LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — A couple of weeks ago violence erupted across Little Rock following peaceful protests during the evening.

Multiple buildings were set on fire, one of them being the Lewis Street Church of Christ near Asher.

The senior pastor talked to us today about what happened and how they are going to rebuild.

The fire was set to the church, but it wasn’t burnt down. The pastor tells us they are still holding bible study and say they are going to still be there.

The church says they have a message of hope and will forgive the person who did this.

“I cried inside and out. It was heartbreaking,” said Jameel O. Robinson the Senior Minister at the church.

All that’s left behind is charred damage.

“When this happened it was very devastating. It was very discouraging. It brought about discontentment and it brought about frustration,” said Robinson.

Robinson said he was called a week and a half ago when his church building was set on fire, authorities believe it was arson.

“It was acknowledged that someone deliberately and intentionally set our building on fire,” said Robinson.

He says the church was already in the middle of a renovation project that was 80% complete. The city of Little Rock says a number of other buildings were burned the same night this happened. Robinson says this isn’t getting them down.

“We’re gonna come back and we’re going to rebuild and rebuild the Lord’s house and continue to be a positive voice in this community,” said Robinson.

He says he’s sending a message of hope to the congregation and beyond.

“I don’t understand why somebody would do this, but at the same time it encourages me to understand that we have our work cut out for us, we still have a lot of work to do,” said Robinson.

He says the building may be burned, but his church still stands. He says it’s a message for everyone during tough times.

“We can still have peace and we can still have unity but it’s gonna take people’s hearts being charged,” said Robinson.

They say they have contacted their insurance adjuster. They are also working with the Solomon Foundation on this new project.