Fire Response Updates

On December 9, 2024, tragedy struck when fire destroyed our historic church building. The fire took our building but not our spirit. It is our desire to be transparent and informative regarding the progress of our rebuilding project. It is extremely important for all those involved to be good stewards of the many generous tithes and contributions we have received, as well as the forthcoming insurance settlement. The wheels move slowly at first... but they are moving. Please stay tuned and read below for updates as we move forward.

September 18, 2025 Update

The Building Committee continues to work with our architect to refine the floor plan and design for the new construction. It is a complicated process to produce an acceptable combination of wants, needs and cost.
Barr G has completed the demolition and has performed above expectation. The site is ready for construction when the plans are finished.
Our architect, Dwight Patterson, has submitted a rendering of what the new facility would look like. The Building Committee was excited to see his 3D slides and all were suitably impressed. It is a blend of historic look and appeal combined with new and

fresh ideas.

David will present the slides to the congregation for all to see. They are not the finished product but are very close. It is our first glimpse into our future. We hope and pray that it meets and exceeds the congregation’s expectation.
Once again, we realize through our efforts and obstacles that this process is a difficult one. A lot of time and effort is being utilized to produce a plan that is pleasing, exciting and functional for all ages.
Tune in later for more details !!!

April 9, 2025 Update

July 30, 2025 Update

Demolition of the areas of the church to be rebuilt continues on schedule and in good shape. Special thanks to Barr G Demolition for their efforts and good care of our property.
The Building Committee has met twice with our architect, Dwight Patterson, since the last update and he has developed an improved floor plan that should please everyone. Much thought has been put towards making the new facility functional, flexible and beautiful. The input from the congregational survey has been extremely helpful in this process. The Building Committee has given Mr. Patterson their vote of confidence, previewed the plan for the Finance Committee and our Board of Trustees as we move forward with the project. Looking very good overall and the congregation will be getting a look at the plan after a few more slight revisions.

The Building Committee has completed the interview process for General Contractor. After visiting with nine companies, they have voted to approve RLM as our General Contractor for the project. RLM is based in Longview and has an excellent reputation. In addition, they have built several projects for MISD. We are excited to have them on board and looking forward to working with them.
The Building Committee, Finance Committee and Board of Trustees met with Jansen Adjusters on July 29th . They are our adjuster for our insurance company. They gave all committees an update on previous payments, upcoming payments and what to expect as we continue the difficult task of settling with the insurance company.

So, as you can see….everything is progressing nicely and on schedule. Keep those prayers coming !!!

June 21, 2025 Update

There have been a lot of the “Behind the Scenes” activity since the last update.
We received four bids for the Demolition Project and the contract was awarded to Barr G from Longview. They started their preparation for demo on June 9th. The majority of the metal, wood and miscellaneous items damaged by the fire had to be separated and removed before demolition. All utilities were capped and permits obtained.
Slone Construction has completed the complicated separation project. The CLC building was literally cut apart from the rest of the church building. This was done to eliminate potential damage to the common wall that the CLC shared with the rest of the church building.
Actual demolition started last week. It is progressing rapidly.
Final interviews with General Contractors will start very soon.

We have installed a time lapse camera on the roof of the Wood Building to document the demolition and construction. Mr. Wood and his associates have graciously given us access to the roof and their WIFI for our use. We expect to have a live feed link available for you to view the progress. At the end of the construction, we hope to have a video showing the demolition and construction for all to view.
After several meetings with our architects, surveys, discussions with the church staff, assorted contractors and others …..we received our first draft proposal from our architects Dwight Patterson and Mike Butler. Overall it was an excellent start. The basic floorplan was presented and it was very good. The Building Committee made several adjustments and recommended some changes and we will get a revised plan on June 30th. These
talented architects are excellent with listening, receiving our input and making adjustments as we go. We expect more changes to come as the Building Committee does their job with a dedicated focus on discussion and improvement for the church going forward.

There are many moving parts to this plan and it is critical for the Building Committee to discuss, work together and make adjustments while they take our church and our congregation into the future. Like it was stated previously, this Building Committee
is impressive.

Keep those prayers coming !!!

May 7, 2025 Update

Initial interviews with six general contractors is complete and the complete package was delivered to the Building Committee for review. They will begin to interview for this critical position soon.

The asbestos abatement process went extremely well and was completed on April 25th. All notices to the city and state have been sent and air quality samples approved.

The Building Committee met on April 24th at the old church. Many options were discussed and headway was made. The Building Committee consists of professionals from our congregation. Their experience was on full display at this meeting. Excellent ideas, concepts and direction by the group. All information has been forwarded to our architect for his review. The more direction and input the architect receives from us, the better the end result. The Next Building Committee is scheduled for May 15th with our architect, Dwight Patterson.

We had eight contractors attend the Demolition Bidders meeting on May 6th. We were very pleased with the turnout and conversations with these teams. Thanks to ERI for their part in this bidding process. Bids are due by May 16th. Demo is still scheduled to start on June 9th but is subject to change due to insurance delays.

Our next step is to physically separate the CLC / Day School building from the rest prior to demolition. This step is to eliminate any potential damage to the CLC building during demo. Ross Slone has been awarded this bid and is expected to start the week of May 19th.

We met with Erik Powell with the city on May 6th. We developed a traffic plan and will apply for the permit. Only one block each of Lafayette and Houston Streets will be temporarily blocked during the day to allow truck and machinery access. The City of Marshall has been very supportive, informative and helpful with this process.

All utilities for the sight must be capped prior to demo. Centerpoint for the Gas, SWEPCO for the electric. The water and sewer is to be handled by the church. We have hired Dwayne Holder for this process and he will start this next week.

We have received our official appraisal for the destroyed stained glass. Sadly, the value is documented at $1,281,290 by Whitworth Stained Glass.

As you can see, much is happening and will happen soon. It is a complicated process and we are moving right along !!

An occasional prayer for the Building Committee is always appreciated!!

The Building Committee had a constructive meeting with our architects on March 26th. We discussed many ideas and decided that a tour of their church projects in Tyler would prove beneficial.
On Tuesday, April 8th, the Building Committee took a road trip to Tyler. There we met with our architects and toured five churches. It was a very interesting and productive trip. Many ideas and concepts were seen that can be incorporated into our new facility.
The environmental company, Air Quality Associates, started on the asbestos abatement/removal of the Chapel Building on March 31st. They completed the top floor on April 4th and are in the process of work on the third floor. As expected, they will finish on April 25th. Everything is going as planned and we are pleased with their progress.

Since the CLC/Day School building will remain, we have hired a structural engineer to produce a plan to separate that building from the rest. His plan will be given to three local contractors to bid for this work. The concept is to physically separate the two structures before demo.
The bid packages for the contractors interested in the demo project are complete and will be sent out on April 11th. We have eight contractors interested in bidding. ERI Consulting, again, is handling the bid process. Demo is now planned to start on June 9th. Insurance issues have slowed us down a bit.
Progress is happening. It is not so obvious when you drive past our facility, but there is progress. The process is complicated and there are many factors out of our direct control. We appreciate your patience and support.

March 20, 2025 Update

The Building Committee met on March 18th . The Committee discussed many topics regarding our Fire Response and reconstruction. The decision was made to retain the CLC/Day School building that had only minor damage and repurpose in a format to be determined soon. We are moving on!
Our architect, Dwight Patterson, is scheduled to meet with the Building Committee on March 26th . This meeting will be our kickstart on redefining space needs, design, and footprint for the reconstruction. Everyone is ready for this opportunity.
On March 19th , based on the Building Committee’s economic decision to keep the CLC/Day School building, the meeting led to another meeting the next day:
- Our architect, ERI Consulting, structural engineer, electrician and surveyor all met to discuss final plans for demolition. At this point, ERI is preparing the last details for open bidding for demolition. And again, we expect five construction companies to participate in a very specific scope of work for the next phase. Demo, at this time, is scheduled to begin on May 19th.
- The structural engineer is preparing an additional plan for securing the shared wall before demo.
- Surveys, plans for capping all utilities, road closures, and water needs have all been addressed as we begin to work with the city to make this next phase work smoothly and legally.
- As previously stated, the asbestos abatement contract has been awarded.

The notification to the state and city officials has been made. Process starts on March 31st .

We continue to reach out to General Contractors in the area for those capable and available to handle this project. At this point, five contractors have been contacted and are interested. The Building Committee will start reviewing their options for this pivotal decision over the next few weeks. It will be important for the Committee, the architect and the GC to work as a team to produce the best results for our congregation.

David has announced that there will be a meeting for the congregation soon to go over details of the progress and to answer questions.

There will be a joint Finance Committee and Trustee meeting on March 20th .

March 8, 2025 Update

The replacement fencing from CRC Fencing was delivered to replace the previous rental fence from Sunbelt. This will save FMC a significant amount during the lengthy construction process.

The Building Committee is committed to the open bid process and paying
close attention to all costs associated with the rebuilding process. They are
also using due diligence to keep as much of the money in East Texas as
possible. In addition, the Building Committee will be focusing on the overall budget.

There were five contractors involved with the asbestos abatement bids. Bids for the asbestos abatement are in and Air Quality Associates from Tyler has been awarded the contract. ERI Consulting from Tyler will handle the air quality sampling to be sent to the state. This contract also comes at a significant cost reduction over the original bid from the original contractor, Cotton. The asbestos abatement is set to start March 31st and is a four week process.

The Building Committee along with the Trustees have agreed to retain ERI
Consulting to also handle the open bidding process for the demolition bids.
ERI Consulting and their President, Larry Snodgrass, have proven to be a
good partner for FMC. Through their assistance, we are receiving comparable, competitive bids with all of the regulations, notifications and appropriate oversight handled professionally and legally. We appreciate their support and assistance. The demolition of the damaged areas will most likely begin in May. Details of the bidding process will be provided as they occur.

Our architects, Dwight Patterson and Mike Butler, have provided us with a space requirements estimate based on our current congregation along with the specific Church office, Sanctuary, Sunday School, Day School, Youth Ministry and Children’s Ministry projected needs. This is our starting point to guide us toward the design process. The architects, along with ERI Consulting, will also be involved in the specific structural issues for the demolition project.

Our public adjuster - Jansen Adjusters (Daman Garrison), will be on site Monday, March 10th with the insurance adjusters from Arch. Overall…..a pretty busy and productive week for FMC.

February 28, 2025 Update

February 24, 2025 Update

The Building Committee has met again with the architects. The committee has agreed to move forward with Dwight Patterson and Mike Butler from Tyler to handle design and engineering for FMC. The architects are preparing a contract for the Building Committee to review. In addition, we have requested for them to initially prepare a site survey for space needs and cost analysis. This survey will be delivered later next week. This is a major step forward for FMC and we are excited to be working with these guys.

ERI Consulting has provided oversight on the required asbestos removal on the Chapel building. Five contractors were on site Wednesday, February 26th to walk the site. The bids from the five contractors are due by March 6 with work to begin on March 31.

We have started reaching out to General Contractors for discussion. So far
we have three GC’s that have expressed interest.

We are also starting to work with contractors to bid on the demo for the damaged portion of the church. Multiple bids are expected soon.

We have agreed to change our fencing company to reduce our costs.

Our Public Adjuster, Jansen and Daman Garrison continue to process the insurance claim for fire damage and contents. It is a very time consuming and tedious task. We are glad to have them as a partner in this journey.

The Building Committee has expressed a desire to attempt to keep as much of our spending in the community and East Texas. Multiple bids for every piece of this puzzle will be reviewed by the Building Committee.

The Building Committee has met with our independent insurance adjuster from Jansen on Wednesday, February 19th. He gave the committee a thorough update on the process, issues, and progress. We are pleased and encouraged with their performance and progress.
Cotton, the initial contractor, has completed the clean up and work on the CLC / gym, and entryway as well as the Day Care area. It has been certified and released by the environmental survey company, ERI.
The Building Committee is meeting again on February 24th with the architects to discuss moving forward with concepts and design. A survey has been sent to the congregation in various formats to assist and drive the committee’s direction.
We have submitted requests for bids to remove asbestos in the Chapel Building as well as requests for bids on the demolition and clean up of the damaged areas. There is a walk through for bidders scheduled for Wednesday, February 26th.
Whitworth Stained Glass was on site February 20-21 to remove the only two remaining and surviving stained glass windows. One was the feature piece in the Chapel and the other was located by the elevator by the Pairs and Spares classroom. The crew has taken both windows to their shop for restoration. Both windows are in dire need of restoration due to age, significant lead deterioration and oxidation along with water, soot and heat exposure. They are the recognized experts in this field. This process is not inexpensive, but we feel that the sentimental value along with keeping a piece of our history is important.
Those wheels we referred to earlier as moving slowly are starting to speed up. Progress is encouraging. Tune in later for more details !!

February 13, 2025 Update

We have retained Janson Adjusters to represent us with our insurance company. Their goal is to maximize the insurance settlement in every category.
We have retained Cotton Inc. to remove the water, soot, and debris in some areas that needed attention in order to facilitate the insurance claim. This required removal of ceiling and drywall material to remediate the water, mold, smoke, and soot damage, etc.
We have formed a Building Committee to focus on the details required to coordinate demolition, design, and construction. No specific design direction has been determined at this point. We need and appreciate the input and suggestions from our precious and valuable congregation.
We have had discussions with two architects who specialize in church builds and restorations. We are impressed with them and have a meeting planned soon to discuss the project further.
As it relates to our building, there are parts that are damaged but are usable, but the majority of the building will need to be leveled. There has been no definitive direction taken at this point to determine specifically what areas of the building will remain, and if so, what function they will have.
We need your prayers, input, and cooperation as we make this difficult journey together. And again, we will do our best to keep you informed on a regular basis. It is important to us as a congregation and to Marshall as a community to get this right not just for today….but for future generations.