LAUREL HILL, NC (WBTW) – Woodville Pentecostal Holiness Church on Sneadtown Road opened its doors for the first time in two years for service on Sunday. The original church, constructed in 1943, caught fire in the summer of 2015. The fire, believed to have been caused by lightning, burned the entire church, leaving only a piece of stained glass.
The congregation has been hosting services in other churches for the past two years, but welcomed church members and visitors to the permanent worship center Sunday.
“During that time there was a lot of tears shed and a lot of people here that came out that night that no longer go here, but this church has been an impact to the community since it was built,” said Associate pastor, Robert Starener.
The church was insured, but the community came together with donations to repair portions of the building where the insurance money fell short.
“There was a lot of happy people today,” says Starener. “Of people that we’re happy, we were able to see and worship for the first time sanctuary that they put their heart into the past almost two years.”
Church members say the hard work paid off, and the rebuilt church is not only a physical foundation, but also helps make the members feel like they have a real church home again.
“It’s really a great feeling seeing all of this hard work going into it and getting it together, all of the construction going on,” said church member, Matthew Snead. “It’s just really nice to be here with everyone to worship.”
