A faulty baptismal heater sparked a devastating fire that destroyed Word Aflame Tabernacle in suburban Atlanta, Georgia.

On Sunday, November 11, 2018, Pastor Alan James of Word Aflame Tabernacle in suburban Atlanta, Georgia, was putting the finishing touches on his sermon when he received a startling phone call from the local mayor. “Pastor, your church is on fire, and flames are shooting through the roof!” she exclaimed.

Pastor James raced to the church, arriving just in time to watch the fire finish destroying everything he and the believers of Word Aflame Tabernacle had worked so hard to build. (Investigators later determined that a faulty baptismal heater had started the fire.) As he stood surveying the damage, God spoke to Pastor James’ heart: “You will rise from the ashes.”

Firefighters had not even fully extinguished the blaze before the miracles began. First, the mayor presented the church with a check for one thousand dollars from her personal account. Then a deacon from a nearby Baptist church showed up to offer Word Aflame Tabernacle access to their gymnasium for future worship services. The two-story location was just up the block and included a pulpit, seating, sound system, commercial kitchen, and various furnished classrooms. Because of this act of generosity, Word Aflame Tabernacle never missed a service. 

God continued to provide for the congregation’s needs. Once officials determined that the building was safe for reentry, local media outlets interviewed Pastor James from inside the charred walls and beams of the former sanctuary. As a result, donations poured in from local businesses, churches, and friends.

Word Aflame Tabernacle began searching for a new location. They had a promising lead on what they thought was an ideal church property, but it fell through. Pastor James worked hard to rally church members’ spirits, but then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, dealing a sharp blow to the church’s attendance.

It was a trying season for the church and for Pastor James. Word Aflame Tabernacle was founded in August 2001, with five adults and five children in attendance at the inaugural service. The church had grown steadily over the next decade, eventually reaching an average Sunday attendance of 180 people representing at least fourteen nationalities. The congregation moved several times before leasing a beautiful, spacious facility. Now the fire and the pandemic seemed to be erasing years of progress.

With the help of the UPCI Church Loan Fund, Word Aflame Tabernacle purchased and renovated a new church campus.

But Pastor James and the remaining members of Word Aflame Tabernacle clung to God’s promise that they would rise from the ashes. Once pandemic restrictions were lifted, the church gathered for a special worship service where each attendee was given a small, sealed vial of ashes from the former building. The members then joined together in asking God to give them a permanent worship facility and to fulfill His promise to lift Word Aflame Tabernacle from the ashes.

Shortly afterward, four acres of land at a high-traffic intersection came on the market. The property included a conjoined church building and school with offices, a kitchen, and a fellowship hall, as well as a standalone parsonage. The buildings had extensive mold and water damage, but the location made the property attractive to area developers nonetheless. Bidding was scheduled to conclude soon, so the church needed to secure financing quickly.

Word Aflame Tabernacle contacted a local bank for a loan but was turned down due to pandemic-related lending restrictions. The church then contacted the United Pentecostal Church Loan Fund, part of The Stewardship Group. The Loan Fund worked with Word Aflame Tabernacle to expedite the loan process, and the church was approved. Shortly thereafter, they closed on the purchase of their new property.

Since then, Word Aflame Tabernacle has renovated their new property, which has approximately tripled its value. The fire and the COVID-19 pandemic have become part of the church’s testimony of God’s goodness in the face of adversity. With His help, Word Aflame Tabernacle has risen from the ashes and continues to proclaim the gospel in the northeast suburbs of Atlanta.

Visit wordaflameupc.com to learn more about what God is doing at Word Aflame Tabernacle. To learn more about the services of the UPCI Loan fund, visit upciloanfund.org. You can find The Stewardship Group online at upcstewardship.com.

This article is adapted from the October 2022 Church Loan Fund newsletter. The original article was written by Alan James, pastor of Word Aflame Tabernacle.

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