150-year-old Bible survives two church fires unscathed: 'Truly a work of God,' pastor says
Congregants of a Wisconsin church that was recently destroyed in a fire are putting their faith behind a Holy Book that survived the destruction intact.
In fact, it isn't the first time the 150-year-old Bible, which survived the inferno at the Springs United Methodist Church in Plover, has gone through such an event unscathed, according to CBS Wausau affiliate WSAW.
The Bible persisted through its first fire in the 1950s when it was located at the original St. Paul’s Church in downtown Stevens Point, which caught fire, the local station reported.
On Tuesday, the day after the fire started, more than 100 Springs United Methodist churchgoers and community members gathered at the site of the fire to bid farewell to the building, which was considered an iconic part of the city for decades, according to WSAW. While much of the brick exterior remains standing, the interiors of the structure are a complete loss. It's unclear how the fire started.
"Yes, this is a building, yes, things can be replaced," pastor Tim O’Brien told the station. "But these places have lots and lots of memories."
The Bible was found in the debris of the destroyed structure and was the only item the congregation asked the Plover Fire Department to recover. O’Brien said that the survival of the Bible, which can no longer be opened due to its age, is a "testament to our faith that still stands strong."
"I think this is really something special, truly a work of God," O'Brien said.
