On the evening of Monday, Oct. 29, the FUMC-DS family experienced a great loss when a large portion of our building complex was lost to a raging fire that local firefighters say was the largest conflagration they had ever been called to battle in the history of our community. And battle, they did. Brave public servants from every station in Denham Springs were dispatched to the scene and worked feverishly through the night and through the next day to control and contain the blaze. And once the blaze abated and the smoke cleared, we learned that our santuary and Famiy Life Center had been saved while all of the office and classroom space had been destroyed. The damage is estimated to exceed $1 million.

Many among the dozens of our church members who came out on the evening of Oct. 29 to stare in disbelief and amazement at the destruction occurring before their very eyes were present when the church was destroyed by fire in 1972. And many who witnessed that tragedy recalled it as a watershed event in the life of this United Methodist congregation that was first formed more than 100 years ago. All agreed that, while tragic, the disaster back then served the purpose of solidifying and uniting the congregation which in its response committed itself to pulling together to re-build an even stronger, more modernized and effective outpost to carry out our common mission of advancing God's Kingdom.

I have the utmost confidence that history will repeat itself in 2007 and our congregation will once again pull together in a cohesive fashion to meet the new challenges placed before us. The pungent smell of singed sheetrock was still in the air when our members and other volunteers rolled up their sleeves and began the work of clearing debris and setting the course for a full and complete recovery.

Calamities such as this test our faith, but as God's children we have been taught through our tradition and our understanding of Scripture that our charge is to submit to God's will - even during those times when we fail to fully grasp its meaning and especially when that will conflicts with our own.

We are eternally thankful to everyone who has come to our aid in this time of need. We appreciate the prayers and support of all our brothers and sisters in Christ. From this point we will go forward with the joy of God's redeeming grace held close in our hearts. I truly believe that this time will test our character, develop our character, but above all, will reveal the nature and character of a God whose nature is holy and whose love is steadfast, tender and strong.

Yours in Christ - Rev. Bob Deich