If you want to find out how strong a community really is, just look for its foundation.
"[The church] could not exist without the faith of the people," explained Dr. Sandi B. Hutchinson, Senior Pastor of Gabriel Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church
We first met Hutchinson on August 28, 2020, the morning what she calls an 'act of God' forever changed the congregation she leads.
Watch: It's a great loss to history' Pastor speaks to News 3 after seeing 154-year-old church in Chesapeake up in flames
"I could not believe a church that's been here since 1866 is now burning to the ground, and I literally fell to my knees," she recalled.
The church that stood tall over Chesapeake's Cuffeytown community for well more than a century was reduced to ruins. Firefighters say lightning sparked the inferno that gutted the sanctuary. When it came time to rebuild, the church looked to another fire for inspiration, one that's burned in the heart of this community since its beginning.
"When there was nothing here, people could have walked away, but they stayed, she said."
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Watch: Chesapeake church destroyed in fire is rebuilt, welcomes back congregation
Gabriel Chapel A.M.E. Zion Church traces its roots to right after the Civil War, built and worshiped in by freed Black families. The church was the center of the community.
"They had their own stores, they had their own banking system, they had their own educational system," she explained. "It is the oldest African American, self-sustaining community in Virginia."
The church and the land around it also served as a place of refuge for Black families.
"They would hide in the cemetery when invaders would come through the community to set fire to their homes or look for the young girls in the community," she added.
In the decades since, the church's walls echoed a joyful noise for generations, until being silenced by the roar of flames and the wail of sirens on that stormy summer night in 2020.
"I felt the weight of history on my shoulders," she said.
Watch: 154-year-old Chesapeake church rallies to rebuild after large monetary gift
Dr. Hutchinson knew she had to rebuild. Since the church's insurance policy did not cover much of the damage, she started raising money. Church members paid for new stained glass windows, etched with the names of parishioners past. Others helped fund everything from the steeple to the seats, all feeling a responsibility to their roots.
"I think the older members have put that weight on their children," she added. That's why you teach the history."
The church still owes a good bit of money to pay for the rebuild. Dr. Hutchinson says they're praying for donations to help with that. She's placed this congregation's future in the hands of a higher power, standing firm on that foundation built by faith.
"Every time I come in this church, every time I preach in that pulpit, I am reminded that I would not be in this place, except for those who came before me." Hutchinson said.
