Friday, January 29, 2010

Dear Church Family,

We have been informed that the fire that destroyed our sanctuary and office building was intentionally set - arson!

This is extremely sad news for our congregation. This information will create a range of emotions for all of us. It saddens me to have to inform you of this, I am personally very shocked.

The attached Media Release from Temple Fire and Rescue is being made public today at 11:00 am (Click here to read press release). It is now an ongoing criminal investigation. We have no other information at this time concerning the arson investigation. We must - and we will - respect the investigation process. We will continue to give any and all assistance we can to the Temple Fire Marshall, Temple Police, and the local ATF in this ongoing investigation.

Please pray for all who are conducting the investigation. Also, please include each other in your prayers as we deal with not only the fire, but with our emotions to this tragic news.

Your church ministerial staff currently has their hands and heads full dealing with the fire, this tragic new development, and preparing for this coming Sunday. Please pray for each one of us individually, but please do not feel offended if you cannot contact us. Currently the best contacts are our ministry assistants. We all know God will not give us more than we can handle. God has brought us all to our knees, and we are seeking guidance, strength, and wisdom from our Lord.

I love you and look forward to worshiping with you Sunday! Let's join together to see how God will use this tragedy to bring glory to His name! Details about this coming Sunday will be on our web site this afternoon. We are still finalizing those details. We thank you for your patience.

Glad to be your pastor,
Martin