SAN ANTONIO – A fire destroyed part of a Southeast Side church and now members of the congregation are looking to rebuild.
It happened around 11 p.m. Sunday at the Christ Redeeming Community Church in the 700 block of G Street off Pecan Valley Drive.
“Right here is the playground, what used to be the playground area. A portion of it is gone. Not only our kids, but other kids would come and play with it. All this leads right into the kitchen. All of that’s pretty much gone,” said Pastor Devin Funches while pointing out the damage.
Funches has been pastor at the church for about the past decade. He received a call Sunday night that the church caught fire.
“It was shock and dismay, but at the same time, I’m grateful to God that no one was here. It didn’t happen while we were having service,” Funches said.
San Antonio fire officials said the flames started outside and spread indoors, burning the back of the building. Fortunately, crews managed to get it out before it spread to the sanctuary.
Funches said he turned off the gas to the kitchen after Sunday service that morning, or else things could have been much worse.
“It’s a lot, but I know for a fact that God is going to get us through this,” he said.
San Antonio fire officials said the cause is under investigation. It’s not lost on Funches that hours before the fire he was there holding Sunday service.
“We’re going to do what we have to do, and we’re going to hold each other strong,” Funches said. “They’re resilient. I know we’re going to rally around it.”
The church also holds monthly food drives, serving about 200 families in the neighborhood. Funches said his congregation is trying to figure out the next step.
“We also donate gift cards to schools and other locations just to be a blessing in the community. So, now I’m like, ‘OK, what’s this going to do?’” Funches said. “We’re a small congregation, but we can definitely use the help.”
Funches said cleanup is underway and they will look to fix the playground and kitchen area. He doesn’t know yet where Sunday services will be held for the time being.
“We’re going at least get some of this started as far as boarding it up, and then we just go from there. But we trust in God,” Funches said.