Piedmont Baptist Church Reopens After Fire

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Updated: 11:30 PM Feb 19, 2012

Members of the Piedmont Baptist Church in Crozet are now able to worship inside their own sanctuary. The historic building burned in November of 2010. Sunday, the congregation worshiped inside the building for the second time since the blaze.

Posted: 7:59 PM Feb 19, 2012
Reporter: Bailey Disselkoen
Email Address: bailey.disselkoen@newsplex.com

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February 19, 2012

"It is really hard to put into words, all I can say is thank the Lord for bringing us back home," said Phillip Butler Senior, the pastor of the Piedmont Baptist Church.

The church has been home to many in Crozet for the past 142 years.

But on November 19, 2010 the historic building was almost destroyed by a fire.

"You felt like your heart sunk, it was sad that this had happened to the church," said Jackie Washington, a deaconess.

Sunday, members of the church raised their voices and held their second worship service inside the building since the blaze.

"The whole inside of the church was gutted out. We had to replace walls, ceilings, the floor and the roof," said Ron Washington, a trustee.

The cost of the damage was more than $300,000.

"The chairs, the pulpit, every piece of furniture inside had to be more or less replaced," said Washington.

While insurance paid for most of it, the Crozet community also came together offering up money to help rebuild the church.

"It's something that I think every pastor needs to experience about the love of the different churches in the community and the Crozet area, unbelievable, unbelievable," said Butler.

It wasn't just the church that was reconstructed, a stain glass window from 1962 was hand painted and restored to its original condition.

A historic pulpit and communion table were also restored.

"To have those things really restored, really put the sense of the church back together," said Washington.

While putting together the old, they also added new touches like central air conditioning.

"We have so much more than we had before and we are continuing to improve things," said Washington.

The church will hold a Grand Reopening and Open House on March 18. They will show slides of the reconstruction process, allow self-guided tours and offer refreshments.

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