DALLAS — Nearly two weeks after a devasting four-alarm fire engulfed First Baptist Dallas Church in downtown Dallas, church leaders announced that the Worship Center will be back open on Sunday, Aug. 4.
For the last two Sundays, the church has been hosting its Sunday worship service at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center as crews worked to secure the foundation of the burnt Sanctuary building, which was approved to be preserved by the city last Wednesday.
Since then, crews with Belfor Property Restoration have been working on installing beams and scaffolding to ensure the sanctuary remains secure.
"We will be back in the Worship Center," the church announced Wednesday in a Facebook post. "We have had teams working tirelessly to make it possible for us to be together and encourage one another, as Scripture calls us to do (Hebrews 10:24-25)."
Church officials said there will be one service held in the Worship Center on Sunday at 11 a.m. It was also noted that the church will not have childcare or Sunday school this week. However, they are excited to bring back the church's choir and orchestra.
The structure involved in the fire was a secondary chapel, which was used for Vacation Bible School, funerals, weddings and auxiliary events that don't require the main sanctuary.
The fire, which began around 6 p.m. on Friday, July 19, lasted several hours as at least 100 firefighters battled the blaze in downtown Dallas. Officials with Dallas Fire Rescue said they believe the fire started in the basement and its cause was classified as undetermined.