Members of a Washington County church raise money to rebuild after it was burnt down
WASHINGTON, Texas (KBTX)—Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church was the first African-American church in Washington County, but it burned down this summer before its 158th anniversary.
Flames engulfed the building Monday afternoon in Washington.
“When I turned the corner, the only thing I saw was the fire, and I saw the building was half gone,” Alvis Sheppard said.
Alvis Sheppard is a Deacon at the church, and he could not believe his eyes.
“My pastor can’t Baptize. He got some members that have joined now, and we are waiting to Baptize,” Sheppard said. “We will probably have to do it at another location.”
Pastor Terrence Phillips doesn’t lose hope in this time of devastation.
“We believe that all things happen for a reason. God has a plan and purpose for all things,” Phillips said, “So we are walking by faith and trusting in God.”
According to investigators, the fire started due to faulty electrical wires in the building. However, that’s not going to stop members from staying positive.
“We definitely want to keep it here, where everybody knows where Mt. Pleasant is at,” Phillips said.
For the time being, members have relocated, and the recovery process will start sometime next week.
“God got a way of humbling us, and he got a way of bringing us together as a family,” Sheppard said.
The church says it will take about four to five months to rebuild the months from the ground up.
“We had a lot of good times in this church, and those memories are going to last forever,” Phillips said.
Now, the church is hosting a fish fry to raise money for the rebuilding cost. There will be a fish fry every third Friday of the month.
Plates are fifteen dollars, and you can choose between catfish or red snapper, served with coleslaw, green beans, potatoes, and a dinner roll. You can dine in or pick up from noon to 2 p.m., and all the money raised goes back into rebuilding the church.
Mt. Pleasant Baptist church fish fry flyer.
