Our Savior Lutheran Church to rebuild
Church made famous by image of cross
Our Savior Lutheran Church will break ground on a new building Saturday, marking the first commercial property to rebuild in Paradise.
It’s a milestone that the pastor, Rev. Brandon Merrick, calls “just the next step” in the long recovery that he and his congregation have always been dedicated to. Around 4,000 commercial structures were destroyed in the fire.
The church was built in 1965, and then added a congregational hall, kitchen and pre-school.
On Nov. 8, 2018, Merrick was at the church and children were at the preschool when word of the fire came. The pastor, after making sure everyone evacuated, stayed on site to try to stamp out embers. But the effort was futile, and he fled, first on car, then on foot.
Then a local man, Tyler Frank, temporarily sheltered in the church parking lot. He took a picture of a great wooden cross silhouetted against the church, which was fully engulfed in flames. The picture became iconic and made the church famous around the world.
“I think there were a lot of people who were excited about this, so we wanted to get the word out,” said Merrick about the steps to rebuild.
More than half of the congregation left the area. One member died in the fire, and two others died shortly afterward.
Most remaining members now live off the Ridge. Only four of the remaining families are rebuilding, though around 40 lost their homes, said Merrick. Merrick himself lived on church property at the time of the fire, and lost his home, too.
At first, they met temporarily at a church in Chico. But they wanted to worship in Paradise, even though they weren’t living there anymore. So, the church starting renting out a storefront on the Skyway. Around 50 people drove up every Sunday to worship there — until the coronavirus forced them to move online.
“People’s hearts are still in Paradise, and so this is just a way for us to continue to be a part of it and support it,” said Merrick.
The new church will be slightly smaller, partly because of the financial hit of the fire. It will also be slightly more “modern,” said Merrick. If there are no hiccups with the construction, the church could be open by Christmas.
He said they still planned on re- opening the preschool, but it could take more time.
“I’m proud for their decision to rebuild and excited for them to be getting back into their own building,” said Paradise Mayor Greg Bolin in a statement.
The ground- breaking ceremony will be held in the parking lot next to the church at 6404 Pentz Road, with safety precautions in place.
The architect is Comstock- Johnson of Sacramento and the contractor is Slater & Son of Chico.