On the morning of Sept. 28, 2025, Latter-day Saints who had gathered for services in a Grand Blanc, Michigan, congregation still mourning the death of their faith’s prophet the day before, watched in horror as a hate-filled gunman rammed his truck into the wall of the chapel, set the building ablaze and then began shooting worshippers.

When the assault ended, five people were dead, including the gunman, eight were wounded, and the building was destroyed. In its place for the past year has been a simple stretch of glass.

Now members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the area are marking a fresh start, with a ceremonial groundbreaking Monday for a new meetinghouse on the property.

“It’s a symbol of hope, a new beginning,” Jeff Schaub, leader of the Grand Blanc congregation, said in a news release. “We talk about that a lot in the gospel [of Jesus Christ] — that we can shake off old things and we can start anew, and we can rebuild with hope and faith. This is a reminder of that. Bad things have happened, but we don’t have to tie ourselves to those bad things. Because of the Savior Jesus Christ, we can start a new chapter.”

The groundbreaking “is a way of saying that hope has work still to be done,” added Marcelino Sanchez, a stake (regional) president for the church in Grand Blanc.

‘We’re rebuilding our ward’

Several Latter-day Saints who were there that tragic September morning described what the ceremony meant to them.

“We’re not only rebuilding our building — we’re rebuilding our ward as a family and ourselves individually,” Cindy Hougaboom, a member of the Grand Blanc congregation, said in the release. “Christ was with us that day, alongside angels that were protecting us. I know there are also people that are still hurting and still rebuilding themselves, just like everybody in the ward. We’re all at different stages, but I know he’s with me every day. I know that he will continue to be with me and the members of our ward and those that seek him.”

Another congregant, Michael Mero, spoke of the future.

“We’re not defined by our tragedies but by our reactions to those things,” Mero said. “That event does not define us. But how we move forward, how we grow, how we progress — that’s what truly defines us.”

Monday’s groundbreaking was especially poignant for those who lost loved ones that day.

“The gift of forgiveness has been extremely healing,” said Lisa Louis, who was inside the chapel during the attack and lost her father, Craig Hayden. “It has allowed me to see the love that our Heavenly Father has for all his creations.”

During the groundbreaking, Schaub “recognized the heroism of Hayden, who died while helping another congregant escape,” according to the Detroit Free Press. The lay bishop said members “won’t forget those who died and their unique personalities and contributions.”

Affecting a whole community

Monday’s event included members of the wider Grand Blanc community, which the church said has rallied around victims and their families.

“From the onset of this tragedy, we saw good conquering evil,” said Scott Bennett, supervisor of Grand Blanc Township. “That’s what I want to remember this tragedy for — that good conquered evil, that people are not living in fear here.”

Latter-day Saints Bridger and Lindsey Frampton expressed their gratitude for acts of kindness to them and their children from teachers, neighbors and friends.

“Heavenly Father sends good people to be in our lives when we need them,” Lindsey said. “It’s members of our church and it’s members of our community, and it’s our kids’ teachers and coaches. It is proof that our Heavenly Father sees you and loves you.”

She is excited by the prospect of a new chapel.

“It’s not a scary place. It’s a sacred place,” Lindsey said. “And it deserves to have a new church building on it.”

Building unity

During the past 12 months, the Utah-based faith sent truckloads of food to the region as part of its contribution to the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

“The people of Grand Blanc and the surrounding communities have shown what it means to come together and help others,” Sanchez, the stake president, said when a second shipment arrived last week in Grand Blanc. “This delivery is a small way to say thank you, help our neighbors in need, and give back to this wonderful community.”

The semitruck’s 20 tons of food and household goods were bound for FISH, a Grand Blanc food bank.

“When I see [what the church] brought,” FISH Director Barb Smith said in the release, “we are very, very blessed.”

Sanchez told CBS News Detroit that the church’s efforts are about “gratitude and moving forward.”

The new building — which will serve as a stake (regional) center for the faith — will be about more than worship, he said. It will be “a place for many people to make lasting friendships.”

Church officials provided a rendering of the new meetinghouse, which will be larger than the previous one, and will take about 14 months to complete.

“My greatest hope is that people will come and walk away having felt God’s love for them,” Sanchez said in the release, “and with a desire to share that love with others.”