Enid church knows pain, promise in aftermath of 1996 arson - Article Photos 1/11
![A member of Enid's First Missionary Baptist Church cries as she sings during the Sunday services at the church's temporary location after the congregation's 103-year-old church building was destroyed by arson in June 1996. [The Oklahoman Archives]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/r960-79efd2a73a15af082752099b758e0327.jpg)
![A member of Enid's First Missionary Baptist Church cries as she sings during the Sunday services at the church's temporary location after the congregation's 103-year-old church building was destroyed by arson in June 1996. [The Oklahoman Archives]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-79efd2a73a15af082752099b758e0327.jpg)
![In this 1996 photo, firefighters look for hot spots at the First Missionary Baptist Church of Enid, at the north entrance to the church's sanctuary. [The Oklahoman Archives]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-ce25b2f20e5e506ab9acb8efd22c2275.jpg)
![In this 1996 photo, Enid firefighters rest after putting out a fire at the First Missionary Baptist Church of Enid. [The Oklahoman Archives]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-cc8adb31a57983e8723df0fb5dc13fa1.jpg)
![A charred cross is seen inside the sanctuary of the First Missionary Baptist Church after a fire destroyed the Enid church in 1996. [The Oklahoman Archives]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-2b76ca63b4cd7b32f18ff9205fd10264.jpg)
![In this 1996 photo, the north entrance to the sanctuary of the First Missionary Baptist Church of Enid is shown in the aftermath of a fire that destroyed the church building. [The Oklahoman Archives]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-a8f63e7339cdcda45ad4192c3b310b79.jpg)
![The Rev. Alfred Baldwin and his wife, Vicki, discuss the night in 1996 when their church, First Missionary Baptist Church in Enid, burned. She holds a photo of two charred pieces of wood shaped like a cross found among the rubble. [Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-76bc669e18cc7c647c18f41f636c10d7.jpg)
![Vicki Baldwin and her husband, the Rev. Alfred Baldwin, senior pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church in Enid, walk to the parking lot of the current church, which was rebuilt one block away from the structure that burned in 1996. [Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-b29f71e849db1b6292a18341e393141c.jpg)
![The Rev. Alfred Baldwin, senior pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church, identifies people in newspaper clippings as he recalls the many people and groups who were part of his congregation and who came to the aid of his church after the church building was destroyed by fire 19 years ago. [Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-83f23b0ff1563ce51dbfca8178dcd9a1.jpg)
![The Rev. Alfred Baldwin, senior pastor of First Missionary Baptist Church, said he and his congregation forgave the arsonist who burned their church in Enid 19 years ago. Baldwin is shown in front of the congregation's current building. [Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-d5601d6c59757f0f59e4c36334ef9804.jpg)
![In the foyer of First Missionary Baptist Church in Enid, Vicki and the Rev. Alfred Baldwin discuss a 1996 fire that destroyed their former church building. [Photo by Jim Beckel, The Oklahoman]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-d559bf9a2daacf806537824bebccd4a1.jpg)
![In this 1996 photo, Dan Vogel with the FBI gestures during news briefing on the fire that destroyed the First Missionary Baptist Church of Enid. In the background from left is Mike Cooper, Enid Mayor; Bill Ward with the state fire marshall's office; and Capt. Jim Hood with the Enid Police. [The Oklahoman Archives]](https://cdn2.newsok.biz/cache/sq100-b371e5cf8e36ecf3dc5d158ea524a7a7.jpg)
A member of Enid's First Missionary Baptist Church cries as she sings during the Sunday services at the church's temporary location after the congregation's 103-year-old church building was destroyed by arson in June 1996. [The Oklahoman Archives]