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By Christine Kumar
UMConnection Staff

The fire burned down their home in one hour, destroying photo albums, scrapbooks, furniture, clothing and everything else the family owned. But despite the tragedy, Luann Moser said she can continue to hope because of how her church family responded. They built her a new house.

The fire erupted last December when the Moser family, members of Tom?s Creek UMC in Emmitsburg, were not at home.

'We took the boys to wrestling practice that evening, and within 15 minutes, we heard our home was in flames, said Dan Moser. 'God made sure we were all out of the house.' The fire originated from the stove, which was off.

'I thought it was horrible that our house burned, but I knew God would get us through,' said their 10-year-old son, Ethan.

'Well, I had a mental breakdown for five minutes, but then I was okay,' added his 11-year-old sister, Victoria.

Luann is grateful to her pastor, Judith Kelly, who brought the family personal care items and to church members who provided meals for them for a month.

'This coming together as a congregation is a demonstration of Jesus? love, and it demonstrates the first-century church in Acts,' Kelly said.

The couple moved in with Luann?s mother in a one-bedroom apartment with their three children, a dog and three cats. Meanwhile, the congregation went to work.

Sam Wivell, a contractor and member of Tom?s Creek for the past six years, took on the project of designing and building a new home for the Mosers.

'God called me to do this, and this job went smoothly, I wish I had more jobs like this,' Wivell said. 'God?s love worked through everyone.'

Wivell was so dedicated to helping the family that he even put off construction work on his own home in order to finish the Moser home project.

Every weekend, Wivell and Andy Hood, fellow church member and electrician, and 15 other volunteers from Tom?s Creek and other churches worked in a communal effort to lay the foundation, build walls, gutters, windows, plumbing and electrical work. They finished the project in four months.

In mid-April, the Mosers moved into their new freshly painted, hardwood floor home with French doors opening onto their newly built deck.

'Before we slept in the basement and had to share rooms,' recalled 7-year-old Matthew. 'Now we have our own rooms, and we got to know more people than we were used to.'

The family received $15,000 in donations from their church family and the Emmitsburg and Pennsylvania communities to put towards building the home. They also received furniture, gift cards, clothing and other necessities from various corporations.

Recently, the family had a dedication service for their new home with family and friends from the church and community. Kelly blessed the home.

The Mosers will not forget the outpouring of love from their church family and community and for the help that came in a time of desperate need. 'They built the home as if it were their own,' said Luann. 'It was a huge endeavor and they supported us; this incident brought us all closer.'