25 people were killed in First Baptist Church, including one woman who was pregnant and another who was the pastors' daughter.
The shooter, Devin Patrick Kelly, was then gunned down by bystanders with guns.
Half of those killed were children and the church is now a memorial to those who died during the Sunday service.
Six months on from the day which shook the congregation, the ground was broken to "celebrate the lives that our friends and family lived", according to Sherri Pomeroy from First Baptist Church.
She told San –Antonio Express News: "'We purposefully planned this groundbreaking on today's date, to help us remember to celebrate the lives that our friends and family lived, not to dwell on the manner in which they died."
The first dig of the building project was celebrated in a marquee behind the church with worship music, led by one of the survivors, and a baptism led by the Pastor, Rev Frank Pomeroy.
2016 Presidential candidate and Republican Senator Ted Cruz said: "A the eyes of the world focused on Sutherland Springs, this community, this church, the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs showed the world of Jesus Christ."
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