Despite a fire at its building in the early morning hours July 26, Sunday morning worship the following day at Bellview Baptist Church, McCalla, was not affected.
The church’s alarm went off around 1:30 a.m. on July 26, said Pastor Tim Hassler. An intruder apparently broke a window and proceeded to set fire to some pieces of church furniture that were sitting inside.
A neighbor living near the church grounds happened to witness the fire and began honking his car horn to scare the arson suspect away. Investigators say the suspect reportedly fled the scene in a red Chevrolet Impala, according to news reports.
In addition to the damage that was made to a couple furniture items and the large window, glass also had been shattered on two of the building’s glass doors.
Hassler noted the fire caused minimal damage to the building and that it “could have been so much worse.”
Because of the assistance of church members and work crews who helped July 26 to clear out the smoke from the building and board up the broken window, Sunday worship the next day at Bellview Baptist went on as usual, Hassler said.
The investigation was ongoing at press time, and the church is currently in the process of working with its insurance company regarding repairs that need to be made.
Hassler noted that even if the intruder had caused serious damage, “the building is just a building. God has placed a great church family here … to continue sharing God’s Word.”
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