Miraculously, when a fire burned a Mississippi church to the ground in August, a 180-year-old bible survived nearly untouched, despite being right in the middle of the fire.
How the 180-Year-Old Bible Survived the Fire
Actually, no one knows the answer to this question because the fact that the 180-year-old bible survived is a miracle in itself.
On the night of August 13, 2022, a fire broke out in College Hill Presbyterian Church of Oxford, Mississippi, destroying the sanctuary in which the historic Bible sat.
Understandably, the church congregation, as well as the community was devastated to see the damage the fire caused to this historic church, which was built in 1844.
“When I came down here and saw…it was just…it’s like your best friend that you ever had in your life had passed away,” JD Frierson, one congregant interviewed by ABC told reporters. Frierson had been attending the church since she married her husband in 1970. The couple had chosen College Hill Presbyterian Church as their church because her Frierson’s husband’s family had helped build the church.
Frierson got a call on the night of the fire, and she told ABC reporters that “the news hit her like the biggest 4×4” that she’d ever seen.
College Hill Presbyterian Church wrote on their website, ““This historical building, constructed in 1844, was a significant part of our church’s rich history, and we are mourning its loss.”
Acknowledging that they would also move on from the loss, the website also said, “However, College Hill Presbyterian Church is a body of believers, not a building. While we are devastated by the loss, we will continue to gather and unite with great hope and joy as a congregation to worship the Lord who has faithfully shepherded and loved this church for so long.”
The Fire Department reported the tragedy on Facebook:
Much of the community responded with sympathy, as well as gratitude that the fire department eventually stopped the fire and kept it from reaching the education building.
One Facebook user posted, “So sad to me. I remember this beautiful and historical church. Sorry that this happened.”
Another said, “Such a tragic, historical loss!”
Many people posted that they would be praying for the congregation that lost their church.
A user addressing the fire department said, “Thank you all for everything you did for our church. You went above and beyond – thank you for saving the old pulpit Bible. That means more than you can know.”
