A Tulsa Presbyterian church held its grand reopening Sunday, 17 months after a fire brought services in its sanctuary to a halt.
Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC) near 51st & Lewis, celebrated by welcoming members of its congregation back with open arms Sunday morning. Many of them got the chance to see the work that had gone into completely remodeling the space to meet their needs.
Church leaders say a fire back in September of 2021 caused major damage to the church's sanctuary and left behind a lot of water damage as Tulsa fire crews worked to save what they could. Tulsa fire investigators later determined the fire was electrical and started in CPC's A.V. room. Crews had to evacuate more than 100 people that day, but say no one was hurt.
"The whole building has been redone," said CPC Senior Pastor Jeremy Fair. "It's taken about a year and a half to do. So, we're excited for this day."
Fair told NewsChannel 8 that fundraising had been crucial in helping CPC pull off the big changes. The sanctuary has been completely redone, and Fair said church leaders are hopeful it will be more functional for their future needs. In addition to that, the church's children's area has also been renovated in hope of fostering a safe environment to learn. Fair said the improvements have not come without a number of challenges fueled by the coronavirus pandemic.
"We've sort of felt like Lucy pulling the ball out from Charlie Brown," Fair said of how long it's taken to get things going again. "We think we're going to be complete in December and through construction, slowdowns and delays and shipping concerns....It's taken us to this point to get here."
Even with those delays, Fair said he's very grateful for the community's support. He said the space itself didn't matter as much, only that the church continues to grow and welcome others with open arms.
"The building's just a building," said Fair. "There's nothing special about it per se, but it's a place to house our ministries, to reach the community."
Back in October 2021, the church also posted a video with longtime members discussing why they believed in the CPC's vision and the rebuilding efforts. You can watch that video here.