1 of 2
Renderings courtesy of Restore Sutherland Springs.
Native Texas limestone, in the sanctuary.
2 of 2
Renderings courtesy of Restore Sutherland Springs.
The design for the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs includes two bell towers and materials that are intended to signify strength.
Over the next year, Scott Gurosky and his team at Myrick, Gurosky & Associates Inc. (MG+A) are working to help rebuild a community.
The Vestavia Hills firm is working along with other design partners to build a new church for the Texas town of Sutherland Springs.
On Nov. 5, 2017, a 26-year-old gunman opened fire on the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, killing 26 and injuring 20. Now, the North American Mission Board, engineers and architects are helping the church rebuild.
Gurosky was first approached about the project in December 2017 when the NAMB asked if they would be interested.
“Our company has done around 300 church-related projects over the last 23 years, so that’s our specialty. Anytime when you have a church like this, that has had this kind of horror around it … we’re uniquely suited to help a client like that,” Gurosky said.
The first phase of the project, which includes a new worship center and education building, is being funded by NAMB, an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention. After joining the effort, Gurosky asked Mt Laurel-based Michael O’Kelley about donating his services as well.
In January, they started meeting with the community, and O’Kelley was the first person he called to join in on the project.
During the months following the shooting, Gurosky said First Baptist Church has seen its congregation grow from 51 on the day of the shooting to around 200 in April.
The community, he said, has been inspiring to work with.
“They’ve been amazing. They’ve been inspiring. It’s really hard to explain the depth of the evil associated with what went on there,” he said. “... Their response has been, obviously, with great heartache, but they have stayed steadfast in their strength in God.”
As he worked on the plans for the sanctuary and worship wing, O’Kelley said he sought to convey permanence. They are using all authentic materials — mainly native Texas limestone — “to kind of portray the significance of strength and stability to the community,” Gurosky said. Another part of the design will be two bell towers. The first will hold the bell First Baptist Church has had since the 1920s, and the second — identical in design to the first tower — will be illuminated at night.
“The pastor said from Day 1 that they really want this facility to be a light in the community, in Texas and the U.S.,” Gurosky said.
The Sutherland Springs and First Baptist Church communities have been heavily involved in the design process, O’Kelley said, and they have worked to confer with the congregation to make sure the design matched their vision.
“They’ve been extremely grateful,” O’Kelley said. “We had some people who approached us after we did the initial design presentation that were borderline in tears.”
The community, especially Pastor Frank Pomeroy, whose 14-year-old daughter was killed in the shooting, have been very supportive of the project, Gurosky said.
“Frank and his wife are really the only people who have to go there [to the church site] every day,” Gurosky said.
“To see them have to go day in and day out to a place that has some really horrible memories and to have a smile on his face and an incredible attitude … he’s never backed off from the gospel, he’s never shied away from God’s activity in all of this, and to me, that’s been the most inspiring part of the job.”
Construction started immediately following the groundbreaking, and they aim to have the new buildings open in spring 2019. This new building is a way to “put a new stake in the ground” for Sutherland Springs, Gurosky said, and will help mark the church’s place in the community and the victims’ place in history.
“They want the legacy of these 26 people who were killed in their facility to be remembered decades and decades from now,” Gurosky said, adding that there will be a small memorial inside the church in the victims’ honor. “That hopefully will move this congregation forward.”
