JACKSONVILLE, Ark. – The New Commandment Church of God in Christ in Jacksonville is nearing the end of construction on its new building, and the pastor is excited to open the doors.
Pastor Eddie Miller says the church will be completed just in time for the holidays, a time he looks forward to after reflecting on the EF-3 tornado that struck on March 31, 2023.
“I remember driving down School Drive that day and when I got to the corner, the church was no more, and it was a shock,” Miller said. “When we walked into the sanctuary from one side to the other it was crashed in.”
However, in the midst of all the destruction, the three crosses that hung on the back wall remained in place and untouched by the damage.
Miller first hung those three crosses in 2008 when he founded the Jacksonville New Commandment Church of God in Christ.
“That was the thing that gave us the most hope,” Miller said.
Pastor Miller says those three crosses paved the way for three miracles.
“God has brought miracles from that day until now,” Miller said.
The first miracle was continuous donations of food and clothing, which allowed the services provided every third Saturday of the month to continue as usual.
“Even though we had no building, we had the ability to still serve the community,” Miller said.
The second blessing was provided by Cabot Pinnacle Structure, a nearly 15,000-square-foot building to call their own.
“The gentleman in Cabot said I tell you what we are going to do, I want to give you a building, I was in total complete shock,” Miller said.
The building consisted only of the exterior structure, which meant a lot of money still had to be spent finishing it before the doors could open.
It also meant finding new land on which to place the building. That is when they bought the land cattycorner to where the original church was built.
The third miracle came from FEMA’s Public Assistance program, which helped pay to repair and rebuild the house of worship after the disaster. The FEMA grant for a new building was worth $1.65 million.
This grant was allocated to add air conditioning and electrical equipment to the church and purchase supplies like hardware and paint. The grant also helps to level the ground on which the building will be placed.
Miller said he had the best team at FEMA. He said representatives spent countless hours sitting under a tree on the old church property and walking through the rebuilding process.
“As soon as we are finished here those three crosses will hang on that wall, on the back wall again,” Miller said.
Miller said the crosses provided hope in times of need, and he hopes they will continue to do that as long as his members keep their eyes on Christ and the cross.
The new building will allow them to expand their Sunday school classrooms, providing age-appropriate rooms for children.
Miller said the community has been such an immense help that the word “community” will be added to the new church’s name.
As a way to give back to the community and serve, the classrooms will act as a way to educate students after school. They have also built a food and clothing pantry to continue to provide necessities for those in need.
The church will also have a bathroom and shower located on the outside of their building, where the homeless or unsheltered populations can ring a bell to notify a church leader and someone will be there to allow them to use the service.
Those who would like to donate to their services can message them on Facebook and they will coordinate a pick-up or drop-off time and location. They will also be posting construction updates and the official reopening date on Facebook as well.