By Mary Henrichs
On the evening of Thursday, Jan. 29, the sanctuary of St. Paul Lutheran Church (SPLC), Dallas, Texas, was severely damaged by a fire. The cause of the fire has not yet been identified.
“I thank God that no one was on campus when this happened,” said the Rev. Byron Ray Williams Sr., who serves St. Paul as senior pastor. The quiet on campus was unusual for SPLC, since the church runs a childcare center and after-school program, SPLC Christian Academy, from 6:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. each weekday. But due to the remnants of ice across Dallas from the hard freeze days before, schools in the Dallas Independent School District were shut down that day, and SPLC Christian Academy followed suit.
The damage to the sanctuary was extensive. “The entire sanctuary is … totally wiped out,” Williams said. “I don’t think [anything] in there is salvageable.” The church’s organ, baby grand piano, keyboard, guitars, drums, pulpit, choir stand, pews, tables and chairs are gone — even the sculpture of Jesus on the cross from above the altar experienced brutal damage.
Beyond its sanctuary, SPLC lost four classrooms, the academy director’s office, the accounting office and the pastor’s office. Williams is now working out of his truck. Although he has an office at home, he explained, “When something like this happens, the pastor really needs to be on the ground.”
In the Sundays following the fire, the congregation has gathered for worship in a smaller building on campus known as the Chi-Rho house, which is typically used for the after-school program.
“My biggest charge and challenge,” said Williams, “is just to keep the people unified. … I reflect on that Nehemiah text, when Nehemiah had to go back and rebuild the wall [of Jerusalem]. So we [are] on the wall now.
“We’re keeping the cross out before us, and the good Lord — I’m constantly talking to Him, they’re talking to Him, and we’re all praying and … just pressing through … [to] make the best of a situation. I don’t want to call it a bad situation, because the Bible tells us all things work together for the good for them that love the Lord” (Rom. 8:28).
‘The tomb is empty’
Williams is no stranger to disaster. He was serving as a pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans in 2005 when Hurricane Katrina devastated the area, submerging the church in 17.5 feet of water. Thankfully, all his parishioners were spared.
“My ministry — I’ve been through the water, I’ve been through the fire now, so now I don’t know what’s next,” said Williams jokingly. “Why it happened, I don’t know. But I can laugh now. It’s good to get my joy back.”
Williams celebrated his 70th birthday a mere two weeks before the fire struck SPLC. This year is his 30th as a pastor. Over the past 10 years, Williams has annually held a leadership conference at the church, and, in July, hosted the 2025 Black Ministry Family Convocation.
At the July convocation, Williams baptized five people: four children and one adult. All five came into the church through involvement with SPLC Christian Academy. Williams hopes to keep that ministry vibrant, even as it suffers from the loss of space due to the fire.
The Rev. Stephen Heimer, manager of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) All Nations Ministry, who has been in touch with Williams, said, “Recovery from a loss like this is more than just a matter of cost and repair and replacement of things. We thank God for Pastor Williams and those at St. Paul Lutheran Church who are leading and caring for one another with grace and encouragement in Christ.”
LCMS Disaster Response is working to put together a grant for the church, which will be finalized once information comes through from the church’s insurance company.
The Rev. Dr. Ross Johnson, director of Disaster Response, said, “In moments like this, when the sanctuary is dark and the smoke has barely cleared, we remember that Christ has already walked through fire and judgment for us. The church is never defined by bricks, pews or instruments, but by the living Word of God and the baptized people gathered around it. What has been lost is painful and real, and we do not minimize that grief. But the risen Christ is still present among His people at St. Paul, and that is something no fire can take away.”
“It’s going to be different,” reflected Williams about the coming Lenten season, which will see Wednesday night services now sharing space with the after-school program.
Meditating on the hollowed-out sanctuary of the church, devastated by smoke and flame, Williams said, “I’ve been kind of reminded about the tomb. The tomb is empty. … Jesus got up, and therefore we will get up.”
Mary Henrichs (mary.henrichs@lcms.org) is a staff writer for LCMS Communications.
Posted March 9, 2026
