St. Demiana Church Fire
This is not how I planned this to go. For years and years, I have not once asked for a donation for our home church St. Demiana. One day, I told myself, we will find that perfect piece of land or property, and I will cheerfully announce to everyone on the email list that we are ready for their generous donation.
Instead, I come to you this morning with deep sorrow mingled with hope. After a raging fire, our existing and very beloved church building has been burned to the ground. Not a single item from within the church was recoverable. Even the relics of St Demiana, we have not yet found.
At 2 a.m. Monday morning, Abouna and I received a phone call that the St. Demiana Church building was on fire. We threw on our clothes and ran to the car, praying fervently. We held hands as we walked from the end of the street down toward our address, past fire truck after fire truck after fire truck.
The lights flashing were nothing compared to the mesmerizing flames licking at the roof of 100 Bernard Road. We could do nothing but stare from a distance at first, our hearts lifted in silent, horrified prayer.
A photo I took on my phone in the early hours of Monday morning, September 20. Over 50 firefighters worked at the scene. They had arrived well before us, within three minutes of the first call.
I texted His Grace Bishop Youssef, and our tireless shepherd immediately called us. It was too much for Abouna, hearing the voice of his spiritual father. It was the first time he would cry on Monday, but not the last. Truly, my friends, the sight was overwhelming.
For the next 12 hours, Abouna would be on his feet at the scene: talking to authorities, singing and praying with church members as they arrived, personally thanking every firefighter and first responder who walked by, taking condolences from the neighbors, and fielding phone calls. We were hard-pressed to convince him to eat or drink or sit.
Please don't be confused by our grief. We are trusting our Lord Jesus Christ completely. We know this was permitted by God for His glory, for our good, and out of His deep and unwavering love. He has a plan we cannot fathom and a purpose beyond all our understanding.
“For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope”
I have nothing to give you in exchange for your donation. No cool giveaway, no fancy thermometer to watch. I can only do what I’ve always done best and that’s share with you my stories.
Like how yesterday one of our young college students told her mother in shock, “But I was going to get married in that church one day." How one of our high school boys called Abouna, barely holding back his anguish, to tell him, “We’ve got your back, Abouna, don’t worry at all.” How one of our middle school students handed her mother all her allowance savings and said, “To help us rebuild the church.”
How my own children sobbed and when I asked them, tears in my eyes, “Why are we crying?” They replied, “Because this was our whole life.”
In the days to come, they will see that while our church is “our home, our mother, the secret of the joy of our hearts,” the church has never been just the building. They will see with their own eyes the love our church community has for each other—not just locally, but globally. They will be front row witnesses to God’s glory and the indefatigable strength of the Body of Christ.
On social media yesterday, I watched as person after person referred to St. Demiana as home—those who lived among the St. Demiana family for 20 years and those who were with us for just a year—all referred to it as home. That is the kind of community Abouna and I have been blessed to serve.
I took all kinds of pictures but nothing was as moving as the two-image before and after created by one of our members (thank you, Mike). Our beloved church dressed for Nativity. Our beloved church in ashes. But after the ashes, the Phoenix rises. After the Cross, He promises Resurrection.
The jarring juxtaposition of this collage by one of our church members shows what was, what is… and gives us hope for what will be again.
If you want to be partakers of the miracles to come, which I will relay to you in the meager words I can offer, then please make us a part of your regular prayers.
Here’s the link to donate directly to our church's PayPal: stdemianadonate.org
(You'll know it's the right one because Coptic will be lowercase)
Give what God calls you to give. Share the link as God calls you to share it. May God reward you in the life to come for your prayers, love, and generosity.
The money goes directly into the treasury.
If you prefer to mail a check, you can do so to St. Demiana Church, 100 Bernard Road, Jacksonville, FL 32218 USA. Our mailbox is still standing.
“The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge”