DOUGLAS, Ariz. (KGUN) — For nearly two years, First Presbyterian Church in Douglas has been working on rebuilding their church. The church was damaged by arson in 2023.
Pastors for the church, Peggy Christiansen and Joca Gallegos, have been working with their insurance company and contractors to move the project along. Christiansen says the progress on their projects started in January.
The damaged roof and structure were removed, making room for new framing and supports for a new roof.
"The people of Douglas are finally able to, you know, drive by and say, oh my gosh, it's actually happening,” Christiansen said. “Whenever we go anywhere in Douglas, people comment, oh, you know, it's so great to see the progress that's happening at the church, and because this church has meant so much to this little town, a century.”
Crews from the state of Arizona are also working on the church's fellowship hall. A space that the church and its congregation want to share with the community.
"We being here, we’ve being seen a lot of the movement. And it is kind of like the turning point for us,” Gallegos said.
They're turning the space into a commercial kitchen and multipurpose space for both the church and the community to use. They plan to have cooking classes and for their food distribution program. The room also has the stage from the original building, one of the very few things to survive.
"Our calling is not just to be with people from church, our calling is to be present in the community,” Gallegos said.
Christiansen says the insurance money wasn't going to cover a complete rebuild of the properties damaged in the fire. They're using the money to create a new future for the church and its congregation, while preserving as much of the history as possible.
“We couldn't restore what we had before, that's gone," Christiansen said. "The fact that we're going to have a roof rebuilt on the sanctuary, that at this point, that's kind of like the icing on the cake, that we have enough to do that.”
They’re still $100,000 short of what they need to finish the project.
"We (said) as a church, 'okay, we're going to sign contracts by faith', knowing that there is going to be an opportunity for us to raise the other 100,000,” Gallegos said.
They started a capital campaign, collecting donations to help with the renovation. In the first month they've raised $27,000.
There have been some delays in the project, but the roof and floor for the sanctuary and the fellowship hall should all be completed by the end of June. The sanctuary will not be ready to use as there is over half a million dollars worth of work left to do, most of the cost being to save the stained glass windows.
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Alexis Ramanjulu is a reporter in Cochise County for KGUN 9. She began her journalism career reporting for the Herald/Review in Sierra Vista, which she also calls home. Share your story ideas with Alexis by emailing alexis.ramanjulu@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook.
