POMEROY — With Easter weekend approaching, Christians everywhere have rebirth and resurrection on their minds - this includes members of the Hemlock Grove Christian Church.

The church, which was completely destroyed by arsonists last August, is literally undergoing a rebirth. Construction on the new building began on Feb. 23 and currently the new church is under roof, the siding is up and floors are poured. Interior work is to begin soon, according to Marge Barr, treasurer of the church.

Barr said congregation members are “wonderfully pleased” with the construction and are hopeful church services will be held in the new building in June - less than one year after the old church was burned to the ground.

The estimate to build just the building is around $230,000 - this doesn’t include fixtures, pews, Bibles, a piano or organ, communion trays, etc. The church will have no basement or kitchen but will include a fellowship hall where Sunday school classes will also likely be held.

The church received around $200,000 in insurance money and has received around $87,000 in donations for rebuilding - donations which have absolutely made the rebirth possible, according to Barr.

“This couldn’t have been done without the support from everyone and that’s a reason this is going along as good as it is,” Barr said.

Church members are currently discussing whether or not to combine their open house and homecoming ceremonies into one, hopefully in June.

For now, the congregation continues to meet in the Hemlock Grove Grange Hall on Sundays while the new church goes up next door. The church also has a Facebook page where the public can follow the new construction in photos and comments.