ROYSE CITY — After flames engulfed the historic Royse City Methodist Church on Tuesday, Elaine Campbell said she has felt like she lost “an old friend.”
Royse City Methodist Church was founded in 1885, with the sanctuary constructed in 1904. Campbell has been a member for nearly a decade and helped start a women’s group called “joy seekers.” The welcoming atmosphere of the congregation drew her to join, she said.
“Well of course the church was beautiful … but the day that my mother and I visited, everybody in there came up and greeted us,” Campbell said.
The local fire department responded at around 10:50 a.m. Tuesday to the 120-year-old building for a fire, which they were able to prevent from spreading to the two other buildings on the property.
Tanner Dietz, fire chief for Royse City, said the cause has not been confirmed but has been narrowed down to an electrical issue or a lightning strike. He said they received assistance from several other fire departments in the area, including Fate Department of Public Safety, Rockwall Fire Department, McLendon Chisholm Fire Department and other Rockwall County agencies.
Chris Everson, pastor of the church since 2016, described the building as a landmark in the community and said you could see the bell tower from Interstate 30 as you drove by.
“The thing that’s been the most difficult for me is that we’ve had people who have been a part of our church for 40, 50, 60 years and now their church home is gone — the place that they’ve worshiped in all their lives,” he said.
Community members from churches across the area gathered Wednesday evening at Fellowship Church for a service to show support. Hundreds of people attended, singing hymns and embracing each other throughout the service.
Chad Hays, pastor of Fellowship Church, reflected on his childhood in Royse City and all the community events he attended at the Methodist church. He emphasized that the church’s spirit isn’t in the building, it is in the people inside the building and said other churches would not let them rebuild alone.
Everson said they do plan to rebuild, but are unsure exactly what a new structure will look like, as they still need to move through the insurance process. He said they found a few historic hymnals and plaques in the rubble, but it was mostly a “total loss.”
One community member living near the church saw the smoke and ran in to save “the book of golden memories,” a tribute to church members who have died, Everson said.
He said they will hold worship the next two Sundays at Royse City Independent School District’s fine arts building, but he hopes that they will be able to return to the church property in some fashion soon.
“We don’t want to abandon this space,” he said. “Not because God’s only here, but it’s important for us to remember.”
Jim and Joni Ramsey said they were out of town when they found out about the fire but rushed back and said it was important for them to be with their church family.
They lamented that the church had just finished several updates to the building, including new carpets, sound systems, hymnals and pews. Joni Ramsey said she would love for the new building to maintain the same architectural style but will be grateful for a place to worship no matter what it looks like.
“We don’t worship the building,” Everson said. “We love the building and what it means to us, but we worship a God who continues to be with us even in the midst of our sadness.”
Correction, 1:20 p.m., May 31, 2024: An earlier version of this story incorrectly referenced the name of Royse City Methodist Church in photo captions.