Church packed for re-opening (From Bucks Free Press)

Church packed for re-opening

4:15pm Saturday 28th June 2008 in News By Andy Carswell

HUNDREDS packed into a church for its official re-opening ceremony this morning after the original building was destroyed by fire last year.

The Seventh Day Adventist Church in Micklefield suffered an arson attack last April, which seriously damaged the building and left the congregation having to worship elsewhere.

But fourteen months on, the church has now re-opened - and such was the demand to attend the service, several people had to stand outside and listen through speakers.

Pastor Robert Hines said: "It's great to have our own place back. There's a sense of achievement, seeing the new building and all the hard work that went into it.

"We all invited friends and family who either haven't been to church before or haven't been for a long time to experience it. They were all really impressed by the day."

The church was officially opened by Deputy Mayor Julie Pritchard, and there were also guest appearances by gospel choir group Generation of Praise and Doctor Richard DeLisser, a pastor from London.

Lenny Williams - who Pastor Hines said was "instrumental" in helping to rebuild the church - said: "We'd like to thank the community for supporting us through a difficult time. The support we've had has been fantastic.

"It's great to be back. Every member who was involved in the rebuild and the redecorating have brought it back to how it was."

Churchgoers attended the nearby Elim Pentecostal Church for a year while the Adventist Church was rebuilt, and they also had to hold services at St Andrew's Church and St John's Church in Desborough.

Pastor Hines said: "We are most grateful to the Elim Church. They were so hospitable."

The fire that destroyed the original church building started when a wheelie bin was set alight and pushed up next to the church on April 21.

Nobody was ever charged over the incident.