ST. CLAIR, Mo. – The First Baptist Church was damaged significantly by an overnight fire, Jan. 11.
At about 2 a.m., someone was walking down the street by the church and noticed flames and smoke coming from the church and reported the fire.
Interim Pastor Jerry Cowin said it took a couple of hours for firefighters to extinguish the flames and secure the facility.
The cause seems to be a large patch of ice and snow sliding down the pitched roof into a set of air conditioners and heating units. This broke some gas lines, and apparently broken electrical lines sparked a fire. The fire opened a hole in the roof above the offices and conference room area. Smoke and water damage permeated the whole facility.
ST. CLAIR, Mo. – The conference room of First Baptist Church was damaged in an overnight fire, Jan. 11, but the office equipment and files in the church offices were salvageable.
Deacon chairman Brad Pierce said initial damage reports estimate it may be several months before the church will be able to occupy the facility again. They will be seeking another facility to use temporarily. Several offers from churches in St. Clair and the Franklin Baptist Association have been made already. The association sent out communication to the churches and they have responded quickly with offers of help.
According to the St. Louis TV news station Fox 2 (KPLR), the building’s roof has a large gaping hole and the heating system for the church is not functioning. They said a meeting of church leaders on Saturday was held, and initial plans for the future were developed.
Pastor Cowin said he tried to encourage the folks that gathered at the site, and meetings were expected to be held in homes on Sunday, Jan. 12. By the next Sunday perhaps they will have a temporary location secured, he added. They are thankful that the church’s files and computers were not damaged. The conference room took the brunt of the fire damage.
Director of Missions Jim Plymale, who serves the Franklin Baptist Association, which is located in nearby Union, said the association has a gymnasium available to the church if needed (It is about five miles away). Plymale confirmed that the metal roof on the building had a buildup of ice from a recent storm that dumped about 3 inches of frozen sleet, and it had a pretty thick accumulation there before breaking loose and sliding down to cause the damage and start the fire.
Cowin said he was planning to preach on Proverbs 3:4-5 on Sunday and that may get delayed for a week, but he intends to say “Let’s not lean on our own understanding, but let God direct us to find His purposes.” He added, “This fire is tragic but pales in comparison to the wildfires and damages sustained in Southern California.”
According to Plymale, the church can expect support to be offered to the church from the association and community. Pastor Cowin said one significant financial gift had already come in when the church leadership met on Saturday.
The St. Clair First Baptist Church has about 70 attenders. They are without a pastor, and Corwin has been serving as an interim pastor for nearly a year and a half. He lives in St. Louis County.
Corwin thanked everyone for their offers of support and prayer. He asks Pathway readers to pray for them and to thank God that further damage to the building was avoided.