On 23 April 1978, Pastor Vaughn preached a message from I Peter 4:12-13 entitled, “The Crucible of Christian Suffering.” He taught that God uses suffering to make us more closely model Christ in our lives. Four weeks later, 20 May 1978, a gasoline spill caused a major fire at the Vaughn’s home. Their two-year-old daughter, Becky, miraculously survived third-degree burns over 95% of her body. Brenda also received third-degree burns on 65% of her body. Both underwent multiple surgeries and spent months in separate hospitals. Though hospital bills mounted, God provided everything the family needed.

Faith Baptist Church experienced tremendous growth immediately following the fire in the Vaughns’ home. The publicity accompanying the pastor’s tragedy aroused community interest, and the Vaughns’ testimony encouraged many. The congregation grew from forty-five people in 1977 to an average of nine hundred four years later. Faith’s small building overflowed! The small main building underwent constant remodeling with fewer interior walls remaining as the congregation grew. Parking crews were organized to park cars door-to-door to maximize parking space. Faith held five one-hour services every Sunday, two in the morning and three in the evening; Pastor Vaughn preached every service! In November of 1981, Faith moved into a twelve-thousand-square-foot former grocery store at 2706 Old Buncombe Road. Lester Roloff preached the opening service with over sixteen hundred people in attendance.

As the Spanish population of Greenville grew, Faith organized a Bible study called Los Cimientos de la Fe in order to reach the Hispanic community. This eventually became Iglesia Bautista de la Fe. Iglesia Bautista soon became independent of Faith as Greenville’s first Spanish-speaking Fundamental church.