Gatlinburg — In Gatlinburg, the sounds of spring surround the new Roaring Fork Baptist Church.
Nearly a year and half after the 2016 Sevier County wildfires destroyed the original church -- the sounds of praise will be heard once again within the newly rebuilt church this weekend.
Roaring Fork Baptist will hold its first services inside the new church building on Sunday, April 22 at 10:45 a.m and 6:00 p.m. The church said it would looking to live stream the first service on Facebook.
In March, workers with Jefferson City company Rugel Church Furnishings installed the pews.
"We're helping out a neighbor that went through a tragedy," Rugel manager Bret Ray said.
The church said it is hoping to have a dedication ceremony on May 6 at 3:00 p.m., but that could change.
Throughout 2017, hundreds of volunteers from Builders for Christ came to help rebuild the church.
"If you'll think back, a year ago there was a hole in the ground, that's all," McCroskey said. "And now we're on the threshold of finishing, and we praise the Lord for that."
The original church was built in the 1940s and could seat about 200 people. The new church will double that capacity. The new church also has the original bell and a statue of Jesus, two of the few things that survived the fires.
The goal was to have the church open by Easter, but with usual construction setbacks, McCroskey said that's no longer possible.
"That's ok, the first service is right around the corner," McCroskey said.
He hopes to have an Easter service in the new annex building across the street called "The Ark." Otherwise, the congregation has been worshipping at Camp Smokey since the fires.
McCroskey admits it's been a test of faith, but he's proud of how far it's come.
"We're closer than ever before," McCroskey said. "We're blessed."
He said the project costs about $4.5 million, with more than half of that covered by insurance.