JACKSONVILLE, Ark. — Shaken but not destroyed— The spirit of the New Commandment Church of God in Christ in Jacksonville is unwavering.
The congregation praised God on Sunday outside their church home that was destroyed by a tornado on Friday.
“It's so mind-boggling. It shows firstly the mercy of God and then this shows the power of God, you know because nothing happens without him allowing it to happen," Pastor Eddie Miller said.
New Commandment COGIC had a mortgage burning ceremony on March 5 to celebrate paying off their church, and on Friday, that same church was destroyed by a tornado.
Miller said that nothing happens without God allowing it to happen, and God showed his mercy by sparing lives.
"One hour later, if that storm would have just delayed by one hour, we would have had probably close to 200 people here," Miller said. “That’s how quickly things can change. But the thing we have to wonder is, Is your faith real? Is it still strong when adversity has come when problems happen like this? Do you still love God? You see, believe God? And my answer is yes.”
Pastor Miller said that at the start of the year, they had been planning to do a service outside of the church for the community to draw those outside closer to God.
“I guess God said you’re not moving fast enough," Miller said.
Miller implied that God said he was going to find a way to get them out there.
The congregation also had several first-time guests.
Jacksonville’s Mayor Jeff Elmore, who has only been in office for three months, even stopped by and praised the congregation for its endurance.
“I commend y'all, and for being here, and being resilient and persevering through hard times. And God is still here, God hasn’t gone anywhere," Elmore said.
The service started at 11:00 a.m., with no planned time to end. The church had one mission in mind— to bring hope back to the community.
“It’s not about Democrats or Republicans. It’s about us uniting as a community to meet the needs of each other," Arkansas State Representative Jamie Scott said to the congregation.
Miller explained he hasn’t been sad at all during this time, but rather happy even that they can publicize what God has done and will do for them.
“We're excited about the next level. We’re just turning the page to a new chapter," Miller said.
Miller explained how many times disasters scatter people, but it was so important for the church family to stay together. He confirmed how they plan to rebuild and bring hope to the community.