Posted: 9/10/07
Fire destroys First Church, Dripping Springs
By George Henson
Staff Writer
DRIPPING SPRINGS—A fire beginning in the 106-year-old sanctuary of First Baptist Church in Dripping Springs brought the structure to the ground Sept. 5. The fellowship hall was left standing, but Pastor Lanny Tanton suspected it would also have to be razed.
No one was present when the fire began, so there were no injuries. While the final report is not in, the genesis of the fire is believed to be electrical.
The property was insured, but whether it will be enough to cover rebuilding costs was not immediately known.
The church already had a committee in place to begin mapping out a future course for the church in the community which is changing rapidly, Tanton said.
“Whether we rebuild on that property or somewhere else will be something that will be addressed by our vision team,” he said.
There has been a great outpouring of concern from the community, Tanton said. While the church has not decided where to meet in the interim term, he said every church in the community has offered space including the Church of Christ and the Catholic church. He said the Church of Christ even offered office space.
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