January 6, 2003

Fire on night before annual missions offering
doesn't dampen church's giving
___By John Hall
___Texas Baptist Communications
___DENISON--As the ashes from a fire that damaged much of Parkside Baptist Church continued to cool, the congregation fanned the flames of missions with a record gift.
___On Saturday, Nov. 30, Pastor Chet Haney discovered a fire emanating from a hot water closet in the church. The next morning the church was to take up a combined collection for the Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas Missions, Lottie Moon Christmas Offering for international missions, Annie Armstrong Easter Offering for North American missions and the Texas Baptist Offering for World Hunger.
___The fire department put out the fire in about an hour, but smoke damaged much of the church, and the fire burned a small hole in the roof. The fire caused more than $60,000 in damage, Haney estimated.
___Word of the fire quickly spread through the town, and church members gathered around midnight to decide where to meet for worship the next day and what to do about the offering. Members follow yearlong financial plans to give for the anticipated offering, Haney said.
___The congregation had increased giving during the past several years to $118,000, and the staff expected to up that total Dec. 1, Haney said. Church members were not ready to give up hope of setting a new high even after the fire, he said.
___The church met the next morning in the high school auditorium while deacons stood in the church parking lot to direct traffic to the temporary worship location and collect contributions with small buckets.
___Haney preached a sermon titled "The Church on Fire" and collected the offering during the service. To the pleasure of the congregation, which reacted with cheers, shouts and tears, the final tabulation was announced to be $151,000--a 28 percent increase.
___"It was a lesson in the sovereignty of God," Haney declared. "He's in control; we're not."
___The effort was broad-based, as most of the congregation gave something, and a sense of unity was felt during the "true spiritual celebration," Haney said.
___"Emotions were already on edge, and to see what God did was amazing," said Jeff Walton, chairman of the finance committee.
___The church missed only that Sunday in their facilities. The following Sunday, the church returned to its building with only minor complaints of a smoke smell and breathing problems.
___The building's air ducts have been cleaned, and the walls were repainted, leaving only the faintest smoke smell. All structural damaged has been repaired.
___The experience taught the church to follow God's will, not rely on the congregation's plans, Walton said.
___"It's going to have a long-lasting effect," he said. "It's a day we can tell our grandchildren about."

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