On Sunday, the congregation of Pilgrim’s Rest Church in Fairdealing met at the former site of its church building for a long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony.
It was a chilly, windy day and the only tent was not large enough to hold all the attendees. Most sat in folding chairs and gathered around outdoor heaters posted outside the tent. Children played on playground equipment at the rear of the church lot.
The congregation suffered the loss of its church by fire on Nov. 17, 2019, and was forced to relocate to Springhill Baptist while it waited out lengthy delays in getting its church rebuilt. In October of 2021 it moved forward in its efforts by fundraising and setting a date of Nov. 7 for the groundbreaking ceremony.
The groundbreaking had to be postponed when Pastor Ron Payne and his wife Debbie were hospitalized with COVID-19. The pastor did not recover from the disease and passed away Nov. 2. Debbie Payne, his wife of 46 years, was still hospitalized and unable to attend his funeral. She was not released from the hospital until Dec. 23 and was not able to visit her husband’s grave until Christmas Day.
At the groundbreaking she was on oxygen and used a walker, but she greeted everyone with a smile.
“I had a smile every day in the hospital, even when they said I was on my deathbed,” she said.
Deacon Jim Willis started the service by recounting the positive support the church received during its long wait to begin rebuilding its church.
“We had people from all over the country call and ask when we were going to be back,” he said.
The fundraising efforts had been very successful, he said, including a sizable donation by an anonymous donor. Tim Tipton of Holy Ghost Ministries of Ellington gave the sermon.
“This church did not burn down,” he said. He waved his hand over the crowd. “This is the church, right here.”
He quoted scripture from a ragged Bible. It had a tattered spine and was held together with duct tape. He used it to illustrate his message of perseverance.
“I had it with me when I was preaching at a biker rally hit by a tornado,” he said.
Debbie Payne, with the assistance of her daughter Genice Mills, stood in Pastor Payne’s place at the ceremonial groundbreaking. She dug up the first shovel of dirt.
“He (Ron Payne) would have been so proud of all the people gathered here,” she said.
Founding pastor Marvin Richards dug the second shovelful and pitched it at the feet of those standing nearby.
Willis and church member Robert Dillinger used a backhoe to knock down one of the walls of the old church’s foundation.
The building committee has not revealed yet what the new church building will look like, but it will include the distinctive white cross that was on the old church building’s front, said member Roy Legrand.
Willis and Legrand were on hand the day after the church burned. Firemen on the site that day pulled it down and gave it to them. The cross is stored on Willis’ property until it can become part of the new building.
After the ceremony, all those gathered enjoyed hamburgers, hot dogs and bratwurst cooked by members of the congregation.
Debbie Payne was busy talking to everyone who came by to see her.
“I still believe in miracles,” she said. “In the hospital, they said I was not going to make it, but here I am. Don’t ever give up. If you give up, you’re giving up on all the people who love you.”
Pilgrim’s Rest will have a building soon, but it still needs a pastor. Anyone interested in the position can contact Willis at 573-778-7338.