The Fire Still Burns

Tragedy Strkes

On New Year’s Eve, December 31, 1998, the sanctuary of New Salem United Methodist Church at 2170 Highway 59 North, Commerce, Georgia, was deliberately set on fire. The blaze destroyed the sanctuary and caused the steeple and roof to collapse. The community mourned the loss of the building and the greater loss of life.

That night, Captain Kennon Loy “Loy” Williams, a 27-year-old volunteer firefighter, gave his life fighting the blaze when the roof collapsed. His sacrifice forever changed our congregation and our town. In the years that followed, the people of Banks County and neighboring churches did not forget him.

 

Immediate Aftermath

Although the sanctuary was lost, the church’s freestanding fellowship hall was spared from the fire. Almost immediately the fellowship hall became our temporary worship space. For months the congregation gathered there for Sunday services, prayer, planning, and rebuilding, determined that the destruction of a building would not extinguish their faith.

 

Rebuilding and Renewal (1999–2001)

Within weeks a Rebuilding Committee formed and plans were made to return the church to its site. Through insurance, donations, volunteer labor, and tireless effort by members and supporting churches and mission teams, New Salem rebuilt the sanctuary. The new sanctuary was completed roughly two years later and was reportedly paid for without lingering debt, a powerful testimony to the congregation’s determination and the wider community’s generosity.

A permanent memorial to Captain Kennon Loy Williams was placed at the front of the rebuilt sanctuary. A plaque honoring his life and sacrifice is embedded in the right-side wall of the front porch, very near the location where he made the ultimate sacrifice that night. The plaque also includes the firefighter’s prayer, serving as both a tribute and a daily reminder that courage, faith, and love are part of our foundation.

 

Mission Partners and Support

Rebuilding was a communal effort. Denominational relief networks, regional churches, local volunteers, and mission teams came alongside New Salem in the months following the fire. Among those who served with us was a visiting Palestinian mission team, and countless other church groups and volunteers contributed time, labor, and resources to restore our worship home.

 

Legacy and Remembrance

The rebuilt sanctuary became a living testimony of resilience. Over the next two decades New Salem continued ministry, outreach, and worship from that sanctuary. On December 31, 2018, the congregation and local emergency services held a 20-year remembrance service to honor Captain Williams and to celebrate the church’s recovery and ongoing mission. Speakers remembered the night of the fire, the grief that followed, and the faith that rebuilt what was lost.

 

A New Chapter

In 2023, the congregation disaffiliated from the United Methodist Church and reorganized under the legal name New Salem Church, joining the Global Methodist Church. This transition represents a continuation of our community and mission under a new denominational home, not an end. We remain at our historic site, still serving the Homer and Commerce area, still worshiping together, still caring for neighbors, still letting the fire within us burn.