Roof Collapse during Ohio Church Fire

WASHINGTON C.H., Ohio – It’s too soon to know whether Faith Church can rebuild after a fire destroyed its house of worship, or whether the congregation can seek refuge with another church.

All that members of the Pentecostal church congregation near Washington Court House know is that they are saddened and shocked.

“It’s just a building — we are the church — but there’s a lot of memories in that building,” church member Rebecca Maynard said on Monday as she stood outside the charred, sooty church building.

Authorities are investigating the cause of the fire. No one was inside the building at

1011 Old Chillicothe Rd. S.E. in Union Township when the fire was reported about 9:30 p.m. Sunday

The one-floor brick building was a total loss, authorities said. Its roof collapsed into the interior.

The state fire marshal’s office is helping the Washington Court House Fire Department investigate.

Chief Thomas Youtz said there is nothing at this time to indicate that the fire was suspicious but added that investigators were looking into everything.

Firefighters were at the scene until about 3 a.m. on Monday. One firefighter broke a finger while fighting the blaze, Youtz said.

The fire was intense and quickly consumed the building, said Fayette County Sheriff Vernon Stanforth, who was at the scene on Sunday night.

Maynard said she drove from her home in Bloomingburg and joined other congregants at the fire scene on Sunday night as soon as they heard that the church was ablaze.

“We just sat there and cried and tried to comfort each other as best we could,” she said.

The church has about 90 members, said Kelly Anders, the wife of Associate Pastor Matt Anders. She said that her husband and Pastor Bryan Shipley did not know whether the church would be rebuilt.

“I am surprised and sad,” she said as she looked at the destroyed building on Monday.

Faith Church bought the building and its 3.39 acres for $300,000 in October 2013 from Assemblies of God church. The building and land are currently appraised for $315,700, according to the county auditor’s office.

The sheriff said he expected that other area religious groups would step forward to help the small congregation.

“I am sure that the church community will come together to provide some assistance to them,” Stanforth said.

Maynard thinks that is a good possibility. Faith Church has conducted services with other churches in the area, she said.

There also is tentative talk of erecting a tent for services on the site, at least as long as the weather stays warm, she said.

“All of us are trying to see what the pastor wants to do, and we will follow his leadership,” Maynard said.

mlane@dispatch.com

@MaryBethLane1