During the four-decade pastorship of Dr. Lee Roberson, it was a center of the Independent Baptist movement and became an early megachurch.
[8] On the evening of June 10, 2022, Phillips Memorial Chapel and Chauncey-Goode Auditorium caught fire.
[9][10] Residents living within five blocks were asked to shelter in place during the fire to avoid exposure to smoke hazards.
The clock tower of Phillips Chapel and one wall with stained glass windows were still standing in the aftermath of the blaze, but it was not immediately known whether they could be preserved.
They circulated surveillance photos of a man riding a bicycle in the area at the time of the fire who was being sought as a person of interest in their arson investigation.