JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — No storm is too large to overcome— That's the message that the New Commandment Church of God in Christ in Jacksonville has followed for years now.
After just having recently paid off the mortgage, the church was destroyed by the tornado in March 2023. Pastor Eddie Miller and members of the church were distraught and left wondering what to do next.
"I was down, not depressed, but just concerned about the people. That was my biggest concern is that the people who I had promised to help and be there for work. I'm almost helpless in a place of hopelessness. But God always had a plan," said Pastor Miller.
That plan was 18 months in the making and Pastor Miller shared that a donation from Pinnacle Structures led to the $2.5 million dollar investment.
The church now has multiple rooms for bible study, a larger missions room to provide food and clothing, a banquet hall, and a conference room. It also has a larger kitchen.
These additions not only tripled the size of the church but they also opened new doors to impact the community on a larger scale.
"There's no way we could afford that. There's no way without God, impossible. But with God, everything is possible, because he touched hearts and minds and people came together and this happened," Pastor Miller said.
Right across the street from the new facility lies the faint memory of what New Commandment used to be, but the entirety of the old church will never be forgotten.
In the newly built facility are remnants of what survived the tornado's damage such as the three crosses in the sanctuary, a chandelier, the podium, and stained glass windows.
"It's just so many things happened to let you know God was in control, and he had a plan for what he was doing, and he still wanted to show himself strong through the storm," he described. "That is nothing but God to be able to hold on to stained glass, and chandelier crosses, but a brick building is destroyed."
Pastor Miller went on to explain how sometimes things don't make sense but it's always important to remember that you must trust in God.
The church continued to have service right after experiencing turmoil showcasing the magnitude and strength of their church family. During their grand opening held on Sunday, you could truly see how strong that bond was for them who had all stuck together through it all.
Being able to sit in the new church for the first time was able to offer churchgoers a look into what Pastor Miller has preached all along— to always have faith.
"What I see is the greatest thing that ever happened in my life was for that building to be destroyed, to allow us to move to another level here, so we can serve so many more people here than we could there," he explained.