Years after the tragic fire, St. Simon began construction on a new building

ORANGE PARK – After breaking ground on 1331 Miller St. last year, St. Simon Baptist Church is ready to begin a new chapter in its history.

It has been almost four years since an arsonist set fire to the historic building. And construction of the new sanctuary is scheduled to begin this year.

Church trustee Deacon Lester Perry said it took a long time.

“All in all, we have come a long way. We have the site plan and it is 95% complete,” he said.

The 9,100-square-foot metal building will be nearly three times the size of the original and will provide a full indoor campus to accommodate members.

Before the fire, the church was already in the middle of an expansion phase. Construction of a new youth department, kitchen, community room and sanctuary upgrades was 80% complete at the time of the incident.

Perry said the new building will incorporate all of those previous efforts and then some. He said the church had already started making mortgage payments, which gave it an even bigger head start.

All that remains is to essentially complete the foundation of the church and obtain approval from the city.

“Once they seal the drawings, they go to the city and that’s it,” Perry said.

The church, which currently serves at Challenge Enterprises Plaza on Kingsley Avenue, is excited about what’s to come.

After the church burned down, they remained in the church parking lot for a year and a half. He said they stuck to their faith despite declining membership.

After researching rental opportunities in the area, Perry said Challenge Enterprises offered them a space in late 2022. He said the church is forever grateful for their kindness.

“Our hearts go out to them because they have been a blessing to us,” he said.

He said the church was bursting at the seams, with around 90 members attending Sunday services. He believes the church, which has received tremendous support from the community, will grow even further with the help of the new building.

Until then, he said, they are steadfast and ready for their future.

“We stand for Christ,” Perry said. “We stand for what should be done.”

Perry said the building’s estimated completion date is March 2025.