Jennifer Garner shared heartbreaking images of her church reduced to ashes after it was destroyed in the devastating Los Angeles fires last month.
The actress, 52 – who was recently spotted filming scenes for her Apple TV+ series – also included a picture of an item that was found amidst the expansive rubble and debris of the United Methodist Community Church.
The star previously opened up the destruction of her ‘family’s church’ during an interview with MSNBC and reflected on how it had once been a ‘central part of our community.’
In one photo shared in her latest post, Garner showed a mug with a Christmas tree on the front that had been discovered following the blazes.
‘A little moment of light and hope to end the week,’ she began in the caption. ‘I sent the pastor and music director of my family’s church mugs at the holidays.’
‘A couple of weeks later, our church, along with the beautiful town surrounding it, was gone. Ross and Zach sifted through the rubble of the church this week, looking for, well, anything.’
Jennifer Garner, 52, shared heartbreaking images of her church reduced to ashes after it was destroyed in the devastating Los Angeles fires last month; seen in November 2024 in West Hollywood
The actress also included a picture of an item that was found amidst the expansive rubble and debris of the United Methodist Community Church
Garner added, ‘Imagine my surprise when I opened this photo – with a note “We found one thing.”‘
‘My prayers join the many others for the families and business owners and communities whose lives turned upside down a month ago.’
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‘And extend to all of you to enjoy health, safety, and your own moments of light and hope this weekend,’ Jennifer concluded.
Along with the image of the mug, she also shared a before-and-after shot of what the church had looked like before being ingulfed in flames during the Pacific Palisades fire.
The sign in front of what is left of the church appeared untouched in one photo and still contained a message for the holiday season. ‘Join us for a joyful Christmas season. Pastor John Shaver,’ it read.
The catastrophic fires began last month on January 7 amid strong Santa Ana winds, and also included the Eaton Fire in Altadena.
Only days after the blazes began, Garner visited the Pacific Palisades community and talked to MSNBC as she volunteered for World Central Kitchen to feed victims affected by the tragic event.
While becoming emotional, the mother-of-three told journalist Katy Tur, ‘It’s my family’s church.’
‘A little moment of light and hope to end the week,’ she began in the caption. ‘I sent the pastor and music director of my family’s church mugs at the holidays’
Along with the image of the mug, she also shared a before-and-after shot of what the church had looked like before being ingulfed in flames during the Pacific Palisades fire
‘It’s a gathering point for the entire community. And full of really quirky, cool, mostly blue collar people of the community,’ Jennifer previously said of the church
After a brief pause, Garner continued, ‘And it’s where my kids went to Sunday school. We lit the Advent candle together there a couple of weeks ago. We watched the little kids perform. It’s a preschool. It’s a central part of our community.’
‘It’s a gathering point for the entire community. And full of really quirky, cool, mostly blue collar people of the community. And just, like, I loved belonging there because wherever I went, I would run into somebody from our community.’
She later added, ‘The people are strong and the sense of the community is strong. We will look after each other, and that is still here. That is still stronger than ever.’
Jennifer also briefly got candid about ‘losing a friend’ in the fires and expressed, ‘I did lose a friend. And for our church, it’s really tender. So, I don’t feel like I should talk about her yet.’
‘But yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out on time,’ she continued as her voice cracked over the tragic loss.
Jennifer also reflected on seeing the destruction of thousands of homes in the Palisades community and expressed, ‘I just…my heart bleeds for all my friends.’
‘I mean, I can think of a hundred families and there are 5,000 homes lost. Without even thinking, I can write out a list of a hundred friends that lost their homes.’
Garner then admitted, ‘I feel almost guilty walking through my house just, you know, what can I do? How can I help? What can I offer? What do I have to offer with these hands and these walls and the safety that I have?’
‘But yeah, I did lose a friend who did not get out on time,’ she continued as her voice cracked over the tragic loss
Jennifer also reflected on seeing the destruction of thousands of homes in the Palisades community and expressed, ‘I just…my heart bleeds for all my friends’; photo of the Methodist Church taken on January 10
The star – who is also an ambassador for the nonprofit Save The Children – said the organization ‘will be in shelters helping parents and kids and keeping them safe and social and emotional…we’ll be here in a big way very, very soon.’
Elsewhere in her conversation with Tur, the actress stated, ‘I’ve lived in and around the Palisades for 25 years, so I just think all of us, we want to get our hands into working, somehow, to be helpful.’
‘And because of my work with Save The Children, we have a relationship with the chef,’ she said, referencing to Jose Andres – who is the founder of World Central Kitchen.
‘And I was able to just say, “Can I be with you for the day? What can I do to help? Put me to work.”‘
Along with lending a hand in the Palisades, the actress also served food with World Central Kitchen in the neighborhood of Altadena which was gravely affected by the Eaton Fire.
Jose Andres recently discussed Jennifer’s assistance in the wake of the blazes during an interview with People.
‘She lost a friend [and] she was there like one more,’ he expressed to the outlet. ‘It feels like she was my friend since childhood – and we just met, we barely met – and there she was.’
‘I did not have to tell her what to do, because she’ll always find something to do on her own.’
Jose Andres recently discussed Jennifer’s assistance in the wake of the blazes during an interview with People
While handing out food to residents who lost their homes, Andres revealed how she gave ‘hugs to so many people.’
Jose added, ‘I think that’s almost like a psychology worry that I don’t think anybody realizes, but that’s so deep and so important.’
He then gave a shout out to those who ‘showed up even for [even] an hour’ even though ‘they don’t have to.’
‘Some of them are suffering the consequences of the fire, but there [here] they are. And they don’t do it where there are cameras, they’re doing it where there is nobody, and that makes it very special.’