The flames sparked in the middle of the night.
"It was just a ball of fire," said Michael Ross.
It was December 27, 2013. Flames completely devastating the Northwood-Appold United Methodist Church.
"It was classified as a total loss, that's the classification, this is a total loss,” said Reverend Dr. Cecil Conteen Gray. “So anything not taken by the fire, it had to be taken out anyway."
The walls were still standing, but the roof was gone and everything else was destroyed. Church leaders never wavered in their resolve to rebuild.
Now, nearly three years after the flames, the building is completely restored.
"Generally congregations don't make it back because so many things have to go right, you've got to have money, you've got to have glue," Gray said.
He admits, the journey was difficult, unfamiliar and slow.
Outside there were boarded up windows and debris, however the work never stopped.
"Once we start to move you still don't see it because the work is being done, for the most part, inside,” said Gray. “So you don't see it."
Leaders were able to raise enough money to completely pay for the multi-million dollar project.
While the construction was happening, the congregation continued to meet across the street in the church's education center.
But the patience has paid off. Almost everything is repaired. Crews working to finish last minute details before the church is officially back up and running, standing on the exact footprint it's had for almost half a century.
"It's a blessing, we're very thankful," said Gray.
The congregation officially moves back into the re-built church this weekend. Everyone is welcome to attend Sunday service at 10:30 a.m.
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