Jacksonville church repaired following devastation caused by tornado

Jacksonville, Arkansas – One year has passed since the tornado that ravaged Jacksonville’s New Commandment Church of God in Christ and roared throughout central Arkansas on March 31.
Eddie Miller has been the church’s pastor for approximately fifteen years.

Miller stated that numerous individuals were left without a place to attend church after the tornado that devastated the New Commandment Church in Jacksonville.

They were left without a structure, yet they continued to have their services in the middle of the debris that used to be their church.

Miller claimed that although there were moments following the storm when he felt hopeless, he was aware that eventually, a bright spot would appear to support the city during its hour of need.
Pastor Miller was not incorrect.

He stated that the church is now finishing up a brand-new facility for which they received a donation from a member of the local community.

Miller stated that during his fifteen years at New Commandment, the period following the tornado on March 31 held particular significance for him, since he witnessed a sense of oneness within the community.

“One of the greatest things that has happened is the fact that I saw denominations come together to help us,” said Miller. “I saw races come together. It was not just one race; every race came together. I have never seen any togetherness like this in my life where people just came. People stop by all the time, even now, and donate, show love, and let you know ‘Hey, we are with you. We support you.’ Even when the church was destroyed, we had probably 10 different churches offer to allow us to have services at their facilities.”

Many things have changed since March 31, 2023, including the construction of a new church that is currently located only a short distance from the old one (approximately 100 yards).

The new church is around 15,000 square feet larger than the former one, which was only 7,000 square feet.

According to Miller, the additional room provided by their new church will enable them to give back to the neighborhood that has given them so much.

“On the north side right here, we have a special area for food, clothing, and most of all we have a shower put inside for people to be able to come in, take a shower, and get cleaned up. Most churches give away food, they give away clothing but people do not have a place to get cleaned up and that is the one thing I wanted to make sure is that people can get cleaned up. When you look good and smell good, you feel good.”

According to Miller, the new church should be completed by May or June.