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WEST VALLEY CITY — Pastor Charlie Phim didn't know what to do.
A lot of work had gone into renovating a home at 4035 S. 5600 West and transforming it into a into a meeting hall for the Cambodian Christian Reformed Church.
On Oct. 24, 2007, those efforts literally went up in flames. Three teenagers decided to light a fire in the house, fire officials said, at the time calling it the result of mischievous kids setting a fire, not a hate crime.
God brought us people from everywhere to build this church. We're thankful to you and all who helped.
–Charlie Phim
On Sunday, Pastor Phim stood on that same property for the dedication of the church's new home — a $565,000 building constructed through the faith and charity of church members and volunteers from as far away as Montana and Iowa.
"God brought us people from everywhere to build this church," he told the congregation Sunday. "We're thankful to you and all who helped."
The steady rain couldn't dampen the joy of those attending the services. There were flowers, balloons, laughter, prayers and plenty of singing.
"We're just blessed," said Bori Ly, one of the church's youth leaders. "I can't even express in words how I am feeling right now."
The Cambodian Christian Reformed Church initially purchased the property in May 2004. Renovations still were under way when arson destroyed the building in October 2007.
Over the next two years, people gave of their time and talents to demolish the burned building and get the land ready for a new church to be built.
Prayer groups were organized as far away as California and Pennsylvania in hopes of providing a new place for West Valley City's multi-ethnic population to worship. Phim spent every Friday at the property echoing those prayers.
On Jan. 3, 2010, a groundbreaking ceremony was held, but the church was still far from being able to move forward.
"I was nervous," Pastor Phim said. "I didn't know how to start. We had problems with money. We were scared."
But God, he said, made sure the church got built. Fundraisers were held, and contractors donated their services. Month by month, a new church began to rise from the ashes.
"It feels great. We didn't even imagine having a building after the fire," Ly said. "We did it. We did it with a lot of help."
By the end of 2010, the Cambodian Christian Reformed Church had a new home.
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Story written by Jared Page with contributions from Keith McCord.
