RANGER, Texas — For more Sunday mornings than Nelda Rogers can count, she’s entered the red brick building in downtown Ranger to worship, teach Sunday school or help in the nursery.
“My family’s gone here since the beginning,” she said. “Five generations of my family have gone to Second Baptist Church. My grandfather, dad, and brother were all deacons.”
This Sunday morning brought a first.
The red brick building that housed Second Baptist in this small Eastland County town is now a blackened, charred shell.
RELATED: Fire engulfs small Texas city of Ranger in separate blaze from sprawling Eastland County grass fire
Instead of walking inside, Rogers and fellow church members set up lawn chairs and worshipped outside.
“It’s a wonderful analogy of faith. There’s no denying what happened. It’s right over there. You can’t miss it,” said Pastor Wade Berry, pointing to his burned church.
“And yet we carry on doing what’s really important - gathering in Christ’s name, worshipping God, loving one another and our community.”
Second Baptist was one of six downtown Ranger buildings that caught fire Thursday when extreme drought conditions, high wind and low humidity made even the smallest of sparks easily spread.
The fire was not related to the series of wildfires just a few miles south in Eastland County, but crews were stretched thin trying to respond to it all at the same time.
Days after the fire, the city of Ranger announced an arrest.
A man was charged with arson, according to the Ranger Police Department's Facebook page.
Several congregations joined Second Baptist in the outdoor Sunday morning worship service.
Berry thanked the volunteer firefighters who worked tirelessly, and he prayed for nearby wildfire victims.
“We’re going to rebuild. We just don’t know how, or where or when yet,” Berry said.
“We’re not going anywhere, we’re going to continue to serve this community and serve Jesus.”
Rogers said she is still numb.
“It’s a building, but a building full of memories,” she said.
"If you think about it, everything you touch you leave a little bit of yourself in that spot. And there’s a lot of me in that building. A lot of love and a lot of history," she added.