“Three years ago, there was lightning in the area,” Pastor Juanfer Monsalve said. “We think there was a direct hit and hit on the power line and the church caught fire. The last three years, Victory Church of God has opened up their place of worship, and we are so thankful. We’ve been worshiping at Victory Church of God.”
Riverview Community Seventh-day Adventist Church has spent the time since that August 17, 2021 fire working on plans to rebuild.
Photo: The Riverview Community Seventh-day Adventist Church burns on August 17, 2021. (WJHL)
“We’ve been working on the plans permits, making a bigger congregation,” Monsalve said. “We’ve been fundraising. We’ve been trying to fundraise because we would love for us to build a building that can be of help to the community [where] many activities happen here, where we can reach out to our community.”
On Tuesday, Riverview Community Seventh-day Adventist Church held a ceremonial groundbreaking for a new church building at 400 Sanford Circle.
Monsalve said the congregation has remained strong throughout the process, and while worshipping at Victory Church of God.
“We have a special group of people that they’re just so friendly,” Monsalve said. “They call each other, they pray for each other, and so we’ve been blessed to have a congregation that is friendly. I think when it’s not about the building, it is about the people, and when the people are led by God, we continue to grow.”
Church leaders thanked the Greeneville and Greene County communities for their support following the fire.
“I believe it was 10-15 churches and organizations that have donated towards our church building,” Monsalve said. “And we are just so thankful for their help. They didn’t ask; they just sent a check and they said, ‘We want you guys to rebuild.’ So thank you so much.”
According to Monsalve, the church hopes to have the foundation for the new building laid by the end of the year and begin work on the structure around March. If all goes well, he said the congregation hopes to move into the new building by Thanksgiving in 2025.
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