Oklahoma parsonage burns down during Sunday worship
Worship services for the McLoud Church of Christ in Oklahoma…
Fire destroys Alabama church building
A vehicle that crashed into the building early Sunday morning ignited the blaze.
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A silver BMW careened into the Rock Creek Church of Christ building in Warrior, Ala., early Sunday morning, igniting a blaze that rendered the building a total loss.
The crash occurred around 6 a.m. before members arrived for Bible class and worship, so none were injured.
Related: Oklahoma parsonage burns down during Sunday worship
The Blount County Sheriff’s Office suspects the male driver was under the influence of alcohol, ABC 33/40 reported. Responders transported him to a nearby hospital for injuries.
Sonny Sanders, Rock Creek’s youth minister who monitors the church’s security system, received an alarm and saw police and firefighters on the cameras — though they did not record the crash itself.
Alan Monosky
By the time Sanders arrived — along with elders Alan Monosky and Scott Crawford, also the church’s minister — the building was engulfed in flames, Monosky told The Christian Chronicle.
The fire ultimately burned through much of the roof and upper floor of the two-story building, as well as part of the first-floor ceiling. Rain caused further damage and left standing water.
Members were later able to search through the debris but found little to salvage — only a few personal items, tables and pieces of disposable dinnerware.
“So it’s just a sad, upsetting day,” Monosky said. “But nobody was hurt, so we’re thankful for that.”
The day of the fire, the 40-member congregation worshiped in a member’s home and had lunch together — a Sunday afternoon tradition that continued even amid the calamity.
The Rock Creek Church of Christ is shown before it was destroyed by a fire.
Firefighters respond to the Rock Creek church fire.
The church will keep meeting house to house as it determines how to move forward, Monosky said.
He believes the church’s insurance should pay out enough to rebuild — though he’s not sure if the congregation will stay in the same location.
Monosky estimates the building, formerly a clinic, was 30 to 40 years old. The Rock Creek church has been there for about 14 years.
