Dallas, TX

First Baptist Dallas may return to its fire-ravaged campus Sunday

Published

2 years ago

July 29, 2024

First Baptist Dallas may return to its fire-ravaged campus Sunday

DALLAS — First Baptist Dallas members are getting closer to returning to their downtown Dallas property after a four-alarm fire ravaged their historic sanctuary.

“The Worship Center looks wonderful. I was in there yesterday, and I texted our pastor,” Dr. Ben Lovvorn said. “I said the Worship Center looks, feels, and smells great.”

Lovvorn is the executive pastor of the Dallas megachurch. On Sunday, he told congregants who had to go to the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center‘s main arena for the past two Sundays about their chances of returning to the property.

“Barring any surprise, I’m fairly confident that we will be together worshipping in our Worship center next Sunday morning,” he said.

Lovvorn said everything, including the building’s systems, elevators, escalators, media, internet, and life safety systems, must be checked out first.

In the meantime, he said crews are working around the clock to put beams and scaffolding up at the site of the scorched facade, where they are accustomed to having services.

“We are confident that we’re going to preserve much of that historic sanctuary—the exterior of those walls,” Lovvorn said.

The pastor also told the church he had no answers about how the fire started. He said the investigation could only proceed once First Baptist Dallas got the grounds safe enough for fire investigators to do their job.

“The priority has been to secure those walls and make sure the site is safe,” He said.

The damage to the church’s Criswell Center is significant enough that he said members would be unable to use it. The night of the fire, he said, the building took in dark smoke, lost power, and had a flooded basement.

The impact on the church’s artifacts remains unclear. A church spokesperson said the items are all digitized, but they have not worked through everything damaged or what didn’t make it.

The hull of the former sanctuary is where destruction occupies the place where members came to worship.

Mike Judd, the president of the Dallas County Pioneer Association, said the First Baptist Dallas fire reminded him of Notre Dame in April 2019.

“The wooden structure tends to burn straight up, very hot, and very quickly, but that type of fire tends to leave the exterior walls intact and reusable,” Judd said.

Judd’s Dallas County Pioneer Association is a non-profit organization that preserves and promotes the history of pioneer-era properties and facilities. The 1868 genesis of First Baptist Dallas is on their page.

“This is not just any church that burned. It’s the flagship church for decades and decades of the Southern Baptist Convention,” Judd said. “I think for prominence, it probably has no equals.”

As for what the rebuilt First Baptist Sanctuary could look like, Judd said he’s not a member. He does have a vision.

“Leaving a corner with smoke damage at the top of one of the windows, all those cornices around the edges that have the smoke damage, yeah,” Judd said. “Leaving one or two of those as a reminder of 2024 and the fire. That would be a wonderful call back to what happened this year.”

In a statement to CBS News Texas about the new sanctuary, Lovvorn said, “We are confident God is going to do great work in the days ahead. We are beginning to make plans to rebuild. Whatever we ultimately do will both honor the history and spiritual heritage of our church and express an excited optimism for the future.”

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Dallas, TX

Minnesota Wild – Dallas Stars – Apr 18, 2026 | NHL.com

Published

4 hours ago

April 17, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota Wild – Dallas Stars – Apr 18, 2026 | NHL.com

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Dallas, TX

Dallas Cowboys Receive Great News On Future of All-Pro Brandon Aubrey

Published

16 hours ago

April 16, 2026

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Dallas Cowboys Receive Great News On Future of All-Pro Brandon Aubrey

The Dallas Cowboys have made a ton of notable moves this offseason, mostly in an attempt to overhaul the defense. That was one of the top priorities following another disappointing season, but now other areas of the roster are coming to the forefront.

On special teams, Cowboys fan have been eagerly waiting to get answer about the future of star kicker Brandon Aubrey, who entered this offseason seeking a new contract.

The Cowboys placed a restricted tender on Aubrey worth one year for about $5.7 million. This doesn’t guarantee he will remain with Dallas for next season, but the clock is now ticking on what his fate will be for the 2026 season.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on Thursday, Aubrey now has until Friday if he wants to sign an offer sheet with another team, but no such offer has been made yet. If that remains the case by the deadline, Aubrey will be a Cowboy next year before getting the chance to renegotiate a new contract next offseason.

Cowboys Have Made Their Intentions Clear With Brandon Aubrey

Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa congratulates kicker Brandon Aubrey after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear last month that the front office values Aubrey and wants to offer him a new deal in the future. But for now, it’s likely he will play the 2022 season on the tender.

“We first of all think he’s outstanding, love his story, love the fact that the story is with the Cowboys,” Jones said, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “We feel good that what we are talking about is an appreciation of what he can do for us. And so that’s a way of not trying to negotiate with anything that I might say here, but we’ve got a good offer on the table for him.”

Aubrey has been one of the league’s most dangerous weapons over the past few seasons and is certainly deserving of being the highest-paid kicker in NFL history, whether that’s in Dallas or elsewhere.

Last season, he went 36 of 42 on field goals with a long of 64 yards. All six of his misses came from 50+ yards out. He made 47 of 48 extra points.

It will be tough for Aubrey to replicate his 2023 season when he made all 10 of his 50+ yard field goals while going 36 of 38 on the year, but it’s hard argue that he’s not the best kicker in the NFL.

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Dallas, TX

3 Biggest Questions Facing the Dallas Mavericks This Offseason

Published

1 day ago

April 16, 2026

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3 Biggest Questions Facing the Dallas Mavericks This Offseason

To say the 2025-26 season was a disaster for the Dallas Mavericks would be a massive understatement. They thought they could make a deep postseason run with the star rookie Cooper Flagg flanked by Anthony Davis and Kyrie Irving, but that never ended up happening.

Flagg was spectacular, putting up historic numbers. Anthony Davis played only 20 games before he was salary-dumped to the Washington Wizards, and Kyrie Irving never played this season as he recovered from a torn ACL. All of that led to the Mavs finishing with an abysmal 26-56 record.

As they enter the offseason, here are the three biggest questions we’re asking.

Who Do the Mavericks Hire As General Manager/President of Basketball Operations?

The Dallas Mavericks fired Nico Harrison in November, which was about 9 months too late, but they need to find his replacement. Matt Riccardi and Michael Finley have performed admirably in their co-interim GM setup, being able to pull off the Anthony Davis trade, while adding in Jaden Hardy and D’Angelo Russell, which opened a lot of future financial flexibility.

However, the Mavericks want to go big game hunting. Tim Connelly and Koby Altman have been mentioned as possibilities, as Dumont wants the best executive personnel possible.

Whoever is hired will have to execute in this upcoming draft, but they’ll have some options about what to do with their space below the first tax apron. Do they use it to bring in additional picks? Can they use Khris Middleton’s Bird Rights to secure a high-value free agent? They’ll have a few different options at their disposal.

Who Do the Mavericks Take in the NBA Draft Lottery?

The 2026 NBA Draft is the last year the Mavericks have control over their first-round pick until 2031. 2027’s is top-2 protected, it goes to the Charlotte Hornets, 2028 and 2030 are pick swaps owned by the San Antonio Spurs and OKC Thunder, and 2029’s is currently owned by the Houston Rockets.

That makes it imperative to nail the 2026 NBA Draft. They’ll have a lottery pick, though the exact pick won’t be known until the lottery is held in May. They also have the 30th overall pick and a mid-second round pick. Capitalizing on that lottery pick is a must, though. That’s their best and possibly only chance to pair Cooper Flagg with another young star.

Nov 14, 2025; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving looks on during the second half against the LA Clippers in an NBA Cup game at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

What Does Kyrie Irving Look Like When He Comes Back?

Kyrie Irving possibly could’ve returned during the season, but they decided to let him recover all year, mostly because of the state the team was in. How they think he will look next season will impact their entire offseason and draft process.

If they think he can bounce back to form, then they need to add the right complement to him in the backcourt. If they think he’ll come back a step slowed, they may need to consider a trade.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more FREE coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the 2025-26 season

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