'A true miracle': Flames torch historic Baptist church sanctuary — but the fire fails to destroy famed pulpit

A massive, four-alarm fire ripped through the structure of the historic sanctuary at First Baptist Church Dallas last Friday.

But those flames failed to destroy the sanctuary's historic pulpit.

'A true miracle — especially if you saw the flames engulfing the place this pulpit was displayed.'

As the church began to sift through the damage this week, it was discovered that the sanctuary's pulpit — which had been used by Baptist preachers including George Truett and W.A. Criswell — survived the fire.

"So indescribably grateful for this miracle," said O.S. Hawkins, the former senior pastor at FBC Dallas.

"In the midst of the total destruction of the church in the fire this 130 year old pulpit of Truett and Criswell and the others of us somehow someway miraculously survived. Thank you Lord," he praised.

Pastor Robert Jeffress, the current senior pastor of the church, described the pulpit's survival as a "true miracle."

"A true miracle — especially if you saw the flames engulfing the place this pulpit was displayed," he said.

Not only was the pulpit discovered relatively unharmed, but church leaders received more good news this week.

Initially, they thought the fire damage was so extensive that the structural integrity of the historic building, which has been in use since the 1890s, was compromised. If that were the case, the entire building would have been demolished.

But executive pastor Ben Lovvorn said the church has received approval from the city to try to salvage the building.

"We received approval from the city to begin the work of preserving these historic walls," Lovvorn said. "I can make no guarantees about how that work will go or even if it'll be successful, but we do have approval to try. We're gonna do everything that we can to save these exterior walls of our historic sanctuary."

"Church, that's an answer to prayer," Lovvorn added.

The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Pastor Jeffress, meanwhile, revealed that former President Donald Trump reached out to him after the fire to offer support.

"I don't believe my support for President Trump has anything to do with this fire," Jeffress told KTVT-TV. "I did receive a nice note from the president, who has spoken here before at our church. He offered his help to do anything he could."

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