Calvary Baptist Church of Oak Cliff

A passerby saved an Oak Cliff church from serious damage in the early hours of Wednesday, February 13, 2013. It was a small fire in the basement, but it could have been so much worse. Calvary Baptist Church of Oak Cliff had just begun renovations to restore the church to its former glory, and the fire threatened to derail the project. The church, built in 1924, had been undergoing some renovations, and someone welding in the basement left a torch smoldering. Twelve hours later, the fire broke out. Luckily, a passerby noticed the flashing smoke alarms and, thinking someone was attempting to rob the church, called the police. The fire was quickly put out by firefighters, and the damage was minimal, but there was smoke and dust from the fire remaining. Huge fans were placed on the east side of the building to reduce the smell. Calvary Baptist Church of Oak Cliff is an inner-city church that has been serving the community for nearly 100 years. It is a place where people come together to worship, to find support, and to make a difference in the world. The church is committed to the mission of loving God and loving others. It believes that God’s love is flowing and that He wants each of us to be growing, so that we can, as we are going, tell the world the Good News about Jesus. Services were not disrupted by the fire. The church was hoping to change that too, but first, they needed to clean up the mess from the fire. They had insurance, and they hoped it covered everything. The fire was a setback, but the church was determined to continue its mission of loving God and loving others.