#Roommates, the devastating fire at #NotreDameCathedral in Paris has sparked a much larger conversation surrounding the support the world needs to have for churches lost in crisis.
The fire also sparked an outpouring of donations and a generous pledge by the French president to rebuild the cathedral within five years. Similarly, the fire touched the hearts of people in Louisiana to raise more than $1.3 million in donations to rebuild three historically black churches that burned down.
According to @nbcnews, a GoFundMe was created seeking donations for the churches that had raised about $50,000. By Wednesday afternoon, donations has greatly increased for more than $1.3 million. The money is reportedly set to be split equally among the three churches.
“It gives you a new hope in society,” said Gerald Toussaint, the pastor at Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. “It gives you a new hope in people because it shows a lot of people have a good heart.”
The GoFundMe went viral on social media and caught the attention of prominent figures like Hillary Clinton, Jake Tapper and Yashar Ali, and various celebrities who pledged to match donations.
“As we hold Paris in our hearts today, let’s also send some love to our neighbors in Louisiana,” Hillary Clinton tweeted Tuesday.
The first of the Louisiana fires was reported on March 26 at St. Mary Baptist Church, the next was on April 2 at Greater Union Baptist Church. There were no reported injuries at any of the fires.
All of the donations showed a level of great generosity and unity amongst people. Freddie Jack, a pastor from a local church association commented on the ability of people to come together in the face of tragedy.
“When tragedy such as this strikes, we put aside our differences,” he said. “People from all walks of life pull together their resources and assist people.”
