James Island church mounts new steeple after previous steeple caught fire
JAMES ISLAND, S.C. (WCBD) – Members of Fort Johnson Baptist Church celebrated Wednesday because their new steeple has been placed atop the church after their previous one was destroyed two years ago.
In September 2021, the steeple at Fort Johnson Baptist Church was struck by lightning according to fire officials, causing the steeple to catch fire, which led to the roof collapsing and ultimately resulted in severe damage to the church’s sanctuary.
Wednesday morning, a new steeple was mounted atop the church after what Fort Johnson’s senior pastor Marty Middleton calls a challenging two-year process.
“It’s not been an easy process by any means,” Middleton said, “but it has been a process that we’ve seen God work. Even in the midst of a hard time, a devastation of a building, to see the renovation that has happened from this, I think will be exciting for our congregation to see.”
Helen Needham has been a member of the church since it opened 63 years ago, and was there Wednesday night to celebrate the installation of the new steeple.
“It means a lot to a lot of people,” Needham said, “and I think the meaning has gotten even more special to people because they’ve seen how we’ve overcome and how God has led us to this place, and he’s going to lead us beyond. To reach the people of James Island and beyond.”
They say the steeple is an important fixture of their church, but what’s even more important is what sits at the very top.
“The steeple and the cross on top of the steeple says a bunch of things,” Dr. Ben Phillips from Charleston Southern University said. “Number one, it says Jesus did what he said he would do. He died on the cross, he rose again from the grave. He was lifted up for the sins of all humanity. It also says that this is a place where the cross is lifted up. Where what he did is proclaimed, and so it raises it high and says, ‘Everybody is welcome to come.’”
Pastor Middleton says the church still has about $1.5 million dollars’ worth of repairs, renovations and upgrades to make.
