On Monday afternoon, fires broke out at a church in Maywood, drawing firefighters from all across the western suburbs. That incident resulted in zero casualties.
New Life in Christ Bible Church has been ministering to the people of Maywood for about three decades. This past Monday, its building at 1642 15th Avenue, near Harrison Street, was wholly wiped down in a fire.
But the pastor assured them that the church would keep helping the community. According to Maywood Fire Chief Craig Bronaugh Jr, the smoke was initially reported to have been coming from the building’s rear.
Massive flames lit up the night sky, making them impossible to ignore. Tim Patterson, down the street, was taken aback by what he saw. “There was hardly any smoke visible. We had only just begun, “In Patterson’s words. “But things became steadily worse.”
New Life in Christ Bible Church in Maywood, California, was entirely burned when the fire department arrived. After it was established that no one was inside, the fire chief ordered all firefighters to evacuate; those who remained fought the blaze defensively from the outside.
Fearing for their safety, police officers evacuated two nearby homes, one to the north and one to the west.
Memories were being lost at an alarming rate
Patterson stated, “There were no words for it.” This church has been established for quite some time. The church has been at the exact location at the intersection of 15th Avenue and Harrison Street for 27 years. Those on the street corner were taken aback. Nonetheless, by the time Senior Pastor Ronald Beamon came, he was deeply affected by what he saw.
When he finally stopped shaking, he explained, “my whole body just started trembling.” Beamon stood by in disbelief as the modest church in his area was destroyed by flames.I like this structure,” he exclaimed.
Beamon remembers a picture from this month of the sanctuary and is brought back to the time he and his congregation worshipped there. “To be honest, we were just psyched to have three Christmas trees in the sanctuary this year. It’s beautiful, “the man declared. As for the interior, “it was stunning.”
Nothing remains now
“I just want the congregation to know we’re fine,” Pastor Beamon stated. We intend to remain, and we wish to reestablish ourselves. Last year, the congregation finally collected enough money to pay for roof repairs. The new roof caved in during the fire on Monday afternoon, leaving the pulpit exposed to the elements.
Pastor Beamon expressed his gratitude and praise to God by saying, “We were so delighted to see a brand-new roof put on the church, and to see it today simply entirely devastated.” Even though the building’s exterior was damaged, the New Life in Christ Bible Church continues to serve its community confidently.
Rebuilding will be difficult, but Beamon is confident that “God is with us.” It was unclear as of late Monday what started the fire. It took personnel many hours, though, to get the situation under control. Next-door houses were spared from the blaze’s progress.
source: cbsnews.com
