Chicago pastor rebuilds months after West Side church burned down for second time
CHICAGO (CBS) – Seven months ago, the roof of a West Side church was peeled back by flames, and the inside was destroyed by fire.
It happened the day before Easter Sunday. CBS 2's Shardaa Gray went inside Chance Ministries for a first look at its remarkably quick rebuild.
Pastor William Martin wears many hats. He's been the pastor of Chance Ministries for nearly two decades, but he's also a licensed contractor with the City of Chicago.
"I'm familiar with this. It's just the fact of having the tolerance and the patience to want to deal with it," Martin said.
The pastor's church caught fire the day before Easter.
"That was really devastating," said Belinda Martin, Chance Ministries' first lady. "I remember just starting to cry."
It was difficult for Belinda, Martin's wife, because it was the second time their church caught fire. In 2006, the entire church burned down. The cause is still unknown.
"That was a really traumatizing experience, and one might say, 'Well, you went through this before,' but it was definitely different," Belinda said.
So when the church had to be rebuilt a second time, Martin knew exactly what to do.
"I had to pray and ask God to give me the tolerance and the patience to get us through this because this is not a little task," he said.
Martin has been at his church every day with help from other contractors, working to rebuild it. The pastor said it's taken four phases to redo the roof, replace the front of the building, and restore plumbing and wiring.
"Getting the architects, getting drawings, getting the place cleaned out and all of that stuff," Martin said. "Getting the place safe, secured. That's all a part of the first phase."
He said they wouldn't have been able to pull it off without insurance and donations.
"We're just happy and thanking God just to be where we're at right now," Martin said.
As for when the church will reopen, Martin said since they have the annex building next door and they can worship there, he's not pushing for a set date, but he's hopeful they can get the job done by the end of the year.