MORRISTOWN, Tenn. — More than a year after the Roe Junction Baptist Church in Morristown was struck by lightning and destroyed in March 2020, it's slowly rebuilding its way back up.
Builders for Christ is working with Wild Building Contractors to rebuild the church. Since 2020, the church has been meeting in a nearby fellowship hall.
Builders for Christ is an organized group of churches that join together every summer to do mission work constructing church facilities for existing Christian congregations. This summer, Roe Junction Baptist Church is one of two projects it's working on.
"We've got 28 churches from 12 states coming into this project," said Greg Womack, one of the leaders for Builders for Christ. "We are going over and above any standards that might be required. This is going to be a fine, fine facility."
Roe Junction Baptist Church Pastor Jason Lemka said he's only been a pastor for a year and a half for the church. He said it's been a difficult year from the fire to the pandemic.
"I mean it's been a long time waiting," Lemka said. "We had a lot of trials and a lot of troubles getting to the point where we are at."
Hundreds of volunteers have come up to help rebuild the church.
"The whole community stepped up and it's been been pretty neat to watch," Lemka said.
Wild Building Contractors owner David Wild was excited to partner with Womack for this project.
"It's amazing, the people that come from all over and there's only one reason they do that," Wild said. "It's to spread the love."
The timeline calls for finishing the church by the end of August.