Click to Login or Sign Up

Baptist Message

"Helping Louisiana Baptists Impact the World For Christ"

Surprised (Cartoon: Church of the Covered Dish) Real talk (Cartoon: Fletch) Joyful heart (Cartoon: Joe McKeever)
  • John 3:16
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Archive
  • Cartoons
    • Joe McKeever
    • Beyond the Ark
    • Church of the Covered Dish
    • Fletch
    • Preacher’s Kids
  • Contact
  • Louisiana
  • U.S. & Intl
  • Facts & Finds
  • Culture & Society
  • Editorial

Pastor Brad Jurkovich, his wife, Stephanie, and First Bossier’s leadership team, building team and other staff members broke ground September 29 on their new facility. Doug Collier photo

First Bossier set to rise from the ashes

October 4, 2019

By Brian Blackwell, Message Staff Writer

BOSSIER CITY, La. (LBM)–Nearly a year after fire destroyed a large part of the congregation’s facilities, members of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City joined community members for a Sept. 29 groundbreaking ceremony to launch a $20 million rebuild project.

“First Bossier has endured and dealt with this incredible tragedy where we navigated a lot of things emotionally and on the practical side,” Pastor Brad Jurkovich told the Baptist Message. “Walking through all of that made this groundbreaking so special. We had a great crowd of around 2,000 who joined us to help us celebrate moving forward.”

Construction of the new 70,000-square-foot building could take 18 to 24 months to complete, Jurkovich said, and will include a new chapel that will incorporate some of the more traditional features of the original building, such as pew seating, but will include modern elements, such as capabilities for multi-media presentations. The new facility also will feature a student center, foyer/event center and space for Sunday school classes and other small groups to meet.

ENGULFED IN FLAMES

On Dec. 10, 2018, a three-alarm fire began at 5:30 a.m., originating with an uninterruptible power supply backup battery for a computer. The flames began in an office space near Faith Chapel — the original worship center — and spread quickly to the attic and other buildings including the childcare center and various youth facilities. About 65 firefighters fought the blaze, finally extinguishing it about 3:30 p.m. that same day.

ON FIRE TO REBUILD

Rather than fold, the church rallied like never before, Jurkovich said.

The congregation held a meeting in the Bossier Civic Center two days later to pray, worship and organize for recovery, and then gathered Dec. 16 to look ahead to the future during the first Sunday morning worship service after the fire.

The church was forced to be creative for education space while working through the planning stages.

Since January, the children’s ministry has used part of the Tiny Town preschool area, the foyer and additional preschool space until the new children’s facility is built.

Meanwhile, the children’s space that was not damaged has been completely remodeled and renamed “First Kids,” which combines preschool through 5th grade; the student ministry has been meeting in an area near the worship center for Sunday morning Bible study and Wednesday night worship; and, adult Bible study groups have used a nearby facility and the Bossier Civic Center, located about a block behind the First Bossier campus.

NEW MINISTRIES IGNITED

New ministries also have formed, including First Women Strong comprising more than 300 ladies who have delivered food to fire stations throughout Bossier City and Shreveport as a way of expressing gratitude to the first responders.

“The biggest lesson we have been reminded of is that the church is not a building,” Jurkovich said. “It’s people.  At the end of the day we rallied together and relied and trusted on God to move forward. Our church has come out stronger than ever before, and we are excited about how this next step will help us reach the community like never before.”

The news media joined the congregation of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City for a ground breaking ceremony September 29, 2019.
Pastor Brad Jurkovich, his wife, Stephanie, and First Bossier’s leadership team, building team and other staff members broke ground September 29 on their new facility. Doug Collier photo
Brad Jurkovich, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City, greeted guests attending a worship service prior to the ground breaking ceremony of its new $20 million building project.
Pastor Brad Jurkovich gave a thumbs up following a ground breaking ceremony at the First Baptist Church in Bossier City September 29. New construction will begin soon on the campus to rebuild a portion of the church that was destroyed by a fire in December 2018.
Brad Jurkovich, pastor of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City, gestured toward the area that was destroyed by fire in December 2018.
Members of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City prayed together during a ground breaking ceremony September 29 to mark the start of new construction after a fire destroyed part of the campus in December 2018.
Members of the First Baptist Church in Bossier City prayed together during a ground breaking ceremony September 29 to mark the start of new construction after a fire destroyed part of the campus in December 2018.

Comments

Editorial

Running the race

If you want to run the race of life successfully, then don’t look back. If you’ve ever run a race and looked over your shoulder to see what your competitor was doing, then you know that looking back can break your stride and ultimately cause you to lose. … Read More

Search

  • Trending
  • Recent
  • Must Read

Recent

Army hits recruiting target way ahead of schedule

Study: Medicaid use strongly tied to out-of-wedlock births

ICE migrant arrests under Trump top 100K

Must Read

Foundation Executive Director
Jeffrey Steed to retire

Speaker Johnson to Calvary students:

Live to make an ‘impact’

FIRST PERSON: Silent Saturday

Copyright © 2025 · News Pro Theme 2.1 On Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in