Momentum from Ashes
“Fire fighters were ripping stuff out of the back of the truck, throwing it and hosing it down because it was still on fire,” says Jamin, who was called back to the scene just before midnight.
Having dropped off Bethany and their three young boys at a relative’s house, then gone to get some late dinner, Jamin was surprised to receive a phone call from their real estate agent informing him of what was happening. When he arrived at the house, emergency vehicles had filled the driveway and street, the truck was ablaze, and fire fighters were pulling burning wreckage from it.
“There’s a lot of emotion” in a moment like that, he says. “This is my life scattered in the back yard, across this driveway. I had this sense that my life is in ashes. Everything I packed, just totally scattered. Everything can turn into nothing so quickly.”
The couple had just attended a CMN Launch training in Dallas — CMN’s largest training yet — and were ready to start building a team and finding a place to meet as Neighbors Church came into being in the city they grew up in. The Gardners had met as children at the AG church in nearby Monroeville, then married and served as student ministry pastors in several AG churches in the Ohio-Pa.-W. Virginia region.
“Bethany and I always felt God stirring our hearts to plant a church, and this was the season to step into it,” says Jamin.
But the truck fire threatened their plans. At the scene that night, a police officer and fire marshal both wanted statements as they investigated what had occurred. Then Gardner sat and watched fire fighters strew his charred belongings all over the lawn and pour water into the remaining hulk of the truck. It was later determined that the brakes had caught fire and ignited the contents. Further, the fire leapt up the side of the house, melted the kitchen window, and allowed smoke to enter the dwelling.
The following morning, questions swirled: Would the Gardners be able to close on the house? Could they even occupy it? Would Jamin be able to start working full-time at his manufacturing job which was scheduled to start days later, and which would support the family as they planted the church? How would they replace everything they had lost?
“There were a lot of thoughts racing through our minds,” he says. “When you don’t have anything, there are a lot of needs. … But we were one hundred percent feeling the presence of God. I felt the morning after the fire that God was going to work this out. Spiritual warfare is real. The enemy is trying to stop us, but God is bigger.”
Their lowest point came when sorting through their blackened, drenched belongings and tossing most of them into two dumpsters in the cold light of day. Gone were the children’s first bicycles, first outfits, crayon drawings and other keepsakes. But some special possessions survived: Bethany’s wedding dress, family birth certificates, and the blankets, hats and bracelets their boys had worn home from the hospitals after their births.
As word spread about the sudden loss, churches near and far began to support the Gardners in a variety of ways. People from Gospel Tabernacle AG in Mount Morris, where the Gardners had been serving on the pastoral staff, gave financially and donated clothes, toys, books and more. So did fellow AG church-planters, many through a funding website set up by one of the Gardners’ relatives.
“Everybody rallied together,” says Jamin. “The way people have come around us and blessed us, donated or simply stood with us — it’s incredible the amount of grace and support we’ve received from people of God. It demonstrates that the church is a family and you can count on the church to show up in a time of need.”
Ed Newell, lead pastor of Amplify Church in Plum Borough, was excited about Neighbors Church moving into the area and had contacted the Gardners to welcome them. When news of the fire reached him, “It wasn’t even a question — we were going to respond in compassion and generosity,” he says.
Amplify united to donate $1,000 and also to buy the family everything on their public wish list — including toys to replace what the boys had lost.
“I’m excited to watch as they plant the church, and Amplify will continue to be there supporting them as they recover personally from the fire and as they move forward,” says Newell.
As word spread, the daily Pittsburgh newspaper ran a story, and the funding effort raised $21,000.
“I expected to get something but I didn’t expect $21,000 from people wanting to make sure we had everything we need,” says Jamin.
Damage on the house was covered by the seller’s homeowner’s insurance, and the Gardners were able to close on the property and move in. They had purchased the moving company’s insurance policy and are still working with the company to receive what is owed them.
The planting of Neighbors Church — scheduled to launch in Fall 2026 — is still on track. The fledgling congregation champions three core values: the abiding presence of God, the vulnerable formation of people, and the incarnational mission of Jesus.
“As a community of believers, we’re not after polished performances or surface-level change; we want real transformation, the kind that starts from deep within,” says Jamin. “We’re going to bring our full selves to the table, trusting that God meets us in honesty when we gather.”
While many new churches struggle to let people know they exist, Jamin says the fire and resulting community response have given their efforts unusual momentum.
“A lot of times God meets us in the ruin of our lives and from there he builds something beautiful,” he says. “It stinks that everything had to burn down, but I know God’s going to bring something new, fresh and alive to bring Jesus to this community so that the presence of God can be poured out among his people. I truly believe that God is going to do something amazing in Plum Borough. As we continue being obedient to this call, I believe we are going to see Plum Borough reached for Jesus in a way it has never seen before.”
