLAWAY — After rebuilding from Hurricane Michael’s damage almost four years ago, First Baptist Church of Callaway will host a celebration revival in its rebuilt sanctuary.
The church at 6930 E. State 22 reopened its sanctuary doors in April, welcoming church members and visitors back to their church home. To honor the milestone, First Baptist will commemorate it with a weeklong celebration in July.
Pastor Jessie Dasher said it's God's gift to reopen the new church.
"This celebration is about welcoming our new sanctuary because this is what God has done for us, so we're going to sing, praise God, and thank him," Dasher said. "It's nice to have a space where we're able to spread out and enjoy each other as we could before."
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The celebration will last from July 10 to July 15 and local ministers will lead congregations starting with a Sunday morning service at 11 a.m. July 10 with the Rev. Troy Varnum of Northwest Coast Baptist Association, followed by an evening service with the Rev. Blake Smith of Immanuel Baptist Church at 5 p.m.
Evening services will continue each night during the week at 6:30 p.m. with music led by Ken Rousseau. In addition, a special love offering is set for each night with all proceeds going to a sister church the following week.
Here's a look at the full schedule:
July 11 – Josh Fidler of Carlisle Baptist Church
July 12 – Craig Hodges of East Bay Baptist Church
July 13 – James Barker of Holy Hill Baptist Church
July 14 – Dr. Roy Saint of St. Andrews Baptist Church
July 15 – Ret. Navy Chaplain Virgil Tillman of Springfield Baptist Church
The services also will be streamed live on the FBC Callaway Facebook page.
The long-standing staple of the Callaway community underwent a two-and-a-half-year journey to reopen the doors to the sanctuary. The building sustained significant damage from Hurricane Michael, stripping it down to just concrete walls and one standing glass door.
The new sanctuary includes handicapped-accessible walkways (including entrances, restrooms and seating), updated cosmetics and double the space of what was there before.
"We've eliminated all steps on the first floor," he said. "There were a lot of things where we needed to make accommodations to make it easier for our elders."
When planning the church's remodel three years ago, Dasher said the primary goal was to make First Baptist a church of the future. And Dasher said he believes they are on the right path.
Moving forward with the completion of the full church, Dasher said the plans are to focus on one room at a time. With the sanctuary finished, developers will move into the next phase of outdoor cosmetics. In addition, he plans to assist other local churches through their journey of rebuilding after Hurricane Michael.
"It's been a wonderful experience having things come together for us, but we have sister churches that do not have their space back yet, and my heart goes out to them," Dasher said.
In August, First Baptist Church of Callaway will hold its 85th birthday celebration. Details are still in the works, but more information will be posted at fbccallaway.com.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: First Baptist Church of Callaway celebrates reopening of sanctuary
